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UPCOMING SPORTS: BASEBALL
The College World Series, in which UCLA will compete, begins Friday.
LONDON OLYMPICS The Summer Games, where many Bruins will compete, begin July 25.
Graduation Issue 2012
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Lack of NFL Draft pick benefits former Bruin BY CHRIS NGUYEN Bruin Sports senior staff cnguyen@media.ucla.edu Throughout the National Football League Draft, prospects usually wait on the edge of their seats for their turn on stage to shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell or sit anxiously by a phone, waiting for a call from their future employer. It’s perhaps the bi g gest event of these players’ lives as they wait to see if their dreams of playing professionally will be rea l i zed. A s prospects watch eagerly, their nerves and stress run high, their fates out of their hands. A nd then there’s for mer UCLA running back Derrick Coleman. “I wasn’t really watching the draft, I was kind of playing basketball with my friend at the time,” Coleman said. But there was little reason
to watch. After three days, 253 players had been selected in the draft, but Coleman’s name was still on the draft board. His name was not called. *** At UCLA, Coleman did it all. He was a running back, as well as a dominant force on special teams with unparalleled versatility. Angus McClure, who was special teams coach at UCLA throughout Coleman’s career, said Coleman could play in all six phases of special teams if need be. Although Coleman made his mark on special teams – he was named the most valuable player on that unit this past season – McClure feels Coleman’s potential hasn’t been realized as a running back even thou g h he scored 19 touchdowns in his career. “Initially, we recruited him to be a fullback, we thought he
was going to grow into a fullback, and when we recruited him we were still running the West Coast offense,” McClure said. Because of the nature of UCL A’s of fen sive schemes under then-coach Norm Chow, Coleman never had the chance to develop as a fullback and instead had to adapt to a role as a running back. He was known as a hard, downhill runner in the backfield, often likened to a bowling ball or a baby bull – relentless in his ball carrying, fighting for every inch. While his position and playing style often fluctuated, his work ethic never did. “He studied our opponents and did a nice job of being prepared,” McClure said. “It’s easy to do that for offense and defense but it takes a special guy and a special attitude that Derrick has to come in and get prepared on a Monday for
a Saturday game on special teams.” During his college career, Coleman set out to prove that a genet ic hea r i n g d i sabi lity, which renders him legally deaf, would not affect his ability to play professional football. “That can never be a part of the situation at this point,” Coleman said regarding his hearing. “I started play ing football in seventh grade, and I made it to a Division I college football team, played in big games, so if I’ve gotten this far, what makes you think going a little bit further is going to stop me?” After the conclusion of his senior season and his UCLA career, Coleman continued working out in preparation for the draft. He trained ever y day for fou r mont h s i n We s t l a ke. He worked on measurables, such as speed and agility, to impress scouts.
BLAINE OHIGASHI/ DA I LY
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Former Bruin Derrick Coleman was not selected during the NFL Draft, but the Minnesota Vikings picked him up as an undrafted free agent.
Although he didn’t get an invitation to the NFL combine, UCLA hosted a Pro Day, which scouts from most NFL teams, attended to watch draft-eligible Bruins perform. The scouts were impressed and several teams told Coleman they would select him in
the late rounds of the draft. After that, Coleman no longer worried about being selected in the draft. He was going to play professional football.
COLEMAN | Page 7
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports
UCLA basketball falters early
NOV.
A YEAR IN BRUIN SPORTS NOV. 15
Women’s soccer loses on penalty kicks in NCAA tournament
UCLA's 2011-2012 basketball campaign started with a lot of promise – the Bruins had multiple returning starters from an NCAA Tournament team. In addition, they brought size to their frontcourt with the Wear twins, transfers from North Carolina.
NOV. 18
It was a heartbreaking end to an exceptional season. Tied 1-1 after double overtime, the UCLA women’s soccer team was upset by San Diego on penalty kicks 3-2 in November, dashing the Bruins’ NCAA tournament hopes in the second round.
Any hope for a return trip to the Big Dance, however, was quelled early with consecutive home losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State. Perhaps the lowest point of the season came on Dec. 3 against Texas when UCLA blew an 11-point lead to lose 69-59. Not only did the power go out in the Los Angeles Sports Arena – the Bruins' temporary home while Pauley Pavilion underwent reconstruction – but then-junior forward Reeves Nelson was pointing and laughing at fans who were clamoring for him to get more playing time in the waning seconds of the loss.
