WHEN: March 7 – April 1
WHERE: Rec Sports Office

You Continued the Legacy during winter, now Capture the Legacy this spring by signing up for spring Intramural Sports! Take advantage of the quarter with the best weather by joining one of the most popular programs offered by UCSB Recreational Sports!

We offer 18 different sports this spring including softball, basketball, water polo, and indoor/outdoor soccer. There is a sport for everyone and no experience necessary.

Greek? Make sure to sign-up for the Greek Gauntlet on March 7 & 8th!

Sign-up between March 7^th and April 1^st in the Rec Sports Office. Be one of the first 100 students to sign up and receive a free wristband, putting you in the running to get Caught on Campus. If you’re caught, you’ll win a FREE Rec Sports tank. Spots go fast, so sign-up early!

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 David Russo

This quarter, five of Rec Sports’ sponsors agreed to sponsor select Intramural Soccer teams. Tri-Valley Trophies, Student of Fortune, Isla Vista Bookstore, Woodstock’s Pizza, and Jungle George Grill each paid the registration fee for one team and also provided team shirts for all members of a team, a value of almost $200.

Teams were chosen based on an online contest, open to anyone who planned to make a team for winter quarter. The top five teams who helped promote UCSB Recreational Sports’ page on Facebook won this sponsorship opportunity. Teams earned points by commenting, posting, sharing videos, and tagging photos on the page.

Marjan Riazi, manager of “The Big Yellow” sponsored by Student of Fortune in the Coed Advanced league, is excited that her team is one of the five that were selected.

“I saw the promotion on Facebook and entered my team,” Riazi said. “I wasn't really expecting to be one of the winning teams because I figured more people would be taking advantage of the program, but we ended up being chosen.”

Kevin Trigueros, manager of the Tri-Valley team in the Men’s B league, explained how he found out about the sponsorship opportunity by one of his friends.

“My friend [Omar Campuzano] found the Rec Sports page on Facebook and told me about it,” Trigueros said. “I went on and found out every detail that I had to do to win.”

Campuzano is also one of the five winners and his team “Red Devils FC” in the Men’s Advanced league is sponsored by Woodstock's. Mark Simon’s Coed B team is sponsored by Jungle George, and decided to change the team’s name to “Jungle George Predators.”

“I was told about the program by a member of my team, Shaun Moinpour who is a member of the Rec Sports Marketing Team,” Simon said. “He was the one responsible for signing us up.”

Riazi, who has had an outdoor soccer team since her freshman year, explained how being sponsored has helped make this an even better quarter for Intramural soccer than usual.

“We've benefited from Students of Fortune through them paying for our team's registration and also the free team shirts,” Riazi said. “They're actually surprisingly helpful since oftentimes my team doesn't wear the right color so it makes it easier to have an actual uniform.”

Trigueros and Simon expressed similar thoughts on the ways their teams benefit from being sponsored.

“This program has helped us out a lot,” Trigueros said. “One way that it has benefited us is that we didn't have to worry about uniforms or paying the registration fee … it saved fifty dollars from my pocket.”

“We were given t-shirts that represent the Jungle George logo,” Simon said. “We wear [them] to games, the gym, or just to sport in general, making the shirts good advertising.”

Additional perks are available to the teams throughout the quarter. Tank tops, water bottles, and free food from the sponsors will be given to the team that proves to be the most spirited by acquiring the most spirit points.

The Big Yellow has successfully translated this sponsorship opportunity and shown spirit with their on-field performance.

“So far this is one of our best quarters ever,” Riazi said. “We're undefeated, with one tie and five wins. We're in first place for our league so that's pretty awesome.”

The Jungle George Predators are in a similar position at 3-1.

“We’re making a run for the championship,” Simon said.

The future of the Adopt-a-Team program has yet to be determined, but may be offered just one quarter per year. Sponsored or not, each team has expressed interest in continuing to play Intramural soccer after this quarter.

“[We’ll play next quarter,] sponsored by Jungle George, if they take us back,” Simon said.

“I'll definitely have a team next quarter,” Riazi said. “It's going to be the last quarter with some of our veterans, but I'm sure it'll be a great one.”

By David Russo

Student-athlete is a term usually reserved for those who are on scholarship for an intercollegiate team, however, at UCSB, a vast majority of students play on various Intramural Sport teams. Senior computer science major Josh Castaneda leads six different Intramural Sport teams this quarter: two Indoor Soccer teams, and four Outdoor Soccer teams. “OK Team Awesome Go,” a team in the outdoor Men’s A league, may be the best of all, currently boasting a 4-0 record with an aggregate score of 15-1.

