Varsity is the best UW-Madison tradition

Tradition, with the help of a quick Google search, can be defined as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.”

You may have family traditions, like bringing your parents to a football game, or even traditions you share with your friends, classmates, or coworkers. These can range from serious to funny, with endless amounts. There’s always a sense of community and belonging with being part of traditions.

It’s simple: traditions are part of what makes us feel welcome, included, and accepted all throughout this crazy life. They make up who we are and where we’re from.

Colleges are home to some of the best, long-lived traditions. These have been passed down for years which every student, faculty member, and alumni have come to know by heart.

Sacred, some might say. UW-Madison is home to several awesome and well-known traditions. Some famous ones include playing Jump Around at sporting events and rubbing Abe’s toe on top of the famous Bascom Hill for good luck before a midterm.

So, what makes a college tradition the best? Well for starters, anything UW-Madison does is great, right? The University excels in its own unique way at many things, but we can look at UW-Madison’s very own Varsity as a perfect example of a fully encompassing tradition. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, if you’re a Badger, you can be a part of Varsity. 

Varsity itself has been around for over a century! We can “Praise to thee, our Alma Mater” for UW-Madison’s very own, Henry Dyke Sleeper for that one and previous Wisconsin Band Director, Ray Dvorak, for implementing the famous synchronized arm waves we all love and use today into the song.

I’m sure t if we tried, we could all remember the first time we experienced Varsity. Think back to when you were a baby Badger, freshly moved in with the help of mom and dad, ready for new memories and experiences ahead.

Do you remember what it was like to first hear those words? For most, the first time attempting to follow along to what we loudly and proudly sing today was a struggle. But fear not, Badgers always strive to learn successfully.

With days, weeks, months, and even years to come, Varsity has become so much more to the not so baby Badgers. Slowly but surely, we’ve memorized the words that will forever be engraved in our Badger minds

Varsity! Varsity!

U-rah-rah! Wisconsin,

Praise to thee we sing!

Praise to thee, our Alma Mater,

U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!

Insert some wonderfully synchronized hand waves while arm-in-arm with a fellow Badger, friend or stranger, and there you have it, Varsity!

I guarantee most Badgers could recite the whole thing backwards in their sleep arm-in-arm with their pillows.

This song is bound to put you in your feels the second you start singing it. There’s nothing quite like knowing and feeling you belong with some of the world’s brightest, most compassionate people, fortunate enough to call themselves Badgers. Even just watching it happen is a beautiful spectacle to the outside world.

What makes this tradition so encompassing? Well, from sporting events, graduation commencements, homecomings, to student organizations: students, faculty, and alumni can all proudly and happily join together with whomever may be at their Badger side to sing Varsity.