Sconnies Speak

Author: cwilhorn

  • Cuts, Catches, and Character: Davion Thomas-Kumpala’s Journey from Basement Barber to Badger Wideout

    By Cameron Wilhorn

    Wisconsin wide receiver Davion Thomas-Kumpala is good at a lot of things: football, basketball, cutting hair, being a father and being a role model. But his jack-of-all-trades skillset wasn’t something he was born with, it was something he earned through hard work.

    Now, as I sat in his barber chair in the Badger Football lounge, Thomas-Kumpula was willing to reminisce on the winding path that led him to this point.

    Thomas-Kumpula began cutting hair in the basement of his family home to earn some extra cash.

    “One of my friends named Jalen, he was a year younger than me in high school, and I said ‘let me give you a cut, I got my clippers,” Thomas-Kumpula said of the first haircut he ever gave. “It wasn’t the best. (He) came to school the next day with a hat on.”

    But after spending months and months perfecting his craft, the redshirt sophomore from Racine, Wisconsin, has become the one-stop shop for haircuts within Wisconsin’s football program. On the days leading up to a game, Thomas-Kumpula estimates he’d give about 10 haircuts a day. 

    The side hustle has grown into a long-term opportunity as well. “I’m gonna go worldwide,” Thomas Kumpula said with a smile as he described his hope of purchasing a van after college and turning it into a mobile barbershop. “I’m going state to state if I have to. I wanna target celebrities more than anything.”

    Although Thomas-Kumpula now has a sense of clarity regarding his future, what’s next wasn’t always clear. 

    His dream was to play football at the Division I level, but despite averaging over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns per game as a junior, the schools weren’t calling. To complicate matters, Thomas-Kumpula suddenly had to think about fatherhood ahead of his senior campaign. 

    “As a 17-year-old boy, scared, don’t know what’s gonna go on the rest of his life… My mind was all over the place,” Thomas-Kumpula said of this period. “I used to wear this dark visor in practice so my teammates wouldn’t see me crying… I was like, I gotta be a grown man now, at that moment I knew I had to step up.”

    Even when it seemed like things might be turning around, Thomas-Kumpula had the rug swept out from underneath him. He got a message on Twitter from a member of Wisconsin’s recruiting staff, offering him to come on a visit and noting an open roster spot as a preferred walk-on. 

    As Thomas-Kumpula remembers, he called everyone he could think of to share the good news. And after enjoying his visit, the stars seemed to be aligning. Then, it was silence.

    Wisconsin did not reach back out to Thomas-Kumpula or answer his messages for multiple weeks. Believing they had lost interest, Thomas-Kumpula committed to Division Two Minnesota-Duluth – and even considered abandoning football as a whole.

    “The next day, Wisconsin show up to my school, the day after I committed to the D2 school. I’m like what? Ain’t no way, this just happened for real?”

    And this time, Thomas-Kumpula wasn’t going to let interest fade. 

    “I told him right on the spot, I’m not waiting, I’m ready.”

    Entering his third year with the Badgers, it seems like Thomas-Kumpula is living out his dream and trying to inspire others to do the same. Thomas-Kumpula left high school without winning a state championship in football – something his former high school coach, Troy Collier II,  said Thomas-Kumpula strived for.

    So when Racine St. Catherine’s played for a title in 2024, Thomas-Kumpula made sure to give back. He reached out to the team’s star wide receiver, offered some advice and gave him a pair of gloves. 

    The kid went on to score all of his team’s touchdowns and set multiple records en route to the championship win. 

    “I tried to work as hard as I could, just to show people that, like, you can make it from this city,” Thomas-Kumpula said of being a role model. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I could have easily been one of them guys, just following the footsteps of bad things to do.”

    Instead, Thomas-Kumpula stuck to the right path and is a person people of all ages can look toward.

    “He inspires me,” Collier II said. “What separates him from other kids is his character…if someone can’t get along with Davion, it’s a them problem.”

    And while it hasn’t always been easy for Thomas-Kumpula, he’s an example of how hard work and determination are enough to overcome difficult times.

    Plus, it doesn’t hurt to be a damn good barber.

  • Built For The Long Run: How Kylee Raftis is racing towards the next level

    By: Matthew Kane

    In the final miles of the 2025 Boston Marathon, Kylee Raftis felt like her legs were going to fall off. As the pain of the Newton hills set in, the last 800 meters became an excruciating blur. However, Raftis held true to her goals. 

    The idea of being the first Canadian to cross the line on Boylston Street and setting a new personal record remained locked in her mind.

    “In a marathon, people say 90% is mental. Even if you are in the best shape of your life, it really depends on your mental performance that day and how much you want it and how much you believe in yourself,” Raftis says.

