By Lisa Gray

Spending time getting to know the natural world around you is more than worthwhile—anyone who has enjoyed rock climbing, kayaking, or hiking will attest to that—but it isn’t always easy to arrange or commit to wilderness excursions. The excuses are endless: You don’t know which trails are best, you aren’t sure what equipment canyoneering requires, you can’t find friends willing to climb with you on the weekends… The list goes on and on.

The Leadership Training Course (LTC) leaves you with no excuses. Proudly provided by UCSB Adventure Program staff (all of which are former LTC members), the course offers guided trips, equipment rentals, hands-on training, and enthusiastic friends to join you on your outdoor adventures. Physics major Jacob Staines tells us how the LTC shaped his freshman year of college and helped him make the most of all the outdoor opportunities around him.

Q: Why did you register for the LTC?
Jacob Staines: I was drawn to UCSB Adventure Programs Leadership Training Course [by the] opportunity to learn. There is so much to do out in the mountains or on the sea, you would be hard pressed to go out there and not learn. I wanted to compliment what experience I had with some professional training, as well as develop new experiences.

Q: Now that you’ve spent nearly six months with your fellow LTC-ers, you must have a lot of great memories. Do you have a favorite?
JS: One of the best parts about LTC is the inevitable development of the LTC family. One of my most profound memories from LTC was on the car ride back from our three-day canoe trip on the Colorado River. This trip took place in November, before any classroom sessions had begun. We had set out, for the most part, as complete strangers. We spent three days on the river, and came back more comfortable with each other than some of us were with our roommates.

Q: The LTC consists of an unbelievable amount of valuable hands-on and classroom instruction. Can you tell us a little about the learning experience?
JS: The learning in LTC comes in three forms.

1.    First, we go out with instructors to experience the wilderness first hand. Here we learned to repel, roll kayaks, cook on a camp stove, and countless other hands-on skills and techniques.

2.    Next we would take these experiences with us into the classroom, where we could break down conflicts and scenarios, discuss options, and learn how to problem solve.

3.    Last, through LTC we are given the freedom to go out and use the AP gear on our own time, to further develop our experience, and to put our classroom discussions to use.

Q: Now that you’ve nearly completely the course, how would you say the LTC has changed your daily life?
JS: What I feel I have developed most drastically is my outlook that the world is out there waiting for me. If I want to spend my Thursday morning rock climbing, all it takes is a desire, some friends who share that desire, and a little planning to make it happen. LTC has helped me to develop all three of these aspects.

Q: It seems you have definitely made a lot of friends and memories. Would you say the LTC has affected your social life as well?
JS: LTC has had a greater role in my social life than any other aspect of college thus far. I have gotten to know everyone in the class on some level, and most have become very close friends. There are people from the UC, the CC, and from the surrounding residence, all of whom I can seek and interact with on my own time. Indeed, some of my closest friends were those who I first met in LTC. I feel that describing LTC as anything less than a family does not do it justice.

Q: The LTC is considered training for future UCSB Adventure Program staff. Are you considering taking that next step?
JS: I am eager to become part of AP Staff, where I will be able to develop my skills even more, develop my friendships even more, and help others to meet the same goals. Oh yeah, and have a hell-of-a-time doing it!

Q: How would you promote adventure for those who are considering adding some excitement to their life?

JS: The occasional adventure every few weeks fits very nicely into college life. If gives me something to look forward to and to seek passion in, and it gives me the chance to balance my studies with mentally and physically healthy activities. It’s a win-win.

 

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Check out the details at www.recreation.ucsb.edu/adventureprograms/staff.aspx or just visit the MAC to talk to current Adventure Programs staff! Take a course that will change the way you take advantage of the outdoors.

By Brent MacDonald

UCSB Women’s Lacrosse finished the annual Santa Barbara Shootout with an even record of 2-2 this past weekend. Wins came against University of Michigan and Lindenwood University, while the Gauchos lost to women’s club teams from University of Pittsburgh and University of Florida.

“We communicated with each other a lot this weekend,” junior Courtney Choi said. “It’s something we practice everyday and we took it to the field this weekend.”

