{"id":10844,"date":"2024-05-01T09:20:20","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T14:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=10844"},"modified":"2024-05-01T09:20:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T14:20:20","slug":"uw-green-bay-alum-the-power-play-of-perseverance","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-green-bay-alum-the-power-play-of-perseverance\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Green Bay alum: The power play of perseverance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
UW-Green Bay alumnus Michael Becker speaks with co-workers at the Central Wisconsin Woodworking Corporation in Wausau, Wisconsin. Photos by Dan Moore, University Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHow would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?\u201d -Jacques Plante, (NHL Hall-of-Fame goalie)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an OK goalie, good, but not someone scouts were going to chase.\u201d -Michael Becker (Organizational Leadership, \u201923)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Once, Mike aspired to be like Jacques, aiming for the NHL spotlight and to become an immovable force on the ice among unstoppable competitors. Now, the question arises: How does the mindset of a hall-of-fame goalie apply to a freshly-minted Phoenix graduate embarking on a career in human resources?<\/p>\n

These days, from his office as a human resources generalist and safety director at Central Wisconsin Woodworking Corporation in Wausau, Becker appraises his skills on the ice with a clarity that only time can bring. \u201cI was a decent goalie, good, but not someone they were going to scout.\u201d Who were \u2018they?\u2019 Coaches of elite teams at different levels, searching for their next standout player. They did call\u2014but they were not going to call twice.<\/p>\n

From a young age, Becker harbored a burning passion for hockey, but it took years for him to reconcile with the reality that he wouldn\u2019t reach stardom. Although his achievements diverged from his initial dreams, they were no less satisfying, etched with the resilience of facing many hard shots\u2014on the rink and in life.<\/p>\n

It also took Becker 13 years to complete his bachelor\u2019s degree. He earned a degree in\u00a0Organizational Leadership<\/a>\u00a0from UW-Green Bay, a feat achieved predominantly through online courses. Remarkably, Becker\u2019s physical connection to the campus began before his birth, during his mother\u2019s attendance in the spring of \u201989. He shares, \u201cI think the only time I was on the GB campus was when I was in utero.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his high school years, Becker considered himself \u201ca \u2018bigish\u2019 fish in the second biggest pond.\u201d It was a time filled with moves and transitions, from Altoona and Eau Claire to the zenith of high school hockey, playing for Team Wisconsin. Then a family move ushered them into Minnesota\u2019s competitive high school hockey landscape, where Becker remembers the captain of his next hockey team found out that he was moving to the state. \u201cHe said, \u2018Dude, we have a chance to make it to the state championship this year. We just need a goalie.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Becker also remembers that final high school season to be extraordinary. \u201cWe had an amazing run that year, won conference for the first time in 18 years, but lost in the section final.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then reality set in. From there on, the journey into post-high school, professional hockey was not a straightforward path, but a slow downward spiral from his high school achievements. His passion for hockey whisked him away to the junior leagues of Texas and Minnesota. Scouts were noticing not only his talents but also his work habits. \u201cI was scouted pretty heavily, and scouts have a ton of background information on players. So if you are not ready, or have a reputation for partying, they move on to the next guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Becker moved on. At the age of 21, he pivoted from professional hockey and set his sights on a walk-on college hockey career at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. His first year at Concordia was a significant departure from his high school experiences, finding himself not in the starting goalie position to which he aspired. \u201cThat was unfamiliar and incredibly depressing compared to what I had hoped for.\u201d He was planning to transfer to Augsburg University, but those plans were upended when the coach informed him that his spot was taken by a Division 1 player looking for more ice time.<\/p>\n