The loss marked the Bruins’ earliest exit from the NCAA tournament since 1998. With a top-ranked freshman class and senior forward Sydney Leroux, the team’s leading scorer in 2009 and 2010, the Bruins had all the pieces necessary for a successful season. Any uncertainty about gaps in the defensive lines or new coach B.J. Snow’s inexperience was quickly put to rest as UCLA steamrolled through its season, only losing once to the eventual national champions, Stanford.
Nelson was later dismissed from the team and the Bruins went on to finish the season 19-14, missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
The Bruins’ premature exit from the NCAA tournament will be painful for a while, a reminder of untapped potential in a team that found a way to win in almost every game they played.
Compiled by Sam Strong, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Compiled by Mansi Sheth, Bruin Sports senior staff.
UCLA blanked by USC NOV. 26
Men’s water polo loses in NCAA finals DEC. 4
Former football coach Rick Neuheisel kicked off rivalry week by claiming in a press conference that he had “closed the gap” that separated UCLA and USC. No. 10 USC made clear that wasn't the case, crushing UCLA 50-0, the largest margin of victory in the rivalry game since 1930.
The men’s water polo team was a staple of the top-three rankings throughout the 2011 season. Though they lost to both California and Southern California in the regular season, they beat both teams to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament title.
USC junior quarterback Matt Barkley shredded UCLA's defense as he passed for 423 yards and six touchdowns. UCLA failed to score from inside USC's 25 yard-line three times in the first half. “We heard that someone was trying to close the gap so we tried to not let that happen,” Barkley said after the game. Compiled by Sam Strong, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Stephanie Kono loses amateur status DEC. 9
DEC.
Neuheisel was fired two days later.
But just a week later, that glory was nowhere in sight as the Bruins lost out to the Trojans for the chance at the national title. The game, a defensive flop for UCLA, gave USC their fourth consecutive water polo championship, setting an unprecedented record that added insult to injury. Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Men’s soccer loses in College Cup DEC. 9
Rising junior Stephanie Kono was a key element of the women’s golf team that took the national title in 2011, leading the team in a majority of stats, including top-10 finishes on the season. She came into the 2011-2012 season ready and raring for another go at the championship. However, when a communication mishap placed her in the upper rounds of the LPGA Qualifying School, she lost her amateur status. The loss forced her to leave the Bruins and give up the chance to compete for another title. UCLA ended up finishing eighth in the championships, a far cry from their 2011 showing. It left everyone to wonder what might have been had the superstar Kono been there to guide the way. Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
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After a 10-0-0 run in Pac-12 season play and wins in the first three rounds of the postseason, the Bruins traveled to Alabama to compete in the College Cup. UCLA faced top-seeded North Carolina in the semifinals and built two leads, including one goal from then-junior midfielder Ryan Hollingshead that was deemed the No. 1 play of the night by SportsCenter. However, at the end of 90 minutes and two overtime periods, the Bruins and Tarheels were deadlocked at 2-2 and sent to penalty kicks, where UCLA fell 3-1 to end its season. Compiled by Chris Nguyen, Bruin Sports senior staff.
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dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
DEC. 17
DEC.
Women’s volleyball wins UCLA’s 108th title The holiday season came early for the UCLA women’s volleyball team when they won the NCAA Championship on Dec. 17. After defeating Florida State in straight sets in the Final Four, the Bruins went on to face Illinois in the championship.
Once is an occurrence, twice or more a trend. On April 8, sophomore Patrick Cantlay established a trend when he won the low amateur title at the PGA Tour Masters, his second time succeeding in such an event within the year.
With the victory, the Bruins won the program’s fourth NCAA title – its first since 1991 – and UCLA’s 108th team NCAA Championship.
In June 2011, Cantlay was the lowest scoring amateur at the U.S. Open. Achieving the title of low amateur at the Masters won Cantlay the Silver Cup, making him the first Bruin to do so. About a month and a half later, Cantlay would add another trophy to his collection when he received the Ben Hogan Award for best collegiate golfer.
Compiled by Steven Covella, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Shabazz Muhammad commits to UCLA
Compiled by Steven Covella, Bruin Sports senior staff.
APRIL 11 After missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years, the UCLA men's basketball team received a much needed boost off the court when shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad committed to the Bruins on national television. The Las Vegas product was one of the nation’s most highly touted prospects, earning the No. 1 overall ranking from Rivals.com and No. 2 ranking from ESPN and Scout.com. Muhammad picked UCLA over Kentucky and Duke, among dozens of other offers. Fellow top-five overall prospect Kyle Anderson out of New Jersey, and Atlanta products Tony Parker and Jordan Adams will join Muhammad in Westwood. The four prospects combined to earn UCLA and coach Ben Howland the ranking of No. 1 overall recruiting class in the 2012 cycle, according to ESPN.
