This week Kevin Ericson is joined by head football coach Travis Wiltzius and assistant head football and defensive line coach David Sartin. The trio discuss the Lions first game, the home opener this weekend against Ripon, expectations for the year and the concept of "swinging the hammer". Wiltzius also highlights the fact that the Lions have six home games this year and is looking forward to the chance to build community support during the home heavy season.

Leading the Pride is back with Marko Luoma, who was a Finnish exchange student at Finlandia in 2003 and played hockey for the Lions. Currently, Marko lives in Finland and is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Xport, which helps international companies break into new markets around the world. Listen as host Olivia Myers talks with Marko about coming to America, his decision to start his own business and why he was in Hancock this past summer.

This week Kevin Ericson is joined by head women's volleyball coach Brian Laampa. Laampa discusses the move back to the copper country, how he hopes to grow with his young team in his first season and the bonding that takes place on the road. He also talks about the upcoming away games this weekend against UW-Superior and his excitement for the sisu classic at home later in the year.

Kicking off the 2019-20 season of This Week in Finlandia Athletics, Kevin Ericson is joined by women's head soccer coach Grace Sokolow. This is Sokolow's first season at Finlandia but as she discusses, she's been a product of division III athletics herself, was an assistant coach for three years and is excited for the challenge. Sokolow also talks about the importance of of being a servant leader, going pro in your area of study and the season opener this Friday.

Leading the Pride is back for a second season this month and kicking things off with author Joan Treppa ('83). Treppa, a Human Services major from Laurium, is an award-winning author of the true crime book Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men, which details the Monfils 6 case and six men who were wrongfully convicted of murdering their coworker at a Wisconsin paper mill in the 1990s. Reclaiming Lives, which is Treppa’s debut book, has won two national book awards including the Indie Excellence Book Award for True Crime and The American Book Fest 2017 - Best Books in True Crime - Nonfiction. 

Listen as host Olivia Myers and Treppa talk about her struggles of overcoming teenage pregnancy and poverty through her Suomi education and what sparked her decision to become an author and social justice advocate for the wrongfully convicted.

You can purchase Treppa’s book, Reclaiming Lives, at Amazon or her website joantreppa.com

Finlandia Fridays is back with a special edition today as Olivia Myers and Devin O’Neill were introduced as cohosts of the weekly interview series. O’Neill and Myers will taking over for season four, taking turns interviewing guests.

MEET OLIVIA MYERS

Myers currently serves as Coordinator of External Affairs, where she leads all alumni relations efforts. Since joining Finlandia she’s introduced a formal homecoming weekend, introduced an incredibly successful Giving Tuesday campaign and worked with the Finlandia Alumni Board to host the first Giving Day in school history. Myers is an alumna of Indiana University where she graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a focus in public relations. She’s currently working on her masters. She also hosts Leading the Pride, a monthly podcast featuring alumni of the university.

MEET DEVIN O’NEILL

O’Neill currently serves as Marketing Coordinator, where he leads efforts with e-mail newsletters, website content and direct marketing efforts, with a focus on improving new student enrollment. He’s been a vital part of the launch of several redesigned academic program pages, and has done great work with video capturing and editing since his arrival. He may be best known to viewers for his Yooper Devin bits that launched on Giving Day and Giving Tuesday. O’Neill earned his Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Eastern Michigan University and Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University.

THREE SEASONS IN THE BOOKS

The episode concludes with a few highlights from the previous three seasons of Finlandia Fridays as host Michael H. Babcock reflects on his time as host.

“One thing I want to do before I go is give a shoutout to all the people who made this possible,” Babcock said, complimenting Brad Beaudette, Karin Van Dyke, Bri Gorman, and interns Walker Enstad and Monica Freeman for the great work and support they provided in making Finlandia Fridays a reality. “This crew did a lot of good things and it’s been a lot of fun to share the stories of Finlandia. It will be exciting to see where it goes next.”

Read the full show notes at https://www.finlandia.edu/news/new-hosts-of-finlandia-fridays/

Leading the Pride is back and talking with Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Upper Peninsula Health Plan, Brigitte LaPointe ('07). LaPointe is originally from Baraga where she grew up in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. She ultimately came to Finlandia to study in the Physical Therapist Assistant program and play for the women's basketball team.

Following her passion for health and wellness, LaPointe also serves on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board of Marquette County, the Lake Superior Community Partnership Economic Development Board, coaches basketball for LevelUP Express Basketball and Marquette Public Schools, and was recently appointed to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health & Sports. In addition to her associates in PTA from Finlandia, LaPointe has a Bachelor's in Sports Science and a Master's in Exercise Science from Northern Michigan University, and is actively pursuing a second master's in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University.

Listen as host Olivia Myers and LaPointe talk about her decision to change from an elementary education major to PTA, the value of sports for young women and how she has time to sleep.

It's Giving Day here at Finlandia University, and we kicked the day off with a visit to 99.3 The Lift! During this interview, Coordinator of External Relations Olivia Myers discussed all of the happenings with The Official Voice of Finlandia Athletics Rick Allen. You can learn more about Giving Day by visiting finlandia.edu/givingday.

Leading the Pride continues in the month of June by talking with Digital Arts and Animation major, Ashlee Kranz (’16). Kranz is a freelance digital and graphic artist at her own company, Dream Chaser Studios in Goodman, WI. She has recently been involved with the movie series, Northbound, which is filmed in the UP. Listen as host Olivia Myers and Kranz talk about freelancing as a career choice, the lessons she's learned from martial arts, and the offers artists should avoid.

Connect with Kranz online at: 

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/Ashltron

Twitch:twitch.tv/ashltron

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashltron/

Etsy: DreamChaser Pro

This week Sports Information Director/Game Event Coordinator Mike Bond joined host Rick Allen for This Week in Finlandia Athletics. Bond discussed women’s softball team run to defend their ACAA Championship and 5 players that received 1st and 2nd All-ACAA team honors. Allen and Bond briefly discussed playoff runs by volleyball, both soccer teams, and cross country. Bond also revisited the football teams past season, player’s success and how the program looks to build going into next season. He wrapped up by talking about how you can support Finlandia Athletics sponsoring or playing in first annual Golf Outing on July 19.