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What’s up fellow Gaucho,

My name is Michael Jorgenson, and I’m very excited to be going on my second (and final) year as sports editor here at the Nexus, helping to bring you all you need to know about UCSB sports.

Welcome back if you’re returning for another year of paradise. But for all you first-timers out there, I’d like to give you some perspective on the magnificent journey you’re about to embark on.

All your life, you’ve been told how important it is for you to get good grades so you can go to a good college. Lucky for you, you hit the jackpot. Welcome home.

I know it’s an exciting time for you. You’re finally starting to get a taste of what adult life is. You’ve heard the stories about how awesome a party school UCSB is. You’re going to be surrounded by a ridiculous amount of the most beautiful people you’ve ever met, inside and out.

It might be tough for you to leave everything you’ve ever known behind – your family and friends, the familiar streets you learned to drive on, your favorite restaurants, your dog – it’s not easy.

But what you get in return: the ultimate fresh start.

Forget the ex who cheated on you, the bullies, the dumbasses, the people you’ve been going to school with since kindergarten that still don’t even know your name. Here in SB, we’re all in this together.

Right now, you have the power to control where your life goes. You can go down any path, and many times, you’re going to regret your decisions… Many, many, many times, actually.

But no matter what mistakes you make, never let a bad experience keep you down; learn from it, grow, and do whatever you can to make it a positive influence on your life moving forward.

If there’s one piece of advice I can emphasize more than anything, it is this: always have an open mind. No matter what you’ve thought about something in the past, at the very least, ask yourself “Why?”

“Why is Friends the greatest show ever? Why am I a Democrat instead of Republican? Why am I against drinking or doing drugs? Why do I believe in God?”

Never be afraid of the answers to life’s hardest questions. This is the time for you to learn who you are and what your position is on important issues. As Aristotle once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

At the end of the day, college is only going to be what you make of it.

Okay, now that I’ve imparted some life-changing wisdom that you’ll remember for the rest of your life, it’s time to talk about sports. You may not have seen too much of UCSB on ESPN or anything, but our teams do in fact kick ass.

For example, last season, our men’s volleyball, men’s water polo and baseball teams were ranked as high as No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 in the nation, respectively.

I’m sure you’ve also heard about our men’s soccer team, which has finished with the No. 1 seed in the Big West in each of the last two seasons.

If you’re going to make it to any one game this season, make sure it’s men’s soccer against Cal Poly. When we hosted them last year, it was in front of the second-largest crowd in NCAA history. And if the image of tortillas flying recklessly through the air in all directions excites you, then you’ll be happy to hear that that’s how we celebrate goals. Make sure you cover your head, though.

Now, if you want to get in on the sports action yourself, then you’re also in luck. We have an excellent intramural community that gives you fun, organized competition for a large variety of sports and talent levels. You’ll sometimes even have the chance to play with UCSB athletes.

For those of you that want to get behind the scenes, interviewing future professional athletes, writing articles about the sports you love and seeing what it’s like to be a journalist, then feel free to either e-mail us or come by the Nexus office and meet either myself or our assistant sports editor, Sean White.

So, with that being said, take a look down below and begin your tour of the teams you’ll be rooting for in the near future.

Wishing you a fantastic and successful time here at UCSB,

Michael J

Gauchos Do It Better – Sean White

Thank you summer for the fun, but it’s time to get back to the grind. Welcome back to all the returning students, and greetings to the new class of freshmen. I hope all of you are ready to embark on your new journey as Gauchos!

My name is Sean White (yes… almost like the snow/skate boarder) and I am entering my second-year as a Pre-Communication major. This is my second year as a writer and first-year as an editor for the Daily Nexus. I am looking forward to providing UCSB with the best content and coverage of its sports.

It’s crazy that I was just in your position preparing for my first year of college. Trust me, it goes by fast so make sure you enjoy every second of being a Gaucho.

My one suggestion for having a successful school year is simply making sure that you attend as many sporting events as possible. It’s the best way to overcome the stresses of school and take a break from the party scene. When you have teams that are talented and entertaining like UCSB does, it makes college more enjoyable.

There’s no one sport at UCSB that I can tell you to commit to because they all have so much to offer. You’ve probably heard that UCSB is only a soccer powerhouse, but don’t let that deceive you. Our school may not receive much attention in mainstream sports headlines, but the experiences and memories gained from any UCSB sporting event are incomparable.

While rankings and statistics help measure a team’s capability, it’s the atmosphere and energy of being in the Thunderdome, Harder Stadium, or any other UCSB venue that makes each moment meaningful. Since coming to UCSB, it has been the experience factor that has increased my interest in sports that I did not have much knowledge about.

As an only child, I guess you could call sports that brother or sister that I never had. I was once that kid with dreams of going to the NFL. Although UCSB does not have a football team, attending this school has made me realize how diverse sports are.

Writing for the Nexus has been everything that I hoped to do in my pursuit of a career within sports media and is responsible for my interest in learning more about sports such as volleyball, water polo, soccer, golf, and more. Even if you attend just one game, I hope that at the end of the school year you all can reminisce on the great times you had while cheering for our Gauchos.

With that being said, I hope all of you have a wonderful year. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for everything UCSB sports related: @thenexus_sports.

Thank you,

Sean