Womens tennis starts season 20-0 UNTIL APRIL 13
Coach Stella Sampras Webster's Bruins got off to their hottest start in a quarter of a century by winning 20 consecutive games, including the ITA National Team Indoors Championship, to open the season. Immediately after losing its first game, a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Cal, UCLA made history by becoming the first team to beat Stanford on the road in more than 13 years. UCLA would avenge their only other loss of the regular season by beating Pac-12 Champion USC in a four and a half hour marathon of an NCAA semifinal game. Youth and experienced combined to erase a 2-3 deficit, as freshman Robin Anderson and senior McCall Jones both won three-set matches to vault UCLA into the title game.
Compiled by Jacob Ruffman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports contributor.
Baseball gets No. 2 national seed MAY 28 Over the course of the 2012 season, UCLA baseball quietly worked its way to a second consecutive Pac-12 title, but the payoffs of its successful season did not end there. The Bruins suddenly found themselves the focus of national attention after finishing up the regular season with a sweep of rival USC. When the postseason bracket was announced, they were granted the No. 2 national seed, marking them as one of the best contenders in the country. They were carried to the top by strong performances from several juniors, including Jeff Gelalich, Beau Amaral and Tyler Heineman, among others. These same players had competed in the 2010 College World Series, and many saw 2012 as their chance to come back and try for another title. Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
MAY
MAY 12 Women’s water polo’s quest for the team’s eight national title in program history was put to an end in the NCAA Championship semifinal versus crosstown rival USC. The No. 2-seeded Bruins had high hopes coming into the game, having toppled the Trojans three times during the regular season. In their fourth and final matchup, however, lights-out shooting on the part of USC left UCLA trailing late in the game. A Bruin comeback in the game’s final minutes ultimately fell short, yielding a 12-10 Trojan victory. UCLA would go on to win the national third place game, a far cry from the national crown the team fought all season to achieve.
Patrick Cantlay wins low amateur APRIL 8
There, behind strong performances from senior Lauren Van Orden and junior Rachael Kidder, the Bruins won two of three close sets against the Fighting Illini before registering a commanding win of 25-16 to clinch the match.
Women’s water polo loses to ’SC in NCAA semifinals
A YEAR IN BRUIN SPORTS CONTINUED
Compiled by Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin Sports contributor.
UCLA softball lays an egg in own regional MAY 19
All of the history and tradition in the world couldn’t save UCLA softball from an early exit in the NCAA tournament. Despite having lost just three of 50 games all-time when hosting a regional, the No. 12-seeded Bruins were knocked out in shocking fashion, dropping both games that they played. The nation’s leader in slugging percentage could only muster three runs in two games. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the seventh inning against Florida State on May 19, UCLA rallied to put runners on the corners with two outs. With the count at 2-2, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Stephany LaRosa hit a grounder to the shortstop that was initially dropped before making a hurried throw to narrowly beat LaRosa to first base. With that, the all-time leader in NCAA national titles for softball was knocked out of their own regional. Compiled by Tyler Drohan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Graphic by Jonathan Solichin, Bruin senior staff.
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports
GOING
PLACES
2012 Summer Olympics, London When the 2012 Summer Olympic Games get underway in July, a handful of UCLA athletes will cross the pond to compete in London. While many national teams are still finalizing their Olympic rosters, the Bruins should live up to their reputation as strong performers at the Games. Since 1919, the school has sent 443 athletes to the Olympics, earning a total of 230 medals. Were UCLA its own country, this feat would place it 14th in the world in overall medal count.