    On that day in particular, it was Raftis’ own belief coupled with her talent and extreme dedication to her sport that made the difference. These factors helped Raftis cross the line in 2 hours and 34 minutes, a four-minute personal record, making her not only the first Canadian woman to finish the race, but the 28th woman overall.

    This accomplishment marks another notch in Raftis’ belt that has quickly been replaced with larger goals for the three-year marathon runner.

    For most Boston marathoners, the crowd at Copley Square marks the culmination of months of preparation. For Rafti,s it is only the launch pad.

    “This is just the beginning of my career. I still have ten to fifteen more years of this,” Raftis says.          

    This year’s Boston Marathon was unlike anything Raftis had experienced, this time running in Puma’s new Project 3 program.

    Project 3 allows amatuer marathoners the chance to prepare for race day in the same way Puma’s elite runners do. Providing their athletes with access to coaches, nutritionists and Puma gear, the project aims to set runners up to break records.

    Running with professionals for the first time, Raftis made sure to have fun with the race and enjoy the experience despite the goals she had prepared.

    “I definitely felt like an underdog, and I had nothing to lose,” Raftis says, “A lot of these girls are former Olympians, and this is their job. They are literally pro runners, pro athletes and have contracts with shoe brands.”

    This mindset not only ended in a personal record on race day, but Raftis also finished as the first Project 3 female athlete, earning incentive rewards and surprising herself in the process.

    This race marks the third Boston Marathon and sixth marathon overall for Raftis. The 26-year-old’s marathon path started three years prior, following a five-year track and cross country career at Boston College.    


    Raftis explains how different a marathon is compared to anything she faced in her college career. Mainly a steeplechase runner with experience in the mile and 3000-meter events, Raftis did not always get the chance to show off her endurance abilities.

    Raftis reflects on her collegiate experience and mentions how she never experienced a national championship race appearance, something that ultimately fueled her drive to find the event that suited her style.

    “I always knew I had more in me. I just had to find the right event, and that is obviously the marathon for me now,” Raftis says.

    Training for the marathon presented a new chapter in her running journey, allowing for a fresh start while posing new challenges. 

    Raftis’ training process is a careful balancing act that has become increasingly more difficult, juggling her strict regimen with a full-time job.

    Logging over 40 hours a week at a new position that started this calendar year, Raftis had to adapt to an intense training schedule in order to allow her usual three-to-four-month marathon preparation leading up to Boston.

    As a result, most of her workouts are carried out in the evenings, with more challenging sessions on the weekends.

    “I just try to structure my days properly and also listen to my body,” Raftis says.

    The structure she references takes many forms from supplements and food intake to achieve proper nutrition, to meditation in order to prepare her mental fitness.

    Above all else, Raftis stresses, “Recovery…recovery is the number one at the top of my list because if I can not recover, I am not going to be able to train and push myself.”

    While Raftis’ student-athlete background helped her with the transition, training on her own proved to be another adjustment, something Raftis would recognize this year especially, battling the conditions of a harsh winter in Toronto.

    “Not having a team to fall back on was something I really missed during those challenging times,” Raftis says, “…Having such a supportive group of women to train with and see almost every single day at Boston College was always very encouraging. We always uplifted and motivated each other.”  

    To combat all of these roadblocks, Raftis stays focused on her goals that drive her passion for the sport. Ambitious goals are a major key to Raftis’ success, holding her accountable and allowing her to have something to strive toward.

    “For me, it keeps me going, especially on those days where I lose motivation. It just reminds me that this is what I want so badly, and it kind of creates a fire under me,” Raftis says.

    After a much deserved two week rest period, Raftis is right back to her training schedule with sights set on the Berlin Marathon in the fall.

    Testing her skill set for the first time in Europe on the flat course of Germany’s capital is a challenge Raftis meets with great enthusiasm, with the goal of running a 2:30:00 firmly on her radar.      

    Over the course of her now thirteen-year running career, Raftis has entered an entirely new category of competition. With aspirations for the Olympic Games far in the future, Raftis is only focused on her next step, trusting her process and herself.          

    “After every marathon, as much as it hurts and it’s painful in the last couple of kilometers, I know I have more in me,” Raftis says, “So with more training, I think I can get to that next level… I just ultimately believe in myself.”

  • Don’t Mess with March: The NCAA Tournament Is Just Fine at 68

    By: Joseph Herrmann

    Every year, March Madness is a huge success. It’s the most beautiful type of chaos – the buzzer beaters, the Cinderella stories, the brackets busted by noon on Thursday. And somehow, right when it feels like we’ve collectively nailed the formula for a perfect tournament, someone in charge wants to mess with it.

    Lately, there’s been noise – too much noise – about expanding the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament beyond the current 68 teams. The NCAA Transformation Committee opened the door last year, and now we’ve got administrators and conference commissioners hinting that more teams might be “good for the game.” But let’s face it, it’s not a good idea to expand the competition.