Then alcohol, not hockey, took over Becker\u2019s life. \u201cWhen I was at Concordia, I was actually drinking nightly. But I took it to an entirely new level when the transfer fell through.\u201d Becker hit rock bottom. \u201cI just went on a binge. I never really stopped after that.\u201d Now he was battling something more dangerous than a 100-mile-per-hour slapshot. \u201cMy drinking got worse, I moved back home and tried school a few times unsuccessfully,\u201d Becker recalls. \u201cI ultimately committed myself into a rehabilitation facility about seven years ago and had a few relapses before finally achieving lasting sobriety. Once I was sober, I wanted to continue my education and bettering myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There was nowhere to go but up. He met his future wife Valerie and became a stepfather to her son Max. With time and the foundation of an instant family, his life found order. He married, took up coaching youth hockey, and found he had a talent for helping others succeed. Still, he attributes his success at his present career to \u201cdumb luck and a solid work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there was still the unrealized dream of a college degree 13 years deferred. That journey led him to Northcentral Technical College before transferring to UW-Green Bay. He had made inquiries at other schools, but the personal attention he received from UW-Green Bay convinced him to enroll. \u201cThey were the most responsive by far, and I was a Rubik\u2019s cube of transfer credits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At UW-Green Bay, Becker found a supportive community that recognized his past efforts and current ambitions. \u201cIt felt like I actually had something going on that mattered to the advisors and basically everyone I interacted with, which was amazing,\u201d Becker expresses, appreciating the personalized attention that allowed him to thrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cLauri Welhouse, my academic advisor, was an absolute champion for me whenever anything went wrong. One college transcript listed an F\u2014trust me, my brain exploded\u2014and the professor was no longer working with the institution.\u201d Welhouse managed to have the grade book opened back up, and the actual grade was a 98%, so it was transcribed incorrectly.<\/p>\n

Becker\u2019s academic strategy was methodical, taking one course at a time to manage his responsibilities effectively. This approach, alongside the flexibility of UW-Green Bay\u2019s program, helped him maintain his academic and personal life balance. He also dedicated himself to outreach in sobriety and mental health, working with organizations focused on these areas, such as #samehere and Lift the Mask.<\/p>\n

As for hockey? He coaches it now. It\u2019s time for the next Jacque Plante to dream big.<\/p>\n

Q: What unexpected lessons has life taught you?<\/h4>\n

A: Through my goalie coaching, not playing, I actually met a gentleman that worked at the company I\u2019m at now. He told me \u2018We\u2019ll take anybody who\u2019s got a brain\u2019. And I was like, \u2018Yeah, for sure!\u2019 So, I started in the finishing department, and I did a bunch of the Six Sigma 5S things to their finishing department, showed them I knew what I was doing.<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s your spark?<\/h4>\n

A: One of my big sparks is \u201cLift The Mask\u201d operated by The Goalie Guild. It\u2019s a mental health support program dedicated to assisting hockey goalies in overcoming life\u2019s challenges. That type of involvement, and the opportunity to help others through the challenges I\u2019ve faced, sparks my passion and keeps me moving forward. Additionally, being involved with organizations like #SameHere has been transformative, not just for my sobriety but also for my mental health.<\/p>\n

Q: How has education ignited your personal growth?<\/h4>\n

A: Green Bay has a lot of resources that are available and people that are available. Not just like going to a library to find a book, but people that are able to sit you down, have a conversation with you, orient you properly to what you\u2019re trying to accomplish, and let you know the steps that you might need to take to get there. But a big thing is you look at it and think about the time commitment and say, \u2018It\u2019s going to be four years. Well, the next four years are going to happen whether you like it or not.\u2019<\/p>\n

Q: Any advice for someone considering returning to college after a lengthy lay-off?<\/h4>\n

A: My advice is to look ahead. The time will pass anyway, and Green Bay offers the support and guidance that can make all the difference. They helped me understand the path I needed to take, and this principle applies to anyone at a crossroads: the next four years are going to happen regardless, so why not spend them achieving your goals?<\/p>\n

At UW-Green Bay, every person has the power to Rise. No matter who you are, where you\u2019re from, or what you want to be. We invite you to\u00a0read more Rise Stories<\/a>\u00a0about people from all walks of life who are blazing a brighter future for our region.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Written by Michael Shaw<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/news.uwgb.edu\/featured\/04\/02\/the-power-play-of-perseverance\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?\u201d -Jacques Plante, (NHL Hall-of-Fame goalie) \u201cI was an OK goalie, good, but not someone scouts were going to chase.\u201d -Michael Becker (Organizational Leadership, \u201923) Once, Mike aspired to be like Jacques, aiming for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":10845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[111],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-10844","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-green-bay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/10844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=10844"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=10844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}