Castaneda says that a lot of his motivation for playing soccer is his aspiration to coach.  Already experienced in coaching San Marcos High School’s freshman team in 2009-2010, leading them to a .500 record.

“That was the most fun I’ve had doing work,” Castaneda said. “To be a role model is really cool … you have to balance being stern but really nice.”

Castaneda would like to see where similar positions might lead him.

“I’d love to coach the US National Team,” he said. “I don’t necessarily need to get that far, but I want soccer to be part of my profession. It would be cool to become a trainer or coach for a club team around [Santa Barbara].”

Then he added that coaching isn’t actually his number one goal.

“Coaching comes second to being a superstar,” Castaneda remarked.

He mentioned Dutch forward Robin van Persie, from his favorite team Arsenal, as the player he admires most.

“He scores so many nice goals,” Castaneda said. “He’s left footed but also skilled with his right foot. [As a forward], I consider myself a very watered down version of him.”

Castaneda started playing soccer when he was four years old, and hasn’t stopped since.  He played on Covina High School’s team and the past three years on UCSB Intramural Sport teams. Former student Eliot Rodgers, who played with Castaneda on past Intramural soccer team, is credited with giving him the idea to form a team from the people he has gotten to know from his former teams.

“Eliot inspired me to manage and coach,” Castaneda said. “Last quarter I decided to make my own team.”

Now he leads a diverse team of friends, including mechanical engineering graduate student Blane Rhoads, senior John Hoyer, junior James Kiffe, who plays on the Gauchos’ Division I team, and senior Ted McCrea, who plays on the Sports Club team.

“I got into the IM scene just by playing,” Castaneda said. “Learning how to manage came from coaching [San Marcos]. Managing a team is difficult but fun, you get to choose who you want to play with. You need to find a balance between who you like and who can play.”

Castaneda said that usually at least three extra players show up for a game.

“The only stressful part is when more people show up and I have to decide who the subs are … hopefully nobody leaves next quarter,” he said. “I definitely plan on having a team.”

With the team’s dominance this quarter, Castaneda said the most memorable game so far was their first game, which they won by one goal.

“They didn’t have as much talent but they played as a cohesive unit,” he said. “We’ve been growing as a team [to play cohesively as well] … everybody expects to win, and with that comes trust. We have a positive cycle of communication and chemistry knowing what each other is going to do on the field.”

With Intramural games five days a week, Castaneda explain fitting in with school with his schedule.

“I’ll miss a game for a midterm,” he admitted. “I’m not going to neglect my studies. But I try not to have late classes so I have room for Intramural Sports. Fun, fitness, friends. That’s what they are for.”

By David Russo

A group of graduate students who devote countless hours of research to their field may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Intramural Sports players.  However, for PhD graduate student and team captain of The Blasters Chris Evelyn, Intramural Basketball is an important part of balancing studies with play.  Evelyn earned his masters at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science and is now in his fourth year in the department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology researching the evolution of salamander species in California.

“[I’m] trying to get a handle on what it takes to develop and complete an original research project at a high level,” he said. “As any graduate student can tell you, this is a long road often full of setbacks and a lot of lessons learned.”

On the court, his team is providing the lessons. The Blasters are currently 3-0 in the MA-1 league, winning by an average of almost 40 points per game. However, the team is not playing for wins and losses.

“We just want one good game a week,” Evelyn said. “We look forward to playing hard.”

Evelyn played at Loyola Marymount for four years, walking on as a freshman and eventually getting a scholarship as a senior. Other grad students on the team with prior playing experience are Finn Rebassoo from Occidental College, Justin Clark from Iowa, Jason Green from Northern Oklahoma College, Mollique Johnson from Southern Connecticut State, and William Clay from Mississippi Valley State. Duncan Kennedy and Chris Burton, the only undergraduates on the team, played in high school.

Rebassoo was named the 2003 outstanding male senior scholar-athlete at Occidental.  Rebassoo finished second on Occidental’s all-time scoring list with 1,562 career points and was the 2003 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Evelyn also explained how he isn’t the only one with a PhD research project. Rebassoo is working on an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, Clark is completing research on Socratic philosophy, and Clay recently finished a project on Boolean networks in mathematics.