The tournament opener for UCSB against Michigan was played amidst a torrential downpour of rain, the first of its kind during a women’s lacrosse game this year.

“It was really intense,” Choi said. “There was so much wind…[we played] mind over body and pushed through it. It was a fun game.”

UCSB gained an 8-5 lead at the half, and continued its offensive play throughout the second period. The Gauchos outscored Michigan 3-1 in the final ten minutes of the game with two of its players sitting out due to yellow card violations given during the first half.

“We changed up our attack,” Choi said. “We were still able to get those goals with two less people on the field.”

The second game of the tournament for UCSB was played against Pittsburgh, which had lost its first game of the shootout against BYU. The Gauchos trailed Pittsburgh by one goal at halftime, and saw the lead increase to 7-3 with just twelve minutes remaining. UCSB went on a 4-0 scoring run in the final minutes to push the game to overtime.

With 13 seconds remaining in the extra period, Pittsburgh scored the goal to ensure its victory.

“Overtime is always really difficult,” senior Ashley Antoon-Algieri said. “Our offense wasn’t playing the way they usually do. We needed like five more minutes to come back.”

UCSB’s third game ended with a loss against Florida University. Florida was only up 6-5 against the Gauchos at the half, but went on to outscore UCSB 6-2 in the second period for a final victory of 11-7.

“Florida controlled the ball the whole game,” Antoon-Algieri said. “They’d get it on offense, calm it down and score a really nice goal. We weren’t in the game.”

The Shootout came to an end for UCSB when it faced off against Lindenwood University in both team’s final games of the tournament. Both Lindenwood and UCSB were equally balanced throughout the game as each team took 18 shots on goal. A five-goal run in the first half gave the Gauchos a 7-6 lead at halftime. Another scoring spree anchored a 4-1 run for UCSB in the second period, and finished the game with an 11-7 victory.

Beating Lindenwood allowed UCSB to finish the tournament without going on a three-game losing streak, and served as an important part of the team’s motivation for the season.

“Those two [losses] were our wake-up call,” Antoon-Algieri said. “It’s good to lose early [in the season] and have that wake-up call. We walked off the field satisfied with that last game.”

UCSB will return to the practice field for the remainder of the week in preparation for its game against visiting John Fisher College next Monday February 28 at 12:30 pm on Storke Fields.

By Brent MacDonald

 

Early morning workouts. Grueling practices. Dedicated student-athletes.

This isn’t another NCAA division-one school-sponsored program, it’s the UCSB triathlon team: a Sport Club that has gained little recognition on campus, despite its proven successful as a member of Gaucho athletics.

“We’re trying to be top-5 in the nation this year,” sophomore Juli White said.

Last season ended in a 6^th place national finish for both the men and women’s triathlon team. The team consists of nearly 140 members total, more than any other UCSB squad. Levels of skill range from developmental for newcomers to the sport and highly competitive, for those athletes on the team that look forward to competing in national races throughout the season.

UCSB has multiple races throughout the year, including a main three that attract the team’s most focus. Meets at UC San Diego, USC and Cal Poly are the most important and competitive races for the team before the national championships held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

For the UCSB triathlon team, training began fall quarter, and only increased as the winter months began. The team has practices every day of the week beginning with 6:30 am swim workouts Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bike workouts take place at 7am on Tuesdays, and track workouts are held Thursday at 7am. Bike and run combined workouts are Saturday at 9am, and the week ends with 9am swim workouts on Sunday.

“Triathlon is the most difficult and challenging thing I could do,” junior Kristina Etbert said. “It’s a personal challenge. You can always go a little faster and build on what you’ve been doing.”

In addition to these mandatory practices, many members of the team conduct their own workouts outside of practice-time according to their individual schedule.

All of this hard work may seem like a reason many people would choose not to become a part of the triathlon team. However for UCSB triathlon members, it’s the main reason to stay active in the sport.

“When you’re waking up in the morning and know that someone else is getting up at 6:30 as well, it encourages you to go to practice,” Etbert said.

In addition to the physical capabilities that the sport provides, bonds formed between teammates contribute to maintaining a positive atmosphere both during and outside of team activities.

