The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced today that it will be implementing a conference-wide cost reduction plan in response to the current economic climate and the resulting imposition of budget cuts throughout the University of Wisconsin System.

The goal of the plan is to enact cuts across the conference thereby minimizing the need for its member schools to institute significant reductions at the campus level and in an effort to retain the competitive equity in what is viewed to be one of the premier Division III conferences in the country.

Most of the cost-cutting initiatives focus on reducing travel costs since transportation, lodging and meals comprise one of the single largest expenditure items for collegiate athletics departments, particularly at the Division III level. It should be noted these cuts are in addition to those budget-reduction measures already imposed by the state or UW System such as the employee salary freeze and mandated furloughs.

It is estimated that these cuts will save over $250,000 in direct budget expenditures and a total of nearly $450,000 when factoring in expenditures paid from other sources (e.g., Foundations, booster clubs, fund-raising) as well as those activities funded directly by student-athletes.

A few of the more notable cost-reduction initiatives include:

1 - Establishing later start times for contests so as to minimize the number of overnight stays for visiting teams.

2 - Limiting postseason tournament brackets in all team sports to a maximum of six teams.

3 - Restricting teams to taking no more than one trip during the regular-season outside of an established regional perimeter.

4 - Exploring the feasibility of scheduling one additional WIAC football team as a nonconference game beginning with the 2011 season.

5 - Suspending the annual conference summer workshop and football and basketball media days for 2009.

6 - Freezing officiating fees at 2008-09 levels.

“The fact that a conference can reach a consensus on cost-reduction measures that will impact institutions differently speaks highly of the environment of cooperation that characterizes the WIAC," WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner indicates in a WIAC press release issued today (Monday). "As an integral part of the overall educational enterprise we also recognize and accept the fact that athletics is not immune from the economic challenges facing our institutions and we will share in that burden accordingly.”

Coming up on Tuesday, June 30, Warhawkfootball.com will have UW-Whitewater reaction to the WIAC cost reduction measure.

The second of three Warhawk summer football camps is taking place this week at UW-Whitewater. The Youth Football Camp for grades 4 through 8, will conclude on Wednesday, June 30.

The popular Youth Football Camp has been a very productive camp for young men just learning the skills needed to participate in football. It is basically for learning techniques and focuses on instruction for all positions. Each camper receives equal offensive and defensive practice sessions to give them equal exposure to both sides. The emphasis will be on basic fundamentals.

(In the adjacent photo, campers in 4th through 8th grade are shown getting instruction on the fundamentals Monday (6/29) on the Warhawk practice complex located on the north end of the UW-Whitewater campus - photo by Tom Pattison)

The final Warhawk summer football camp is the O-Line & D-Line Camp - July 8-10.

The O-Line & D-Line Camp is designed to develop skills and techniques of players who work in the trenches for their teams. Intensive individual coaching, as well as group work, will assist in helping players to develop not only the techniques necessary to play, but also the development on each player’s confidence.

This camp is padded and will be open to offensive linemen (including the center, guards, tackles, and tight ends) and defensive linemen (including the noseguards, tackles, ends, and stand up linebackers that play the line).

Campers will be grouped by grade, age and experience.

For more on 2009 Warhawk summer football camps CLICK HERE

UW-Whitewater offensive tackle Mike Sherman was named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Society for the 2008-2009 school year. The Hampshire Society recognizes the combination of accomplishments in the classroom and on the playing field.

Qualifications for the Hampshire Society include: being a starter or significant reserve in the last year of eligibility, a minimum 3.2 (4.0 scale) cumulative grade point average, and meeting all NCAA progress toward degree requirements.

Sherman, who majored in sociology with a criminal justice emphasis, had a 3.79 GPA. He was on the UW-W Dean's List and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Scholastic Honor Roll every year, earned a spot on the UW-W Athletic Academic Achievement Honor Roll, and was named the 2007 Outstanding Junior for Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice. He was also a 2008 finalist for the Draddy Award, the top academic award presented by the NFF.

The Hampshire Award was established by Jon Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, who provided an endowment to fund the initiative.

Justin Beaver isn't the only former Warhawk playing professional football. Derek Stanley enters his third year with the St. Louis Rams.

Stanley hopes to open training camp healthy after suffering a season-ending knee injury last December versus Seattle. The former Warhawk wide receiver ended 2008 on injured reserve after undergoing ACL surgery.

Stanley was not expected to get back in action until the teams' 2009 training camp. Through hard work, Derek was back on the field in limited individual drills during May's minicamp. He also participated in OTA workouts in early June.

With the departure on All-Pro receiver Tory Holt, the Rams will open training camp with the youngest wide receiver corps in the NFC.

Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurent Robinson and Tim Carter have been the top four receivers so far during off-season workouts. Stanley is expected to be in that mix on his return from injury.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported that Derek will enter training camp as the favorite to serve as the team's primary return man this season.

Prior to his injury last season, Stanley caught 6 passes for 119 yards including an 80 yard touchdown reception vs. NFC champion Arizona. It was the first of his NFL career.