Compiled by Liz Schneider, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Coaches dip into Olympic experience World-class backgrounds shape coaching techniques, offer athletes chance to draw on first-hand wisdom BY LIZ SCHNEIDER Bruin Sports senior staff eschneider@media.ucla.edu Coach Adam Wright called it “coming home.” In the middle of a promising career playing professional water polo abroad and making two Olympic appearances, he got an offer he could not refuse – coaching men’s water polo for UCLA, his alma mater. Now, as many of his players set their sights on the Olympic Games, they know they can look to their coach for advice from someone who remains among the elite of the sport. Wright is expected to be a major part of the U.S. Olympic team at the London Games this summer. “I really believe that it has been a huge asset for me, as a young coach, to get to play and to learn at the highest level of our sport, from some of the best coaches,” Wright said. “I love that I have the opportunity to get better as a player. ... All the things I love about playing in turn help me as a coach.” And while Wright continues his pursuit of a gold medal this summer – USA lost out to Hungary in the finals of the 2008 Games – other UCLA coaches have put their playing days
behind them to focus on the next generation of thing my experience has really helped with.” competitors. Other coaches are quick to agree that teachJeanette Bolden is one such coach. After win- ing players about the mental challenges of ning a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay in the world-class competition is far more valuable 1984 Olympics, the UCLA alumnus returned to than mere physical training. her alma mater as well, hoping to move past the Chris Waller, associate coach for the UCLA bitterness of a career-ending injury in the 1988 gymnastics team, teaches his athletes about Olympic Trials. the importance of staying calm under pressure, “I volunteered at UCLA and moved from something even he struggled with during his wanting to achieve my goals to help others time on the international stage. achieve their goals,” she said. “I like A year after graduating from seeing young people grow and mature UCL A, Wal ler competed i n the – they’re not focused as freshmen and 1992 Games in Barcelona, where an (Being ner- intense internal focus – something they really grow by the time they’re seniors.” vous) makes them Waller calls “the bubble” – got him Decades later, Bolden’s prowess realize they’re not to the pummel horse finals. as a coach brought her back to the After letting his “bubble” down different and that for a split second to take in the Olympics. She was named the head coach for they are capable.” sights and sounds all around him, the 2008 team, leading Team USA to he found himself overwhelmed and an impressive 23 medals. Jeanette Bolden panicked. She remains the only U.S. Olympic Track coach “I decided I wanted to soak it in. coach in history to have won a gold I looked at the audience and the medal as an athlete – an accomplishflags and the cameras, and I just ment she says has proved invaluable to her freaked out completely, just lost my head,” he coaching experience. said. “I talk to (athletes) about the anxiety they “It took me 15 minutes to remember how the feel, the nervousness – it doesn’t go away just heck to do consistent gymnastics.” because you’re a world-class athlete,” she said. And although he eventually recovered his “They’re really surprised that they are still composure, executing what he called “the best nervous, (but) it makes them realize they’re not routine I’ve ever done” and taking fifth in the different and that they are capable. That’s some- event, he brought a renewed focus on mental
preparation when he returned to UCLA as a coach several years later. “UCLA gymnastics competes in the Bruin bubble,” he said. “We make practice as hard as possible – we try to make it feel like the competition. That way, when we go to competitions, it should be easy.” This strategy got put to the test in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, when Mohini Bhardwaj – Olympic team captain and former UCLA standout – enlisted Waller as her coach. When a twist of circumstance found her competing on beam unexpectedly, Waller said Bhardwaj’s years at UCLA were instrumental in maintaining her composure and earning USA the silver medal. “She didn’t know if she was competing on beam until five minutes before – she didn’t even get to warm up on competitive equipment,” he said. “All those years of experience at UCLA got her through that.” Whether these coaches are competing in the Olympics or instructing from the sidelines, all agree that they are eager to pass on their wisdom to the next generation of Bruin Olympians. “The reality is, I was in (my players’) shoes not too long ago, and a coach helped me get to where I am – I want to be that for them,” Wright said. “It’s something that I take great pride in, when my players reach their dreams.”
dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
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any Br u i n ath letes have left their mark on campus throughout the year, but over the summer several will take their talents worldwide. These athletes will use the offseason as a way to hone their skills against the best competition in the world, whether it is competing in the London Olympics or playing golf in Scotland, the country in which it was created. Here’s just a few of the destinations UCLA athletes will visit this summer. What international sporting events will you be attending this summer? Tweet us @DBSports with the hashtag #bruinsabroad.
Rosie White, Japan UCLA men’s basketball, China The world will get an early look at next season’s much anticipated UCLA men’s basketball team this August, when the Bruins travel to China. The team will tour the country, playing Chinese teams along the way, in an attempt by the Pac-12 to expand its brand internationally. UCLA is the first school from the conference to make such a trip. The Bruins will be joined for the first time by the players from their highly touted recruiting class.
Rising sophomore Rosie White plays for UCLA soccer during the school year, but this summer she will represent New Zealand, her home country, as a member of the U-20 national team. She will travel with the squad to Japan for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. White was instrumental in helping her team qualify for the Cup, scoring four goals in a 12-0 victory over Samoa. The Cup will go from Aug. 19 through Sept. 8, narrowing down from 16 competitors to one final champion.
Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Compiled by Steven Covella, Bruin Sports senior staff.
