A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Spokane Husky alumni event at the Spokane Club, where I got to hear both Damon Huard and Elise Woodward speak about the upcoming Husky football season. Huard’s interview was published on September 9th, and before Big Ten play opens, let’s hear what Elise had to say!
The Elise Woodward Interview
Before the Apple Cup, I asked Woodward what the prep for Week 1 had been like. She answered that it had “been a lot longer than a week…there’s 105 guys on the roster and you have to be able to identify
all the new faces, with all the new numbers. Even the returners have new numbers now!” Woodward said that there’d been a lot of memorization, but very little nerves. “I don’t believe in nerves, I believe in adrenaline. Adrenaline is one of the most powerful and fun things that you can’t generate. I’m going to have a lot of extra adrenaline and I’m really excited about it”!
I know as a fan, adrenaline is also very important, especially during games where you’re actually physically present and home field advantage is at stake.
Before Woodward moved into being the voice of the Huskies in July, she served as a sideline reporter for the Huskies for over 2 decades. The experience has proven invaluable for her transition into play-by-play. “The baseline knowledge of the program for 23 years…I’ve been around the program for a long time. I know all the gameday traditions, the alums, I didn’t have to learn any history like somebody coming in new to the program. I can tell you all my favorite Apple Cup moments through the years…so I think having that sideline experience in my back pocket has been very helpful”!
Woodward’s experience with a multitude of not just different networks but different sports led me to think that yes, the Huskies got it right. But I had to ask, out of all the sports she’s called, which would be her favorite? It was a difficult answer for her. “I was a 3 sport athlete in high school, and I would’ve played more if time would’ve allowed it. I love the change of season, the change of teammates, the change of coaches. I love football because of the pageantry, the attention by the alums and the fans. The needle moves like no other sport in football and it’s the lifeblood of every university. It really is one of the few places where you can be as violent as you want to be, essentially, and the sport truly is a warrior sport. It’s fun to be like, ‘who’s the toughest dude standing’, and I love that. But you catch me during basketball season, I love basketball, the athleticism, the grace. I love every sport for how they’re different and unique, but football is special, it’s it’s own special sport for sure.”
For the sake of transparency, I’ll state for the record that this was recorded on September 2nd in the afternoon. The vibes were still good around the program, and Elise stated that Jedd was “as relaxed as I’ve seen him as he’s been on campus”, and the vibe was that of “quiet confidence, settled, all of those things”. I’d imagine that the vibes are quite different now that the Huskies are coming off of back-to-back flat performances! For Elise herself, her goal is for other Husky diehards to share her own feelings about Husky football. “I want to help tell the stories of these awesome young men. I think people think about just what they do on the field for 60 minutes when there’s so much that goes into preparing for those 60 minutes. They’re human beings and I want them to have more reasons to root for these guys other than if they’re just a good player. These guys are phenomenal stories and athletes so that’s part of my job”!
I was struck by Elise’s passion for the Husky program all throughout the time she was speaking to the group as a whole. One should expect nothing less from an alumna after all! But when I asked her what being a Husky and getting this job meant to her, she became emotional. “It’s pretty cool…UW’s a special place”.
I felt very bad about making her almost cry before getting to speak in front of the group, but those emotions spoke to something that I also feel in getting to do something like this. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and interact with some very cool and awesome people as part of my work with this blog. I’ve interviewed Damon and Tony Castricone, have gotten to meet players such as Jalen McMillan, Meesh Powell, John Mills, both of the Hatchett brothers, Rich Newton and Devin Culp, to name a few. I’ve gotten to speak with the head coach and QB1 of the team that has been my favorite since I was old enough to understand this sport. I get to work with the smartest bunch of Husky fans on the internet, bringing you articles every week for the past four seasons. I know it sounds cliche, but this community really is like a family and this team is really the most special in all of college football. Elise understands that fact and it is for this reason that I think she’ll be all in on this job for a long time, and hopefully add some great calls to the annals of Husky history, like her predecessors before her! Thank you Elise for a great interview, and Go Dawgs, forever!
