{"id":2721,"date":"2015-05-21T16:08:54","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/for-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=2721"},"modified":"2015-05-21T16:08:54","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:08:54","slug":"uw-milwaukee-student-entrepreneurs-could-change-how-athletes-compete","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-milwaukee-student-entrepreneurs-could-change-how-athletes-compete\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Milwaukee student entrepreneurs could change how athletes compete"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Senior<\/a>
Senior Brent Aussprung transitions from skater to engineer-entrepreneur. (Photo by Troye Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What will a good idea get you? At UW-Milwaukee, maybe your own company.<\/p>\n

The Student Startup Challenge provides funding and classroom support to help winners develop prototypes, mobile applications and business plans. Four of this year\u2019s winning entries could change the game for athletes.<\/p>\n

Stoking the pace of speed skating<\/h2>\n

Gaining an edge at the start of a race tops competitive speed skaters\u2019 wish lists. With this in mind, Brent Aussprung redesigned the skate used by professionals so it can deliver power when they need it most.<\/p>\n

Aussprung has first-hand experience. At 21, he was in line to compete on the U.S. Olympic speed skating team when an injury benched him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning on retiring as a professional skater then. In fact, I enrolled at UWM so I could stay close to the Pettit Center,\u201d the engineering senior said. \u201cThen, once I started school, I began to make new dreams and plans for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

His \u201chybrid clap skate\u201d was a hobby until he heard about the Student Startup Challenge. \u201cAfter that, I could see more possibilities,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you can obtain some money to develop it, then why not do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Technology makes track meets safer<\/h2>\n
\"Alum<\/a>
Alum Adam Wickersham has a better idea for starting track races. (Photo by Derek Rickert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adam Wickersham loves every thing about refereeing high school and college track meets \u2014 except the official starter gun he uses to begin each race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI essentially have to bring a gun to the meet,\u201d said Wickersham, a recent graduate of the Executive MBA program in the Lubar School of Business. \u201cIt shoots blanks, but it\u2019s loud and I have to treat it as a firearm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wickersham designed a starter gun that is safer, easier to use and less expensive than what is currently available. His \u201crace torch\u201d emits a loud tone and a flash of light, linked to an automated timer that is precise to a one-thousandth of a second.<\/p>\n

Compared to the standard device, which runs in the thousands and is mostly rented, his prototype costs $60 to make.<\/p>\n

Swimmers get coaching on demand<\/h2>\n
\"Former<\/a>
Former Panther swimmer Erika Pliner has designed goggles that let coaches communicate with swimmers in the water. (Photo by Troye Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Swimmer Erika Pliner was always frustrated that she could not get immediate feedback on her stroke, which could help her shave seconds off during a race.<\/p>\n

The recent engineering graduate has developed a product that allows coaches to advise their swimmers from poolside. Pliner\u2019s \u201cTech Goggles\u201d offer wireless, one-way communication in real time to the swimmer as part of the athlete\u2019s eye protection.<\/p>\n

The idea originated as an assignment for a course, said Pliner, who swam for the Panthers and now serves as one of their assistant coaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could make the difference in competition,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s nothing existing on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Better benchmarking for amateur athletes<\/h2>\n

An online tool called My Combine provides a quick and accurate way to assess the skills of high school athletes who want to play collegiate sports.<\/p>\n

Jeremy Tiedt, Justin Bohler and Brandon Tschacher, all UWM alums, modeled their product on the National Football League\u2019s Combine \u2013 a series of tests the national league administers to players before the draft to get a snapshot of the athletes\u2019 range of abilities.<\/p>\n

The same skills are recorded for high school athletes, but with stopwatches less precise than the NFL\u2019s motion-sensor timing system.<\/p>\n

Eventually, My Combine also will be available to individuals who want to track their own information and compare themselves to others.<\/p>\n

By Laura L. Otto<\/p>\n

\"Sports<\/a>
Sports enthusiasts Jeremy Tiedt (from left), Justin Bohler and Brandon Tschacher, all alumni, teamed up to create an assessment tool for amateur athletes. (Photo by Troye Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UWM\u2019s Student Startup Challenge Fast Facts<\/h3>\n