“What keeps me coming back is the team and my teammates and the friendships I’ve built,” Etbert said.

The UCSB Triathlon team plans to utilize its strong relationships and the long hours of practice this weekend when it travels to UC Irvine for the first official meet of the season.

“It’ll be a really good opportunity for first years to get a taste of what triathlon is like, and it will be a good opportunity for veterans to stay excited about the sport,” sophomore Juli White said. “[We’re] really excited to see all the training pay off.”

 

By Lisa Gray

This past weekend, UCSB Adventure Programs successfully hosted the Western Regional Outdoor Leadership Conference (WROLC) for the first time since 1997. Roughly 160 outdoor professionals, students and staff attended the three-day event which offered a variety of seminars from sea kayaking techniques to wound cleaning. Attendees experienced the beautiful Santa Barbara weather, campus, and culture from hikes at the Monarch Butterfly Grove, morning walks along the beach and lagoon, and evenings downtown.

“It was a complete success from our perspective,” director of UCSB Adventure Programs Rod Tucknott said. “We absolutely met our three primary goals: providing a low-cost professional conference, creating local accessibility for students, and offering networking opportunities.”

Activities such as the Dutch Oven Cook Off and the climbing challenge offered chances at bragging rights. The Cook Off was a competition held in a three hour time frame with one rule: the meal must be cooked in the dutch-oven (cast-iron pot) provided. A group of Recreation Center staff from UC Santa Cruz competed against several other groups, including a Santa Barbara and San Bernardino group, with their enchilada dish, appropriately nicknamed “adventure-ladas.”

“We tied for most satisfying dish,” UCSC freshman Alejandro Goena said.

Aside from competitions, the exchange of knowledge, experiences and expertise comprised the entire atmosphere of WROLC. Attendees listened with rapt attention to workshops lead by seasoned outdoor professionals, such as Wayne Horodowich’s talk about “Your Boat, Body and the Blade.” To date, Horodowich has produced six instructional kayaking videos, completed a two-disc set on sea kayaking tales narrated by a founder of the sport, and founded the University of Sea Kayaking. Also present was Dr. Andy Fields, Director of Stanford Outdoor Education, who shared his countless years of experience in several talks about leadership and the development of leadership, particularly within students.

The name that raised the most excitement was that of the legendary female rock climber Lynn Hill. For two months, junior Student Marketing Coordinator Meagan Gibson counted the days until Hill would speak at UCSB’s own IV Theater.

“I still can't believe that we were able to get her to come,” Gibson said.

Hill’s keynote speech did not disappoint. Through a photo and video presentation, the audience watched Hill grow and develop in her career, starting with pictures of Hill’s gymnastic days and ending in film clips of Hill gracefully scaling the famous Nose Route of El Capitan. The “Evening with Lynn Hill” was nothing short of inspiring. Regardless of climbing experience or understanding, Hill’s presence clearly marks her as an athlete in a league of her own as well as a strong and determined woman.

“A Frenchman said a woman would never climb a 5.14,” Hill said. “So I did.”

Hill’s free ascent of the Nose, her most famous feat, not only re-established her title of first woman to break the 5.14 barrier, but it also made her the only individual—man or woman—to have freed the Nose, a record kept for over 10 years. Despite the fame, Hill remains humble because the sport is dear to her heart for reasons other than recognition.

“We were all out there to escape the city,” Hill said. “We took the rules of climbing very seriously. It was more than just climbing, it was an approach to life: try to the best that we could be. Rise to the level of the climb.”

The final morning of WROLC left mixed feelings. UCSB Adventure Programs staff and volunteers dashed about, cleaning up as well as thanking those who came and wishing them safe travels.

“It was very satisfying,” Tucknott said. “I’m super thankful for all our staff; we would not have been able to do this without their help. Everyone went way above and beyond their prescribed requests.”

Most importantly, attendees had nothing but kind words for the WROLC experience. After two days packed with everything outdoorsy and two nights spent camping in the MAC, new and hopefully permanent bonds were created among the adventuring community.