JUSTIN BUCKLEY/ DA I LY
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Golfers venture onto international courses Rising athletes to adjust to foreign greens, represent United States in overseas tournaments this summer
“It does so much for (Lua) in terms of recognition and as part of her resume ... that she has these experiences from the Curtis Cup,” said coach Carrie Forsyth. “It’s very hard to make the Curtis Cup team, BY STEVEN COVELLA and by being selected it basically indicates that Bruin Sports senior staff you’re one of the top amateurs in the country.” scovella@media.ucla.edu The format of the Curtis Cup is uncommon in golf and presents Lua with a rare opportunity This summer, many UCLA students will trav- to play for a much larger constituency than the el abroad to embark on academic endeavors. typical golf tournament. In a way, UCLA athletes Tiffany Lua, a ris“It’s your country. It’s where you live and who ing senior, and rising junior Patrick you represent,” Lua said before leavCantlay are doing the same. ing for Scotland. But instead of studying history “Just being able to represent a Just being or a foreign language like most stubigger party than yourself – espeable to represent cially in golf, being such an indidents, Lua and Cantlay are studying golf, and they have big exams this a bigger party vidual sport – is a huge honor and summer. than yourself is a something to embrace.” This past weekend, Lua represent- huge honor.” A side from the ex per ience of ed the United States in the Curtis international competition, both Lua Cup in Nairn, Scotland, where she Tiffany Lua and Cantlay will be exposed to the and her U.S. teammates squared off historic golf culture of Europe. Rising senior golfer While Lua is excited about comagainst the team representing Great Britain and Ireland. peting against her British and Irish In July, Cantlay will be participating in his counterparts, she’s also looking forward to third PGA Tour major of the year when he trav- being a tourist and exploring the roots of the els to Lancashire, England to compete in the game she loves, which originated in Scotland. British Open. “We’re going to stop by castles and other These international competitions, which famous golf courses,” Lua said. players compete in independent of UCLA, pro“Being able to play some of these legendary vide the Bruin golfers with a valuable experi- golf courses and be around the place where golf ence in several ways. started is going to be special.”
Cantlay will also be exposed to Europe’s prestigious golf scene as he competes in the British Open, the sport’s oldest, and arguably most renowned, tournament. The opportunity to participate in the British Open is the result of Cantlay’s elite play over the last year, both in college and as an amateur on the PGA Tour. “He’s played so well that he deserves to get the accolades that he’s achieved, and playing in the British Open is extremely well deserved,” coach Derek Freeman said. “It’s going to be exciting for him. It’s a completely different atmosphere when you play over there.” The differences between college events and the events Lua and Cantlay are playing in do not end with the tournaments’ formats and large scale. Both golfers will have to adjust to the different style of golf European links courses demand. “It’s a very hard golf course in the fact that the ball runs out a lot,” Freeman said of the British Open host course, Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club. “You hit a lot of low knockdown shots ... not high lofty shots. The type of golf is just different – you have to learn how to hit different golf shots.” Lua left for the tournament ready to embrace the big stage and eager for her experience abroad. “I’m expecting a lot of pressure, the butter-
DON LIEBIG/ A S U C L A
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Rising senior Tiffany Lua competed in Nairn, Scotland for the USA Curtis Cup Team this past weekend.
flies and nerves,” Lua said. “The competition – that’s the biggest thing I’m looking forward to.”
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports
‘Self-made’ star, Bruin alum a starter in NBA finals BY RYAN MENEZES Bruin Sports senior staff rmenezes@media.ucla.edu Greatness is expected from many of the basketball players that have come through UCLA over the years. However, nothing of the sort was expected of Russell Westbrook, who came to Westwood as an unheralded 17-year-old. On Tuesday, Westbrook will start in the NBA finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder, continuing a rapid rise that started six years ago at UCLA. His evolution from energetic sparkplug to one of the top point guards in the NBA has come as a shock to many. But, talking to some of those who knew Westbrook best, the signs were there during his two-year stint as a Bruin. Quiet beginnings Kerry Keating, now Santa Clara’s coach, was the UCLA assistant who led the recruitment of Westbrook. He wasn’t the main attraction back then, a motif that has stuck with Westbrook at every level of his bas-
ketball career. Keating: “His junior year, while I was recruiting Darren Collison, he was playing on an adjacent court. ... I liked his energy and I liked his effort. I don’t see anything different in what he’s doing now from what he was doing then.” Scott Garson, UCLA assistant: “We didn’t know what we were getting. We had no idea Russell was going to be the fourth pick in the NBA draft and be a surefire NBA All-Star from game one.” Kenny Donaldson, men’s basketball assistant director of academic services: “He really had no profile. A lot of guys come here, they’re McDonald’s All-Americans, city players of the year. He was just this guy that played at Leuzinger (High School).” Westbrook’s schola rsh ip opened up only after Jordan Farmar declared for the NBA Draft. In 2006, Westbrook joined a team still full of NBA talent in Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. All were adept at defending