    Now, I get it. On paper, more teams sounds like more fun. More games, more players getting the spotlight, more “meaningful basketball.” But here’s the thing: the tournament isn’t broken. It doesn’t need fixing. In fact, the charm of March Madness is that it’s exclusive enough to make the stakes feel high and the upsets feel electric. Each season, teams vie for a coveted spot and a chance to bring their school a national championship. With only 68 teams making the cut, every regular season and conference tournament game carries weight. Expanding it risks turning something special into just another bloated bracket.

    One of the biggest arguments for expansion is that it would give more “deserving” teams a shot. But let’s be honest—if you’re on the bubble and didn’t make the cut, there’s probably a reason. You either didn’t win enough, didn’t play anybody, or just didn’t get it done when it mattered. That’s sports.

    And let’s not pretend like the Selection Committee has been stingy. With 68 spots already, that’s nearly 20% of Division I teams making the tournament. You want in? Win some games. Win your conference. Don’t lose to a bottom-feeder in January and then act shocked when you’re left out in March.

    Bubble teams getting snubbed actually fuels some of the best conversations in sports. It gives Selection Sunday real tension. If you let in everyone who’s close, the bubble loses all its drama, which makes up a good chunk of the fun.

    Do we really need to see the 10th-best team in a power conference sneak in with a 17–15 record? Do we want to reward .500 squads just because they play in big TV markets? That’s exactly what expansion would do.

    This season, for example, the bubble was as weak as we’ve seen in years. Yet somehow, historically strong programs like North Carolina still made the tournament, even though they stumbled to a 1–12 record in Quad 1 games, the very metric the selection committee claims to value most. Expansion wouldn’t raise the level of competition, it would just let in more underwhelming teams riding name recognition and conference clout. Instead of sharpening the field, it would water it down.

    Adding more teams dilutes the product. It rewards mediocrity. One of the best parts of March Madness is seeing a red-hot mid-major knock off a flawed major conference team. If we expand the field, we risk crowding out those mid-majors with more middle-of-the-road Power Five squads who had their chance and blew it.

    Let’s also talk about logistics. If you expand to 80 or 96 teams, how does the schedule even work? Are we adding more days? More play-in games? Cramming even more into an already-packed four-day opening weekend?

    Part of what makes the tournament so watchable is that it ends. The first weekend is a sprint, and by the time we get to the Final Four, we’re emotionally spent—in a good way. Stretch it out too long or add too many teams, and people start to tune out. That’s not good for anybody.

    At the end of the day, the push for expansion isn’t about the game. It’s about the money. More games mean more TV slots, more ad revenue, and more opportunities to squeeze dollars out of viewers and sponsors. But just because there’s more cash to grab doesn’t mean it’s better for the sport. In fact, it might hurt the product in the long term. If people start to feel like the tournament is just another cash grab, the magic wears off. And once you lose that magic, you don’t get it back.

    We’ve got a great thing going. A 68-team bracket that balances opportunity with exclusivity, madness with merit. It’s big enough to include surprises but small enough to make those surprises feel meaningful. Expanding the tournament won’t make March better. It’ll make it messier, longer, and less special. Sometimes, the best move is to leave a good thing alone.

    So, NCAA, if you’re listening, don’t mess with March. You’ve already got the best postseason event in American sports. No need to overthink it.

  • Restless to Relentless: Everett Levin’s ADHD Pickleball Edge 

    By: Jonah Altmann

    “Joe!” “Joe!” “Come here, bro!” That was Everett Levin only 5 minutes into our conversation at the Brats on State Street patio. His eyes have been darting back and forth for much of the conversation. He takes a second to notice everyone walking by on the street, just barely visible from our seats on the middle bench. He finally caught someone, his friend Joe, passing by.  

    Everett, a star player on UW-Madison’s Club Pickleball Team, is well aware of his struggles to focus. “I’m not your ordinary player,” Levin told me. “No one is quite like me on the court.” 

    Levin was diagnosed with ADHD at age 13, but notes that he has always struggled to sit still. In most situations, his constant energy and the need to move around were limitations. Classroom settings were difficult; homework and exams were nearly impossible. Levin’s parents were always searching for new ways for their jittery son to channel his energy. He was constantly trying different sports and hobbies. For a while, ice hockey was his channel. Yet the combination of only getting on the ice for short periods before having to be back on the bench and always being inside with only limited space to move left him unsatisfied. One day, about six years ago, everything changed. “[My parents] got me a racket and all of a sudden I’ve been playing ever since.” 

    Pickleball has become the ideal avenue to channel all his restlessness. It first started with being able to get out from under a roof. “I’m the type of kid who needs to be outdoors,” Levin told me. “I needed the freedom to run around and sh*t.” (Levin did specifically request we speak out on the patio). 