“You wouldn't necessarily know that they also excel on the basketball court,” Evelyn admitted.

This group of students came to form an impressive team simply by playing in the Rec Cen on a regular basis.

“There has been a pretty consistent group of undergraduate and graduate students who play in the Rec Cen the past few years,” Evelyn said. “Our team is really just a group of great people who are all unselfish players. It's great to run around with a group of guys who just love to play ball and really know how to play.”

Despite their full schedules as grad students, the team understands that participating in sports is important to make time for.

“IM's and playing basketball in the Rec Cen have been great ways to build community with undergraduate students and other graduate students,” Evelyn said. “Many graduate students don't do too much besides study during the week so the social aspect of seeing the same group of guys each day has been great. It also helps my mental health to get some exercise each day and leave the stresses of the day behind for an hour or two.”

Despite frequently playing together in the Rec Cen, this is the first quarter they formed an Intramural Basketball team.

“We all know each other and this year we decided it would be fun to form a graduate student team before a few of us finish here at UCSB,” Evelyn said. “Clark, Rebassoo, Clay, and I have known each other for years so it's surprising we didn't do this before now.”

Playing Intramural Sports has proven to be a good decision for them.

“It's fun for all of us to get together and play in a different setting compared to our daily runs in the Rec Cen,” he said. “It’s fun for us to play with more structure.”

The team plays so well together thanks in part to practicing together on Saturday mornings.

“We made it out a couple of times but it's been tough,” Evelyn said. “School or life has gotten in the way the last couple weeks but hopefully we can get out there again soon.”

By Ben Chodos 

It is Thursday night at the Rec Cen. The usual sounds of sneakers squeaking on the gym floor and balls colliding with nets are present. But tonight, basketball players are not causing all the clamor. The shoes and voices making noise belong to the faithful few who show up for Intramural Table Tennis on Thursdays between seven and nine in the evening.

Many people have played ping pong in their basement or in a friend’s backyard, but few have played Table Tennis. The difference between the two games is a matter of standards, uniformity, and language. Table Tennis is the sport’s official name, advocated by USA Table Tennis, an organization that hosts nationwide competitions. However, in China, where the game has widespread popularity, it is called Ping Pong. There are regulated rules for the American Table Tennis competitions, whereas driveway ping pong games, can have “all kinds of crazy rules,” according to Adam Hurwitz, a third year Global studies major and Intramural Table Tennis participant. These rules state that games are played to eleven, and servers alternate every two points, and the ball must be tossed six inches in the air on all serves.  Trickery while serving is necessary as some serious Ping Pongers are able to determine how the ball is spinning by the looking at or hearing an opponent serve.

Three students separated themselves from the pack during competition, and by no coincidence, these three players have experience with competitive Table Tennis. Andrew Berman, a grad student at UCSB, learned to play from his dad and played in USATT competitions. Peng Zheng, a first year Economics major, played competitively in China. Lastly, David Ellerton, who is obtaining a Ph.D. in Religion Studies, also played in USATT competitions, but had not picked up a paddle in sixteen years before coming out for Intramural Table Tennis a couple weeks ago.  By the end of the night, Berman had beat Ellerton but lost to Zhang.  But Zhang lost to Ellerton, leaving no tangible way to determine a clear champion for the week.

Besides the impossible spin on their serves, their perfect form, and their unflappable composure during matches, one other aspect made these three stand out: their paddles. These finely crafted instruments were all custom made to fit each Sultan of Spin’s specific style.  The paddle rests so comfortably in each Rally Master’s hand that it seems like they were born holding it.

Despite the esteemed pedigree of these three Barons of the Backhand, they fit in as just another student in the jovial and relaxing atmosphere of Thursday night Intramural Table Tennis.  The games always contain friendly chatting and lead to odd discoveries as Connor Oakes, a third year Political Science major found out.  “David [Ellerton] played competitively against my sister,” Oakes said.  Between the lively conversations and the competitive matches, these Pharaohs of the forehand will be causing a racket at the Rec Cen every Thursday night.

 

 

 

 

 

Drop by the Rec Sports office and sign your team up today. Listed below are all the available sports, leagues, and their corresponding times for the quarter.

