Wisconsin Hoofers
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Wisconsin Hoofers of the Wisconsin Union (Hoofer outdoor adventure clubs) is a group of clubs at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the Wisconsin Union Directorate created with the purpose of organized outdoors recreation of various kinds. The emblem of the club in its current form is the capital "W" overlaid by the horseshoe (which looks like "U", thus alluding to the "U of W") [1]
The first club of the kind, a skiing and outing club, was established in 1931, modelled after the Dartmouth Outing Club. The name "hoofers" is similar to the term "heelers" used for the new members of the Dartmouth club and reportedly was designed to imply "getting there under your own power." In 1976 Hoofers listed over 5,600 members.[2]
[edit] Clubs
Currently there are the following specialized clubs:[2]
- Hoofer Mountaneering Club (since 1949)
- Hoofer Outing Club (since 1945)
- Hoofer Riding Club (including Hoofer Equestrian Center) (since 1939)
- Hoofer Sailing Club (Wisconsin Hoofer Sailing Club) (since 1939) In 1974 it was the largest student sailing club in the country
- Hoofer SCUBA Club (Wisconsin Hoofers SCUBA Club) (since 1976)
- Hoofer Ski and Snowboard Club (Hoofers SnS)
Past clubs:[2]
- Hoofer Skiing and Outing Club (1931, the first club)
- Hoofer Archery Club (1934, eventually suffered due to the lack of the permanent shooting range and in 1965 it was made into Hunting Club, which was about shooting prey rather than targets, but survived only until 1967, folding into the Hoofer Outing)
- Hoofer Canoe Club (1952-1957, folded into the Hoofer Outing)
- Ecology Club (since 1970, short-lived)
- Hoofer Environment Club (1980s, short-lived)
[edit] Notable members
- Brothers Paul Bietila and Walter Bietila, selected for the 1940 US Olympic ski jumping team. The Games were cancelled due to World War II. Walter became captain of the 1948 team, and later served on the US National Olympic Committee. [2] Notable Hoofer Sailing Club members include Peter Barrett, an Olympic sailing gold (1968) and silver (1964) winner,[3] and Peter and Olaf Harken, founders of Harken, Inc., a sailing-hardware manufacturer.[4] [5] [6] [7]
[edit] References
- ^ Wisconsin Hoofers website
- ^ a b c d "Early Hoofers History", a University of Wisconsin archive webpage
- ^ Peter Barrett Obituary
- ^ Small Business Times, June 23, 2006
- ^ CNC Machining Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 14, Summer 2000
- ^ SailNet "How Other Sailors Learned" August 31, 2001
- ^ University of Wisconsin-Madison Economics Alumni Newsletter, 2004, p. 8, Alumni News (PDF)