guards, a necessary roadblock in Westbrook’s progression. Keating: “He got pushed off the court his first week in practice because he was going crazy. He didn’t understand what he was doing.” Mu st afa Abdul - Hami d , Westbrook’s UCLA teammate: “The level of competitiveness in those practices was incredible. Russ played hard, talked a lot of trash and pushed everyone.” Westbrook’s freshman year was nondescript. Save for one start, Westbrook logged just an average of nine minutes a game. He still managed to see the court in every game, starting a games-played streak that has yet to be snapped, even in the NBA. Summer surge The freshman ended the yea r w ith orders f rom the coaching staff to work on his all-around game, especially his jump shot. Few ex pected h i m to improve as much as he did, as fast as he did. At that time, NCAA rules barred coaches from interact-
ing with their players over the su m mer. The UCLA coaching staff could only listen as reviews of Westbrook’s games with elite, NBA-level talent in the Men’s Gym poured in. Don aldson: “In those games, guys don’t want to get embarrassed. There’s a minimal amount of defense being played. Most of the guys are working on their jumper. Russell, every time he got the ball he would take it to the hole and try to dunk.” Ryan Finney, men’s basketball sports information director: “I remember saying to some of our assistants he had really progressed. I don’t have the coaching background, but from what I saw, he wasn’t afraid.” Ben Howland, men’s basketball coach: “All our NBA guys are coming out of the gym are saying ‘Russell, Russell.’ Earl Watson especially was really on his bandwagon. Earl was in Seattle when they drafted him. I think those guys in
WESTBROOK | Page 8
DA I LY B R U I N F I L E P H OTO
Pictured here in 2007, Russell Westbrook took over many of the point guard responsibilities in UCLA’s 93-55 exhibition victory over Chico State. He finished with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists.
dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
COLEMAN from page 1 *** As the draft came to a close, Coleman’s name was still on the board. Although his name had not been called at the draft in Radio City Music Hall, teams were a l ready l i n i n g up for Coleman’s services. “Before the draft was even over, teams started calling me and saying, ‘If nobody picks you up, we want you to sign with us,’” Coleman said. Colema n na r rowed h is
choices down to four franchises – the Seattle Seahawks, the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit L ion s a nd t he M i n ne s ot a Vikings. After talking it over with his family and agent, he felt that the best decision was to go to Minnesota as a priority undrafted free agent. The decision on which team to sign with was a trying one. Coleman weighed multiple factors, instead of just looking at which team presented the best signing bonus. “The most difficult thing for these guys is that they need to make a decision that’s about the opportunity to perform,
NCAA SUPER REGIONALS
KIMBERLY LAJCIK/ DA I LY
B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F
The Bruins celebrate after defeating TCU in the Los Angeles Super Regional to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Baseball sweeps, earns Omaha ticket UCLA advances to College World Series after clinching back-to-back wins over TCU this weekend BY ERIC PECK Bruin Sports senior staff epeck@media.ucla.edu
it’s a great feeling to spend it with my teammates.” Freshman David Berg finished what Vander Tuig started UC L A b a s e b a l l h a d a n as he appeared in his 47th game unusual perspective for Sat- of the season for UCLA, moving urday night’s Super Regional him into a tie for second place game against Texas Christian on the NCAA’s all-time list for University. single-season appearances. A s the desi g nated aw ay “We just chipped away, this team, UCLA found themselves was a typical game for us. We watching the game from the made everything count and I’m visiting team’s first base dug- very proud of Nick, he pitched out. extremely well again, back-toH o w e v e r, t h e back i n the postshift had no effect season,” coach John on the Bruins’ play, Savage said. Going to as the Super RegionBerg faced and al hosts delivered Omaha, you dream ret i red f ive conanother dominant about that when secutive batters perfor mance i n a you come into col- through the seventh 4-1 win to sweep the and eighth innings Horned Frogs and lege baseball.” before TCU was able punch their tickets to get a hit off him, Nick Vander Tuig and closed out the to the College World Sophomore pitcher game in the ninth Series in Omaha. Sophomore inning as well. Nick Vander Tuig started the Savage called the decision to game for UCLA and pitched six leave Berg the toughest one he’s innings, allowing five hits and made all season. only one run: a solo homer in “We would not be in this the third inning to TCU’s right position without (junior closer) fielder Brance Rivera. Scott Griggs, and I did feel bad. T he h o me r u n w a s t he ... I told him in the clubhouse Horned Frogs’ only run of the that he is our closer, he’s going night. to be our closer in Omaha,” SavVander Tuig overcame early age said. nerves to earn his 10th win of “I played the hot hand with the season. Berg; they weren’t picking him “Com ing into the game I up and I didn’t want to change.” was kind of nervous. ... Later T he f i r st si x bat ter s i n on I settled down and started UCLA’s lineup reached base making better pitches,” Vander safely on the night as the BruTuig said, pausing to consider ins consistently managed to his words about his feelings manufacture runs while the on reaching the College World Horned Frogs struggled from Series. the third inning onwards. “And going to Omaha, you dream about that when you BASEBALL | Page 10 come into college baseball, and PAID ADVERTISEMENT
