{"id":14178,"date":"2026-09-10T11:16:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=14178"},"modified":"2026-09-10T11:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:17:20","slug":"on-the-field-and-in-the-community-owen-petersen-makes-his-mark-at-uw-superior","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/on-the-field-and-in-the-community-owen-petersen-makes-his-mark-at-uw-superior\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Field and in the Community: Owen Petersen makes his mark at UW-Superior"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Balancing radio work, academics and volunteer coaching, Owen Petersen is shaping his future while supporting young athletes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Owen Petersen, the path to the University of Wisconsin-Superior began with a practical decision: stay close to home, keep costs manageable and attend a college that felt familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI graduated from Barnum High School, about 45 minutes south of Duluth,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cUW-Superior is an affordable college that was close to home. It kind of hit all my numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college student, finances played a critical role in his choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t necessarily get a whole lot of help paying for school,\u201d he said. \u201cI take on a lot of that burden on my own, so UW-Superior was a great option for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A College Experience that Delivers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That decision has paid off. Now a communications and media arts major<\/a> with a concentration on multimedia journalism<\/a> and a minor in sport and recreation management<\/a>, Petersen sums up his experience simply: \u201cIt\u2019s been perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He credits supportive faculty, strong academics and a close-knit campus community. One aspect, however, stands out most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProbably my favorite thing about UWS is the number of international students,\u201d he said. \u201cComing from a rural small town, it\u2019s really cool to meet people from around the world and learn about their culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Passion into a Career Path<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Petersen\u2019s academic path reflects a long-standing passion for sports \u2014 even though he knew early on he wouldn\u2019t be playing professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEver since I was about 12 years old, I realized I was probably not going to go to the NFL or the NBA,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I decided it would be best to find a way to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That decision has already led to hands-on experience. Petersen works at WKLK radio in Cloquet, Minnesota, building broadcasting skills while still in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting on-the-job experience right now \u2014 not just an internship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time he graduates in spring 2028, Petersen expects to have three years of experience. He also has a job lined up with NSPN, a subscription-based sports network covering high school athletics in the Twin Cities suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will probably take that job and work on high school games,\u201d he said. \u201cEventually work my way up and see how far I can go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaching Beyond the Scoreboard<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Outside the classroom and studio, Petersen is building another identity: coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as a casual interaction while working at a convenience store led to a volunteer role with a Superior youth baseball program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI saw a guy wearing a Superior youth organization polo,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cI said, \u2018Hey, do any teams need a coach?\u2019 He looked at me shocked because they needed coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results haven\u2019t yet shown up in the standings. His team went winless in its first season and is still searching for its first victory this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Petersen, the focus is not on wins and losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about winning,\u201d he said. \u201cI care about development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Skills \u2014 and Confidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Petersen coaches players in their early teens who often have limited baseball experience, emphasizing fundamentals and confidence-building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re actually hitting the ball now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re making plays. Pitchers are throwing strikes, so I\u2019m pretty pleased with these boys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest challenges is managing emotions, especially while coaching players only a few years younger than he is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really try to keep it positive,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cThe lowest points have been when they get down on themselves and start turning on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stresses respect for teammates, coaches and the game while modeling composure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making an Impact Off the Field<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Person<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Petersen\u2019s commitment extends beyond practices and games. He builds relationships with players\u2019 families, offers rides when needed and makes sure no child is left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a parent is running late, I wait,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to leave them at the field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also introduces his players to UW-Superior\u2019s athletic community, connecting them with college coaches and athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really valuable to have college coaches or players reinforce the same things I\u2019m telling them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving Back Through the Game<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The time commitment \u2014 about six to eight hours each week \u2014 adds up alongside school and work. Still, Petersen says it\u2019s worth every minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just coach to give back,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s fully volunteer work. I\u2019ve never been paid a cent for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That motivation comes from his own experience growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was given some amazing coaching,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cI had some incredible mentors who shaped me into who I am today. I want to be that for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by UW-Superior<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/uwsuper.edu\/about\/news\/on-the-field-and-in-the-community-owen-petersen-makes-his-mark-at-uw-superior\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Balancing radio work, academics and volunteer coaching, Owen Petersen is shaping his future while supporting young athletes For Owen Petersen, the path to the University of Wisconsin-Superior began with a practical decision: stay close to home, keep costs manageable and attend a college that felt familiar. \u201cI graduated from Barnum High School, about 45 minutes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[110],"story_category":[147,150],"class_list":["post-14178","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-superior","story_category-community","story_category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/14178","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=14178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=14178"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=14178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}