Stanley was also the Rams primary kick return specialist the last half of 2008. In Week 12 vs. Chicago, Derek returned six kickoffs for a 32.5-yard average…recorded a 75-yard kickoff return, the longest of career.

As a rookie Stanley Finished fourth in the NFC and 10th in the NFL with a 25.5-yard kickoff return average despite limited playing time.

The Rams open training camp on July 31st at Rams' Park in St. Louis.

Justin Beaver will begin his rookie season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on its practice squad. The former NCAA Division III Gagliardy Trophy recipient is one of seven placed on the Riders' practice squad.

Beaver indicated prior to leaving for Regina that he just wanted to compete for a spot on the team."

"My goal is always to make the team. Whatever way I can help, whether it's practice squad, actual roster, whatever it takes." Beaver tells rodpetersenblog.com.

Opening the season on the practice squad will allow the former Warhawk running back to adjust from American football to the much-different Candadian Football League.

The Roughriders open the regular season on July 3 vs. the B.C. (British Columbia) Lions with only two tailbacks on the active roster. Former University of Colorado running back Charles Hughes Canadian Stu Foord will combine to man the tailback spot at the start of the season.

Justin was locked in a spirited battle with Charles in the final preseason game on Tuesday. Charles played the first half, Beaver the second half. They were the only running backs to see action in the Riders' 27-19 loss to Calgary.

Beaver scored his first professional touchdown in the game, a two-yard run early in the second quarter against Calgary. Justin finished the game with five rushes for five yards including the touchdown. He caught two passes for seven yards.

Starting the season on the injured list will be Wes Cates, the Riders' leading rusher last season. Neal Hughes was placed on the nine-game injured list.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders won't make its final cut list available until sometime Thursday morning. All indications are that former UW-Whitewater running back Justin Beaver will be on Riders' regular season or practice roster entering the regular season.

Beaver told Warhawkfootball.com last weekend that the past year has been much more than just football.

Justin spent the the just-completed school year teaching elementary school at Fort Atkinson's Barrie Elementary School.

"When the Roughriders told me last June that they would sign me for the 2009 season, I made the decision to put football on the back burner to allow me to finish my degree," Beaver said. "It has allowed me to find my other passion - teaching. I spent the 08-09 school year practice teaching and serving as a longterm substitute elementary school teacher in the Fort Atkinson School District.

"I have found another passion - teaching. It has allowed me to share my story while helping kids." Beaver tells Warhawkfootball.com. "Watching kids grow has become a huge part of my life. It has been a very emotional and neat thing to be.able to share my story and hopefully change lives."

Justin also went back to his hometown of Palmyra to coach track and field earlier this spring.

Beaver indicates that he has "given everything he has" attempting to make the final roster for the Roughriders. If it does not happen he is prepared to get right return to his "other passion, teaching."

Justin Beaver entered Tuesday night's preseason game vs. Calgary saying he was hoping to make an impact play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in his bid to make the Riders' regular season roster.

It didn't take long for the former UW-Whitewater running back to make an impact. On his first carry of the game, Beaver scored his first professional touchdown on a 2 yard run 4:47 into the second quarter for the Riders' first points of the game.

The Roughriders used only two running backs in the game. Second year running back Hugh Charles played the entire first half with the exception of the of the goal line situation where Beaver scored the touchdown on his only carry of the first half.

Charles finished his night with nine carries for 54 yards along with two catches for 37 yards.

Justin played the entire second half finishing the game with 5 carries for 5 yards and 2 catches for 7 yards.

Calgary defeated the Roughriders 27-19.

Following the game, Riders' starting quarterback Darian Durant praised both Charles and Beaver.

"I think both of those guys (Charles and Beaver) have done a very good job during camp," Durant indicated on the 620-CKRM Radio postgame show. "Hugh is an explosive runner, he can make people miss if you get the ball in his hands. Beaver's the same way. Both those guys are compact and are hard to bring down. With those two guys and with Stu Foord who didn't play tonight, we've got some great options on offense.

The Roughriders will make their final cuts this weekend, and then open the regular season Friday, July 3 at home against the B.C. Lions.

(The following is another in a series of blogs on Justin Beaver at Roughrider training camp)

Justin Beaver will make his final push for a regular season roster spot with the Saskatchewan Roughriders tonight (Tuesday) in preseason action vs. Calgary.

From all reports, Beaver is battling for the third running back roster spot, or possibly a spot on the Rider practice squad.

Justin has spent the past couple of days searching for an apartment according to Monday's blog by Roughrider Radio Voice Rod Pedersen.

Justin told Warhawkfootball.com's Tom Pattison over the weekend that he has been living a dream since arriving in Canada a couple of week's ago.

Playing in last week's preseason game at Edmonton was very emotional for the talented running back. "To play in a pro football game is something I have dreamed about since I was a little kid," Beaver said. "It is a feeling that no one can ever take away from me."

Beaver says he needs to make a big play in tonight's final preseason game. A play to distingishes himself from the other Rider backs.