“The best part is the whole community aspect of it,” UCSC junior Dana Thompson said. “You just know that when you come here, there’s going to be a gathering of really great people.”

By Brent MacDonald

Season openers are often one of the most exciting games for a team, especially when the match is held on a home field. For UCSB women’s lacrosse, the anticipation about its home opener has been felt for months.

“Practicing is super fun…but it’s no comparison to an actual game,” senior attack Ashley Antoon-Algieri said. “When all the adrenaline is pumping through you…it’s exciting.”

Gaucho women’s lacrosse began its season this Saturday with a home match against Claremont College. Prior to the game, UCSB’s record against Claremont was an undefeated 3-0 over the past three years, with each of the three wins coming by a margin of two goals. Claremont College women’s lacrosse is a Division 3 athletic team, which means it is both school sponsored, and nationally ranked. These are two qualities that UCSB women’s lacrosse lacks, yet neither of which had an effect on the outcome of the game.

“Worst case, we lose to a great opponent,” Antoon-Algieri said before the game. “Best case, we strut our stuff and we win.”

It was the first official match of the season for UCSB, as the only competition the team has seen thus far has been an alumni game during fall quarter in November, and inter-squad scrimmages during practice.

UCSB was dominant throughout the match, beating Claremont by a score of 21-11. Nine players scored at least once for the Gauchos, and Antoon-Algieri led the team with five goals and five assists. Junior Maegan Cruse scored five goals as well, in addition to three assists.

“It always helps to start with a big win,” Antoon-Algieri said after the game. “We were focused and we had a lot of fun.”

A new addition to UCSB’s practices has been a rigorous strength-training regimen, implemented in one-hour sessions during two practices per week. The training program has already shown improvement in many players, and the team looks forward to exploiting the benefits of the hard workouts.

“If you train slow you’ll be slow, if you train fast you’ll be fast. The way you train is the way you play,” junior defender Courtney Choi said. “A lot of girls have been pushing themselves a lot harder and it’s showing.”

The game against Claremont was the first of four games leading up to the annual Santa Barbara Shootout, which is scheduled for the weekend of February 18-20. A record 64 teams will participate in the 23^rd annual event, which will bring over 2,500 athletes, coaches, referees and family members to the sunny setting of Santa Barbara.

“It’s a lot of great players in one spot,” Antoon-Algieri said. “It’s our favorite tournament of the year…it’s a great venue and a lot of girls enjoy it.”

Both the weeks leading up to the tournament and the shootout itself will provide UCSB with the game time experience that it has been training for since fall quarter. However national championship games won’t be played for months,

and the Gauchos know that the game against Claremont is only the beginning of a long season.

“We’re preparing ourselves for more competition,” Choi said. “We need to focus on each game before moving to the next one.”

 

Despite the rain, we all know that Winter Quarter in SB still lets us run around in tanks, shorts, and even swimsuits. Well, here’s your chance to add to your “winter” collection by receiving a free UCSB Rec Sports Tank Top! If you are Caught on Campus wearing you Rec Sports “Where Gauchos Play” wristband, you’ll be eligible to get your very own tank! The Marketing Team will be around campus this month rewarding gauchos everywhere who rep their blue wrist décor.

Register on GauchosPlay.com, and when we’re out on campus, you’ll find out the exact locations of where the Marketing Team be handing out Rec Sports swag. It’s always a great day to be a gaucho, especially when you’re wearing a fresh, free tank!

Sign-up for Winter Intramural Sports and Continue the Legacy! Come to the Rec Sports Office to sign-up your team or for the indy leagues! Be one of the first 100 to sign-up and you'll receive a Rec Sports wristband! Wear your wristband and you might win a free tank if you're Caught on Campus! 

When: Nov 29 - Jan 7
Where: Rec Sports Office - Rec Cen Room 1110

The Intramural Sports offered for Winter:
•Badminton
•Basketball
•Bowling
•Golf
•Indoor Soccer
•Outdoor Soccer
•Racquetball
•Inline Hockey
•Running
•Squash
•Table Tennis
•Tennis
•Ultimate
•Volleyball
•Water Polo