Editor’s Note: Due to forecasted rain, the Schmidt Don’t Quit Kinesiology Scholarship Ride has been pushed to its makeup dates. The ride will now take place June 30-July 2.
Dan Schmidt, kinesiology department co-chair and exercise and sport science program director, along with four University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students will bike across parts of Wisconsin in late June to raise funds for kinesiology student scholarships.
The third annual Schmidt Don’t Quit Kinesiology Scholarship Ride is set for June 23-25.
Schmidt—who did rides back from Eau Claire and La Crosse the past two years—will bike the 160 miles back from Platteville over the three days, with four students joining him in Pickett on June 25 for the final 14-mile trek to campus.
Senior Ethan Schmidt (no relation to Dan), kinesiology club president and one of the student riders, has first-hand knowledge of the impact the ride and the funds raised can have on a Titan student. He is the recipient of the first Schmidt Don’t Quit scholarship.
Ethan Schmidt
“I am riding to not only challenge myself in something that I have never done before but to hopefully be an example of giving back to the campus and my major that can positively affect my peers,” said Ethan Schmidt of Lake Villa, Illinois. “I received the Schmidt Don’t Quit scholarship my sophomore year and I believe the least I can do is ride with Dr. Schmidt and help keep the tradition alive.”
The ride continues to be a huge motivator for Dan Schmidt.
“I value the incredible opportunity I have to work with our amazing students,” he said. “Raising money for the scholarship is one way that I can demonstrate to them that I support them and want them to finish their degree.”
He also is ecstatic that a few of his students will once again bike with him.
“I like that it puts the focus on them; this bike ride is all about them,” Dan Schmidt said. “They are the ones that have to pay tuition, put in the time and effort for their classes, and then work an outside job to make ends meet. Seeing their willingness to ‘pay it forward’ to raise money for the scholarship actually gets me a little emotional.”
Along with Ethan Schmidt, seniors Deidre Davis, of Green Bay; Lily Lor, of Oshkosh; and Damon Nick, of Oshkosh, will be student riders on June 25.
In 2019, Schmidt’s ride from La Crosse to Oshkosh raised $2,830 for scholarships and his 2020 ride from Eau Claire raised $2,925. The second Schmidt Don’t Quit scholarship will be awarded this fall.
*The weather make-up date is June 30-July2.
Donations can be made at uwo.sh/ride or below.
Please ask your human resources department if your employer has a matching gift program. Please contact foundation@uwosh.edu for additional information. A Blackbaud Merchant Services processing fee of 2.798% and a transaction fee of $0.26 will be deducted from your donation.