to play, not necessarily the signing bonus,” said McClure, who is also the liaison between UCLA and the NFL. “People throw out all types of figures for signing bonuses and it’s easy to say, ‘I’m going to the team that’s going to give me the highest signing bonus because they wa nt me the most.’ Well, that’s not necessarily true because each team has a certain amount of money they can spend. ... But for the long run in their career they need to find the right fit.” T he f a c t t h a t C ole m a n w a s n’ t d r a f t e d m ay h av e been a blessing in disguise. Lower round draft picks, like
undrafted free agents, aren’t guaranteed a spot on the roster of the team that drafted them, but they are still bound to that team. However, Colema n had the f reedom to choose which team he wanted to join. In the end, that team was the Vikings because he felt they gave him the best chance to make the final roster. Colema n sa id h is br u ising style of play w ill add a much wanted dimension to the Viking’s backfield, which already features one of the top running backs in the league, Adrian Peterson. Despite signing w ith the
team, Coleman isn’t assured a spot on the final roster. With that uncertainty in mind, he has taken precautions. “Derrick chose to still maintai n classwork so he could graduate in time and just focus on the NFL afterward. So he balanced both academics with basically preparing for the biggest job interview of his life,” said Mark Bloom, Coleman’s agent. Finishing up his political science degree also sets him up for life after football, a job that isn’t known for its longevity. “Football is not exactly a career. Going to the pros is
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just a stepping stone to the next point in your life. It’s not a career; it only lasts two to seven years,” Coleman said. “You have to get your degree so after football you’ll have doors open so you’re not struggling.” Coleman remains optimistic that he can make the final 53-man roster that the Vikings will take into next season. “All I really wanted was one opportunity to prove myself and that’s all I need,” he said. “I knew I was going to get the opportunity to go and showcase my skills at somebody’s camp whether I got drafted or not.”
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports
WESTBROOK from page 6 that front office really trusted Earl’s assessment.” Garson: “Things were going for him a million miles an hour. The game really slowed down for him after that year. That summer, between his freshman and sophomore year, I have never witnessed a player make that big of an improvement.” Donaldson: “That summer is where he got the confidence that’s carried him to where he’s at now.” Beyond the shirts Before the bold shirts and lensless glasses made it into the national mainstream, there was the “Flaming Mohawk,” the hairstyle Westbrook showed up with for his sophomore season. Keating: “He had a flaming basketball shaved into his head. ... I called him and told him to
cut it off.” Finney: “He just did it to get a little attention, at least that’s what I thought. His game started to speak for itself.” Now, We stbro ok ’s p o stgame wardrobe choices have gained attention as the Thunder advances through the NBA postseason. To those who know him, his fashion sense is indicative of his true personality, which the public gets only small tastes of. Donaldson: “All this stuff people are just picking up on. He would walk around here with glasses without lenses. I don’t have a lot of pictures, but I wish I had taken pictures back then. That was his style then.” Garson: “Russell’s a very outgoing personality. He’s not afraid to show you exactly who he is, wears his emotions on his sleeve all the time. That plays into (his style).” Abdul-Hamid: “The bottom line is Russ has a confidence and swagger that is almost
unworldly. He doesn’t care what people think about his wardrobe, and I don’t think he does it for attention. ... His approach to life is the same as his approach to basketball – same sort of confidence, creativity, a little bit of flash.” Howland: “He was also the self-professed best dancer on the team. He could really go.” Making the leap The 2007- 08 season saw Kevin Love arrive on campus as one of the most highly touted recruits in UCLA history. Collison also spurned the NBA to return to a Bruins team that had made it to back-to-back Final Fours. UCLA had plenty of names grabbing attention. Westbrook joined that talk by showing off one skill: dunking. Donaldson: “The interesting story I’ve heard about Russell is that he didn’t dunk until the 12th grade.” Howland: “No one on our
