Zoe Gonzales / Daily Nexus

Cheers to what’s ahead! 

From ages 8 to 17, I spent my time tying my hair into a high ponytail, lifting and tossing girls into the air and doing a series of consecutive flips. That’s right: I was a cheerleader. 

Competitive cheerleading is an admittedly random sport, but my mom had a vision, and I spent the rest of my childhood executing it. I was at the gym almost daily with my team, perfecting stunts, routines and everything in between. I worked so hard, and I had six-pack abs at age 11. That’s right, 11!

At 13, I became the youngest person in my high school’s history to make the varsity cheerleading team (a peaked-in-high-school flex, if you will). In sideline cheer, I was still stunting and flipping to no end … except this time, I had to memorize a list of 120 sideline cheers and dance with sparkly pompoms. I became a captain my senior year and prided myself in this responsibility. I choreographed halftime routines, helped lead practices and studied up on football and basketball so I could understand exactly what we were cheering for. 

I hung up my pompoms after I graduated high school, but I still hold on to many of the values I learned from my cheer career. For starters, I’m a huge fan of football and basketball, and I also have an appreciation for athletics as a whole — I understand the importance of team spirit, the power of a fanbase and the joy of sports. 

Most prominently, the teamwork, confidence and positive attitude that fuel the sport of cheerleading continue to power my personality today. While my cheer background is unexpected to most people, the moment I’m put in a leadership position, spotted out on the dance floor, speaking to a large crowd or even just smiling, it becomes apparently clear that I was a cheerleader in a past life. 

P.S. I still remember all 120 of those cheers. 

Lauren Chiou, Artsweek Editor

The evolution of my sports passion

At the age of 5, I discovered a world that would shape who I am — where the excitement of competition met the joy of community. It began when my mom signed me up for recreational soccer, and, simultaneously, my dad’s favorite football team, the Seattle Seahawks, naturally became mine to avidly cheer for on TV. For some, these small introductions into sports can come and go, but for me, it was instant love at first sight. My love for soccer progressed into a love for all sports where I gained my loyalty to all Seattle’s professional sports teams. Sports became so compelling to me as a fan because of the thrill in watching games unfold, the emotional highs and lows keep everything engaging no matter the sport. This is why, to this day, I keep up with my favorite athletes, stats and fantasy football games almost every single day. When I started playing soccer, I was just a little kid, running around and swarming the ball to aimlessly kick it. But over the years, soccer turned into a long term commitment — a commitment that lasted until my final year of high school, where I played for our school as well as for a club team. To this day, I have continued to play and love the sport of soccer because it brings me a sense of joy and fulfillment.

The opportunities that came with my involvement in the sports world have been an important part of my life because they allowed me to form many friendships and life experiences that I still hold onto now. Even though the friends I made through soccer are states away, we still remain in contact through calls and messages to keep the friendship alive. An enjoyment for sports turned into a community with people that all share similar passions and interests with me. 

The community of sports fans is an exciting part of attending UCSB for me. College sports build a great community of fans, students and athletes. The feeling I got from the UCSB sports community was unexpected for me because as I was watching and cheering for a team at my own college, I realized it brought a more personal level of commitment and excitement. As my observations of the sports at UCSB ignited my passion for involvement, this passion pushed me to try my hand at writing for the sports section at the Daily Nexus, and I found that this creative outlet only expanded my love for sports.  

Haiden Rogers, staff writer

Sun, sea and skipping the library

Since arriving at UC Santa Barbara on exchange, my relationship with sports has transformed in the best possible way. I’ve been here for two months now, and coming from the dark and dismal winter months in England to the sunny Santa Barbara climate has been a game-changer. It’s hard not to want to be active when every day is practically a postcard. After finally recovering from a rather serious ankle injury from last July, I’ve been able to jump back into the sports I love.  

I’m now running again, a thrill after months spent off my feet. And as for surfing, I’m out there every day — let’s just say it’s the perfect procrastination from work when I know that I can be surfing instead (or at least attempting to surf)! Then there’s hot yoga. If you know, you know. I was skeptical at first, but turns out I kind of love it, even if it sometimes feels like melting into a puddle and you’re going to pass out.

Tennis has also been a big part of my routine, and the facilities here are next level. A sunny afternoon at the courts is basically my new happy place. Still, there’s a part of me that misses team sports. Back home, I played a lot of field hockey, and while I haven’t quite found my new hockey family, I’m optimistic. I’m keeping an eye out for a friendly soccer team; it’s about time I gave the other kind of “football” a go.

From solo surfing to hunting down team sports, UCSB has me embracing new activities and soaking up every moment — and now more than ever, I’m excited to write about it and join the community that is UCSB sports!

Valentina Milne, staff writer

How the Daily Nexus made me fall in love with sports all over again

Competing on sports teams has been a staple of my day-to-day life since I gained consciousness. Whether it’s Little League Baseball, my elementary school soccer team, flag football in middle school or playing varsity high school basketball, I have competed in a broad span of team sports throughout my adolescence. Perhaps the earliest memory I can reach back to was 6-year-old me downing a SunnyD with a ketchup-smothered corn dog in hand after a 2 p.m. tee ball game with all my teammates, talking about the only things little boys care about: Star Wars, cars, LEGOs and, sometimes, all three at the same time.

While I would love to sit here and say that I was drawn to athletics due to the authentic, raw competitive nature that they impel, I can’t deny that the root of my appreciation for team sports was the way they serve as an outlet for social connection with others who are like-minded yet different in so many ways.

Saying this feeling has been reinforced through my time working with UC Santa Barbara sports would be an understatement. Through this opportunity to write for the Sports section of the Daily Nexus, I have been blessed to interact with my university’s athletics on an immensely intimate and in-depth level. I have similarly been fortunate to meet writers and editors who have a shared passion for the intersection of competitive sports and the conveyance of matches through storytelling. Learning from my peers and experiencing self-improvement with new writing styles, clearer integration of statistics and better articulation of game flow has been a joy as someone with professional ambitions in writing for prestigious sports companies such as ESPN, Bleacher Report and The Ringer. I am beyond grateful for the continued opportunity to write under Daily Nexus Sports. I have never felt so athletically enriched as when I am amidst the surge of electricity that are Gaucho students cheering their teams on.

Aidan Dobbins, Social Media Manager

A version of this article was published in the Oct. 31, 2024 print edition of the Daily Nexus.