Ken Foraker

While attending school, Ken was involved in intramural soccer and inner tube water polo. He coached, managed, and played on an intramural soccer team that won its division. He left UCSB just shy of earning his degree in 1986, in order to race bicycles professionally.

A few years later, Ken was hit by a drunk driver and lost his leg, but despite the incident he persevered and continued to race professional downhill for YETI Cycles, making him an exceptional role model.  After this, he made the great accomplishment of placing 9^th in the world at the 1990 Disabled World Cycling Championship in France.

Ken’s achievements did not stop there.  He says his greatest UCSB accomplishment was coming back to school and completing his degree in Environmental Studies. While doing this he also rode for the school’s cycling team stating, “Here I was—a seasoned professional on the Pro Downhill circuit—yet when racing for UCSB it was humbling in many ways.”  At the events he attended, he was the only disabled collegiate cyclist and impacted every person who saw him ride.

He is currently in the process of producing music with his wife, along with writing his book Whole. His book is about the perseverance and growth in his journey with cycling.

Ken has dedicated his life to helping others with disabilities.  While living in Alaska for 4 years he not only taught special education, but also taught skiing at a disabled ski school.  Along with this he owned a fishing guide business there and guided mountain bike trips.  He later worked as a consultant with the Wounded Warrior Project helping disabled veterans.

Ken has many outstanding accomplishments and has had a positive impact on Recreational Sports.

Eldon Worobieff

UCSB is beautifully situated along the pacific coast—gorgeous sunsets and radiant sunrises. Many sports have the pleasure of interacting with this coast like crew. Yet, it wasn’t until Eldon Worobieff came to UCSB that the crew program got off the ground. Eldon came to the program in 1969 from USC where he left a significant impression on their junior varsity program.

Eldon coached crew for 3 years at UCSB and established a foundation for later teams to follow. Despite his low upbringing, the opportunity to row blessed Eldon with the gift to excel. With the love of his parents and his passion to compete, rowing gave him his seed in life that allowed him to grow. From there, his career just “took off!”

But it was the students on his team that made his experience even more rich and full. His most memorable moment was “to see individuals develop into outstanding people outside of the program; and, to keep in touch with them even to this day.”  As a coach, winning wasn’t the important thing. For Eldon, it was about trying to teach his team to learn their capabilities which would help them later on in life. It was the athlete’s joy that made coming to work every day easy.

Everything that was needed was begged for or borrowed—including equipment. The ladies of Shell and Oar helped them achieve many of their goals. And goals were something Eldon knew most about. He researched goal setting and tried to inspire his athletes. “A lot of coaches say ‘we’re going to win this season’ but it needs to come from the athletes. They need to say it from their hearts. I was a facilitator that allowed them to reach and accomplish their goals. That’s one of the major things that I took with me—they made an impression on me and hopefully I made an impression on them.”

Eldon has been retired since 2003. He resides in Panama and Canada throughout the year. His hobbies include: golfing, fishing, wood working, reading, and taking long walks with on the beach with his wife and dog. Eldon worked hard to get where he is in life today. “I never had the financial resources to allow me to travel and the only means I could travel was through sports!”

Bob Kelley

The 1960s were a time of upheaval and uncertainty. In 1964, Bob Kelley came to UCSB to help level the scene. Graduating from Fresno State, he earned a degree in recreation and worked in their recreation program for some years. He applied for the job in Santa Maria and was interviewed the following week by Doug Girsh. “They gave me a blank check book and said keep everyone close knit and at home.” For Rec Sports, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship as he was the very first Recreational Sports Direction at UCSB until 1970.

Bob was unbelievably devoted the kids at UCSB. “This whole thing is not about me, the kids I had were so intelligent and passionate about their sports. They were so enthusiastic.” At that time Rec Sports did not receive money from the school or associated students. Bob was the Dean who oversaw the money and started up 30 different sports. There were plenty of fundraisers but mostly students would come up with money all on their own. Facilities and equipment were really the only things available for them. “Our students started these programs. The students on the Rec. Sports committee fought for money for our department and made what we had today available.”

Bob attributes his coming to UCSB to Dean Reynolds. “He gave me his office and most of the time I had the office to myself. We really didn’t have any facilities, but we got the University Center and one corner inside it.” After being kicked out of the University Center, the old student union became home Bob Kelley and students. In 1970, the program was disbanded despite its reputation by students as a place for them to get away from chaos—countless riots and trying times.

Recreation benefits us all. But without Bob Kelley’s stability and love for his students, we would not have the Rec Sports that we all know and love today!

“I’m a very strong believer in recreation sports. Later in life, you need to exercise and eat right. When you’re a student participating in recreation sports, you practice and learn how to engage in sports that you’ll inevitably use all throughout your life. We called them ‘life time sports’. You need an outlet, and to let things de-stress. That’s what we taught there, and that’s what we provided. That’s was recreation is all about – lifetime goals. You play the sport for the fun it – you don’t have to have the killer attitude. No standings or trophies, you play it for the fun of camaraderie.”

Burning Skirts

Every brilliant plan begins with an idea. Ideas are spurred on by passion, and passion is one element not lacking for the Burning Skirts.  So it is no surprise that a few students’ idea to start a women’s ultimate Frisbee team became a brilliant play, which would eventually award them the title of national champions. The Burning Skirts began to come together in 1985, taking on several different names including the Flying Nuns and No Food in the Library. Many of the new players were involved in soccer or other sports but had never played ultimate before. Liz (Schultz) McCarthy would say, “we joked around calling our selves the Flying Nones once in a while because we lost so many games.” Still, these ladies didn’t let their humble beginnings dismay them from pursuing their dream to be national champions. The team began to train and compete, and by ’87, they were recruiting more and more players. The team had also taken on a permanent name, The Burning Skirts. Taking the field wearing self-painted, flame-licked uniforms, the Burning Skirts team battled their way to the ’88 national championships against Davis. Against all odds, including a fierce windstorm, the Burning Skirts beat Davis to secure their first national title. The winning didn’t stop there though. The Burning Skirts won nationals in ’90, ’91, and took a close second in ’94, an outstanding record for such a new program. Yet, it is not only the game record that qualifies the Burning Skirts to receive the Hall of Fame Award. These women started a legacy that has continued to this day. Twenty-six years later, the Burning Skirts are still tearing up the Ultimate Frisbee world. “Most of all the team gave me a sense of pride in my school, and I know I’ve made friends that will last a life time.” I am sure many teammates would agree with Liz’s statement. The Burning Skirts team has proven that with a little patience and persistence, anything is possible. From being the ultimate success story to inspiring the Burning Skirt in each of us, this team truly exemplifies what it means to be a Gaucho. ¡Ole!