    His affinity for the sport did not stop there. “I always (get to) be moving around,” when playing pickleball, Levin said. “I am moving my feet, moving my hands, moving my head around, even looking for the birds in the sky. And for the first time, no one was ever really telling me to stop.” 

    Levin’s route to becoming a highly-skilled player happened with ease. His passion for the sport ensured that he could be found at the local park or gym almost every day. His practices were long and breaks were short. Levin does not tire easily. He would often stay on the court for hours after lessons or matches were over. It wasn’t long before some of the more seasoned players took notice of Levin and invited him to their matches. The challenge only fueled his desire to play more. By the time he arrived in Madison for his freshman year, Levin knew he was ready for club-level competition. 

    Yet, not everyone has seen Levin’s maximum-motion style as an asset. “Other people are just like standing there and serving and I’m moving left and right. I don’t know, like f*cking bouncing up and down. So yea, I definitely get looks.” Some see this behavior as evidence that Levin is not ready for this level of competition. They find his methods too immature or juvenile for serious play. “People have said things to me suggesting I should just play for fun.” But for Levin, this is all part of the competitive pickleball process. “I do move around like a lunatic… I do struggle to focus just like I am during this interview. But that’s also just been throughout my whole life. But to doubters of his pickleball abilities, “I look at them in the eye [and say] I can do this, I know I can do this.” 

    “Jimmy!” “Jimmy!”

    Levin’s darting eyes catch another friend walking down State Street. Jimmy, who barely remembered Levin from their class together two years ago, didn’t have time to stick around and chat. A few minutes later, Levin forgot about Jimmy, took a breath to refocus and was ready to talk pickleball again.  

    To Levin, pickleball is the right for him because he feels that in this sport, his ADHD is an extra-ability rather than a limitation. While he acknowledges he gets distracted on the court, Levin told me this is true of any pickleball player. “ When I’m looking at the birds in the sky or the insects that are on the ground… a lot of times people say it then I need to snap back in.” But for Levin and his short attention span, these other thoughts are momentary. “They all forget that I can’t think about the birds or the insects for too long. Even if I wanted to.” This might not be true for other players. “I have teammates and opponents that begin to think about other things for 5 or 10 minutes during a match.” But for Levin, this is never a problem. Once the point starts, “I’m super locked in.” 

    One of Levin’s practice partners, Owen Turk, has seen firsthand how Levin’s playing style impacts his game. “Everett plays like he has unlimited energy,” Turk said. “Sure, I’ve seen him like down on the court in the middle of practice and look up at the sky for a while,” Turk said while giggling. “But we all know him to wear down opponents just by constantly moving. Most people don’t play like that, and it definitely throws them off.” Turk also noted that Levin’s fast reaction times are a major strength. “He doesn’t overthink shots like a lot of people do. When you’re playing him, you always have to be ready for a quick return.”

    Levin also sees his restlessness as giving him good reaction times in a sport where fast reflexes are key. “I’m a different player because I move more than other people.” While others sometimes think too much about when and how to hit, for Levin, this is a thoughtless process. His brain is firing at hyper-speed. “I’m just so used to bouncing around mindlessly that when the ball is flying at you, it is so easy to just react.”  

    Also, not everyone can handle playing against Levin and his style. “Sometimes I’m moving so much, people think I’m a f*cking nut job on the court. “ This is not only necessary for Levin to succeed, but also sometimes hampers uptight opponents. “They think more about me than the actual point that’s going on. I’m calling them and that is a distraction. But for them, not me. That’s perfect.” This also serves Levin well in his longer matches. As other players get tired, he just gets more fired up. “It feels like my energy is unlimited.”

    Levin’s jumpiness has not only helped him make substantial achievements on the pickleball court. He has also seen improvement back at home. As we walk into Levin’s apartment, I am quickly struck by how many different types of food are out on the counter, especially for a college student. Levin explained that he despises eating the same thing twice in a day. He gets bored with one thing too quickly. His room is filled with different relaxation tactics. A lava lamp, which Levin tells me he finds especially peaceful, a standing desk, and an eye mask for sleep. All of which Levin says can help him calm down. But after a couple of hours of people, these relaxation methods are not always necessary. “My homework might take someone 10 minutes, but it takes me an hour.” Except after a long day of pickle, “I feel like I’ve got it out of my system. I feel I can sit down at my desk and actually power through.” 

    Levin hopes his story inspires other kids with ADHD to find their own outlets and talents. Whether he wins or loses a match, one thing is clear: Everett Levin is playing his game on his terms. He hopes other restive athletes with boundless energy and fierce dedication follow in his footsteps and find avenues where their ADHD is an asset. “The world of pickleball better be ready for us.”