BADMINTON NS-1 Mondays 615-830pm NS-2 Tuesdays 815-915pm ES Tuesdays 630-715pm ND Tuesdays 715-815pm Open Structure: Mondays 615-830pm Tuesdays 630-11pm Fridays 7-10pm   BASKETBALL MA-1 Mondays 8pm MA-2 Tuesdays 9pm MA-3 Sundays 6pm MB-1 Mondays 9pm MB-2 Mondays 10pm MB-3 Wednesdays 7pm MB-4 Wednesdays 8pm MB-5 Mondays 7pm MB-6 Wednesdays 10pm MB-7 Sundays 9pm MC-1 Tuesdays 10pm MC-2 Tuesdays 8pm MC-3 Wednesdays 6pm MC-4 Sundays 10pm W-1 Tuesdays 7pm W-2 Sundays 7pm CA-1 Mondays 6pm CB-1 Tuesdays 6pm CB-2 Wednesdays 9pm CB-3 Sundays 8pm   TABLE TENNIS A-1 Thursdays 7pm A-2 Thursdays 8pm A-3 Thursdays 9pm B-1 Thursdays 10pm B-2 Mondays 7-830pm   RACQUETBALL/SQUASH Squash: SQ-1 Tuesdays 6-9pm SQ-2 Wednesdays 6-9pm Racquetball: MA-1 Wednesdays 5-7pm MA-2 Tuesdays 5-7pm MA-3 Thursdays 7-9pm MB-1 Wednesdays 7-9pm MB-2 Thursdays 5-7pm MB-3 Sundays 7-9pm WA-1 Tuesdays 7-9pm WA-2 Sundays 5-7pm   VOLLEYBALL W-1 Tuesdays 10pm MA-1 Wednesday 9pm MB-1 Wednesdays 8pm MC-1 Tuesdays 9pm CA-1 Wednesdays 10pm CA-2 Tuesdays 8pm CB-1 Tuesdays 7pm   KEY MA - Men's Advanced MB - Men's Intermediate MC - Men's Beginner WA - Women's Advanced WB - Women's Intermediate F - Fraternity S - Sorority CA - Coed Advanced CB - Coed Intermediate MD - Men's Doubles CD - Coed Doubles NS - Novice Singles ND - Novice Doubles ES - Experienced Singles ED - Experienced Doubles

FLAG FOOTBALL CA-1 Thursdays 4pm CA-2 Mondays 4pm CB-1 Fridays 4pm MA-1 Fridays 5pm MA-2 Tuesdays 4pm MB-1 Fridays 3pm MB-2 Mondays 3pm MB-3 Tuesdays 3pm MC-1 Thursdays 3pm F-1 Wednesdays 3pm S-1 Wednesdays 4pm   BOWLING League 1 Mondays 9pm League 2 Tuesdays 9pm Water Polo Innertube: CA-1 Sundays 2-5pm CN-1 Sundays 12-2pm Regular: MI-1 Thursdays 5-8pm MA-1 Tuesdays 5-8pm   HOCKEY RM-1 Sundays 5-8pm RM-2 Sundays 8-11pm RM-3 Thursdays 9-11pm   INDOOR SOCCER CA-1 Mondays 8-10pm CA-2 Tuesdays 8-11pm CA-3 Thursdays 6-9pm CB-1 Tuesdays 5-8pm CB-2 Wednesdays 5-8pm CB-3 Sundays 5-8pm MA-1 Thursdays 9-12pm MA-2 Mondays 5-8pm MB-1 Sundays 8-11pm MB-2 Wednesdays 8-11pm OUTDOOR SOCCER CA-1 Tuesday 6-10pm CA-2 Mondays 4-6pm CB-1 Sundays 6-8pm CB-2 Thursdays 6-10pm CB-3 Tuesdays 4-6pm MA-1 Mondays 8-10pm MA-2 Wednesdays 8-10pm MB-1 Sundays 8-10pm MB-2 Mondays 6-8pm TENNIS WA-1 Wednesdays 7-8pm WA-2 Sundays 5-6pm WB-1 Thursdays 5-6pm WB-2 Wednesdays 6-7pm WB-3 Sundays 7-8pm MA-1 Mondays 7-8pm MA-2 Wednesdays 8-9pm MA-3 Thursdays 8-9pm MB-1 Thursdays 6-7pm MB-2 Mondays 8-9pm MB-3 Sundays 6-7pm MD-1 Wednesdays 5-6pm MD-2 Sundays 8-9pm CD-1 Thursdays 7-8pm CD-2 Mondays 6-7pm WD-1 Mondays 5-6pm