"It would be great to make that impact play to help me secure a roster spot or maybe spot on the practice squad," Beaver explains. "I have to put that in the back of my mind and enter the game focused on doing the things that I can control. Knowing my plays, knowing my adjustments. Knowing that I must go 110 percent every play. If its meant to be, its meant to be. If I don't make the squad I want to leave Canada knowing I've given it my best shot."

Tonight's Calgary at Saskatchewan Roughrider game kicks off at 8:00 pm (CST).

It is really no biggy... 1,200 miles from home, in an all-new environment, don't know a soul, facing the pressure of gaining a regular season roster spot with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Tom Pattison caught up with Justin Beaver at Friday (6/19) morning's Rider practice at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

On a beautiful day, it didn't take Pattison long to realize football played in Canada is much different than the football played in the United States.

First of all, the field is 120 yards long, not the 100 yard field in America. The game is played with 12 men on the field at a time, not 11.

In Canada, the offense (spelled offence) in Canada, gets just 3 downs instead of the 4 downs

It is a fast-paced game with backs and receivers in motion towards the line of scrimmage prior to the snap.

"It took me a couple days just to adapt to the Canadian game," Beaver tells Warhawkfootball.com. "I had to learn to run different routes on a much larger playing field. I've had to learn to do a lot of different things that I was never called on to do at Whitewater."

You can't just show up for pactice at this level. Justin says the time off the field is spent learning the play book and participating in team and position meetings.

(In the adjacent photo, Justin Beaver squeezes through a hole during Saskatchewan Roughrider practice Friday morning. Beaver is focused in on competition for a regular season roster spot with the Riders - Photo by Tom Pattison)

Beaver ended his college career rushing for 6,584 yards whjich ranked No. 11 all-time (all divisions, not just Division III) despite missing much of his freshman season as the tailback for UW-Whitewater. He left as one of the most outstandinng players in the history of Division III football.

"Its a whole new world at the pro level here in Canada," Beaver said. Blocking is a primary requirement for the running back in the CFL. Instead of the 25 to 40 carries Beaver had at Whitewater, it is more to 8 to 15 carries per game north of the border.

"These guys (defensive players) are out to kill you when you are out on the field," Beaver tells Warhawkfootball.com. "I really have to use leverage, learn to block inside out, how not to fall for a defenders first move, and then use my height to my advantage by getting under the defenders pads and driving him out."

Much more will be coming up from Justin including how he deals with the business side of football. That is coming up later tonight here on Warhawkfootball.com.

(Editor's note: Tom Pattison had a chance to sit down and talk to Justin Beaver following Friday (6/19) morning's Roughrider practice. This story talks about the business side of being a professional football player)

Justin Beaver quickly caught the eyes of Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches when he arrived in Regina for rookie training camp on June 3. He has impressed the media and fans with his power running in a 5-7, 190 pound frame. Coaches tell me that Justin has caught just about everything thrown at him - including the Catch of the Day on the second day of full training camp.

Everybody back in the United States know all about his amazing career at UW-Whitewater. Justin told me during the interview that absolutely nothing will ever top the feelings he had as a tailback for UW-Whitewater. His career included an NCAA Division III National Championship as a senior along with two National Runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior.

You may be really good - but the other running backs brought into camp are riding in the same boat.

(In the adjacent photo, Justin is joined by the other running backs during a break in the practice. Only half of those players will be on the regular season roster by next Wedneday night - photo by Tom Pattison)

I was told on Friday that Justin has been all business since arriving in Regina. After having the bitter taste of last year's Green Bay Packer rookie training camp, Justin is taking the next step by being part of a FULL training camp.

He called it "a dream come true" when he saw limited action in the Roughriders preseason opening game at Edmonton last week.

"Its been so long since I felt that adrenaline rush and those emotions, its what you play the game for," Beaver tells Warhawkfootball.com "I was told I wasn't going to get in until sometime in the third quarter but the adrenaline was pumping the entire game. It felt great."

Running backs playing time was limited as the coaching staff wanted all the running backs in camp to get game action in the 45-12 loss to Edmonton.

For the record, Justin had one carry for four yards, and one catch for one yard. Not that impressive in the newspaper story, but it appears Beaaver actually played quite well in his limited action.

"I did well in all my assigments and we got our grade sheets today and I was the only running back to get all plusses."

Even though it is all about competition for a roster spot, Justin says the veterans and coaches tell the rookies not to dwell on where you are on the depth chart. Beaver was running at No. 2 on Friday.

Justin says Tuesday's final preseason game against Calgary will be huge for him. He'll get more playing time than the first preseason game and he knows that doing something special would increase his chances at making the regular season roster.

"I think in the back of my mind I'll have to make some kind of impact play to make this team," Justin explains. "The main thing for me is to just focus on things I can control. Knowing my plays, knowing my adjustments, knowing that I have to go 110 percent every play. If its meant to be, it will be."

The one thing I have learned in following Justin since his high school days at Palmyra-Eagle is that he has the heart of a champion and that has lifted his teammates to great heights. He'll do the same at the pro level if given the opportunity