team is a junior in high school who can’t dunk.” Keating: “I’ve got a picture of him dunking against Chico State (in a 2007 exhibition). Going towards his left and dunking back towards his right, on a guy’s head.” Garson: “Everytime he went to the basket you knew something special was going to happen.” The clearest victim might have been Jamal Boykin, then California’s starting center, during a road game in Haas Pavilion. Keating: “He jumped over a guy that was 6 feet 8 inches in the middle of the lane. That probably opened up everyone’s eyes.” Finney: “When I first started noticing the pickup in media requests for him was after that dunk at Cal. I think everyone caught a glimpse that this kid is athletic and destined for something.” When the Pac-10 honored
Westbrook Defensive Player of the Year that season, it didn’t surprise the coaching staff, but the strides he took in his offensive game did. Soon people began to wonder if UCLA had another superstar-in-waiting. Garson: “We expected him to be our best defender. We didn’t expect the ability offensively. Anything he was giving us there was a bonus.” Ab du l - Ha m i d : “I t h i n k Kevin being there may have kept him under the radar. ... It seems though that it wasn’t until he forced people to take notice with his eye-catching highlights that people started to wake up.” There wou ld n’t be much waiting for Westbrook. A few months after UCLA reached its third straight Final Four, he was the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft. Spotting a superstar In four NBA seasons, Westbrook has racked up plenty of accolades, most notably his
appearances in two All-Star games, two All-NBA team selections and a maximum contract extension from the Thunder. He has also dealt with his fair share of criticism, little of which can be heard now that the Thunder won the Western Conference title this year with Westbrook playing a major role. The ones who knew him best at UCLA now watch proudly from afar, defending his every move because they see plenty of what they saw back then in the present day. Howland: “He is a self-made player. He has earned everything that he is getting. He’s put the time in and he deserves all the credit he’s getting.” Donaldson: “If people question anything it’s his maturity. I think people mistake it for competitiveness.” Keating: “He just needed more t i me to u nder st a nd. Unfortunately for Bruins fans, the real time his understanding came was in the NBA.”
MLB teams announce first-year draft picks Although UCLA baseball is still in the midst of postseason action, some Bruins got a peek at the future with last Monday’s Major League Baseball first-year player’s draft. Seven Bruin baseball ju n iors hea rd thei r na mes called over the course of the three-day draft. The first to go was right f ielder Jef f G el a l ich, w ho ju mped up the draft board after a monster weekend in the Los Angeles Regionals. He was taken by the Cincinnati Reds on the first day, in the compensation round, with the 57th overall pick. Gelalich leads the Bruins with 11 out of the team’s total of 23 home runs this season. T he Br u i n s h ad to w a it nearly 200 more picks to hear one of their own selected. Center fielder Beau Amaral, who led the team with 61 runs this season, was also snagged by the Reds, at pick 232. The eighth round brought with it two more selections. Catcher Tyler Heineman, who was a surprise everyday performer for the UCLA team this season after mainly occupying the bench for his first two years on the team, was selected at pick 249 by the Houston Astros. Heineman has batted .345 in his breakout 2012. Closer Scott Griggs was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers, at pick 266. Griggs holds UCLA’s single season saves record. The San Francisco Giants picked Trevor Brown in the 10th round. Brown has mainly been an infield utility for UCLA this season but is expected to move into the everyday catcher position when he plays professionally. Brown occupied all three base positions as well as occasionally starting behind the plate in 2012. The picks kept coming for UCLA, with left fielder Cody Keefer going to the Marlins in the 15th round and Eric Jaffe to the Chicago White Sox in the 11th. Keefer’s batti n g average ranks third on the team, at .339. Jaffe is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA as a reliever, appearing in 8 games. Cody Regis, an infielder, went undrafted. Regis is batting .253 this season with 25 RBIs and just one homerun, a downturn from his 2011 performance in which he batted .284 with 45 RBIs and 6 home runs. He was also a key player in the Bruins’ 2010 run at Omaha, in his freshman year. The signing deadline is July 13. Compiled by Emma Coghlan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
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dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
SENIOR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
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SENIOR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Clark reflects on stellar season Meister’s contribution invaluable BY ANDREW ERICKSON Bruin Sports contributor aerickson@media.ucla.edu K K Clark’s UCL A career began when she opened her mailbox toward the end of her high school career. Inside was a recruitment letter from the Bruins, three-time consecutive national champions. Though there would be other suitors, the early interest from Westwood made an impression on Clark. “UCLA, I think, was the first school I ever got a letter from,” Clark said. “It was a hand-written letter and I just felt so wanted. Other schools were in the mix, like Cal and USC, but for me, the water polo program at UCLA was so amazing.” Looking back at the season statistics for women’s water polo, it is extremely difficult to find a box score in which KK Clark’s name does not appear.
BY ANDY THOMPSON Bruin Sports contributor athompson@media.ucla. edu
NEIL BEDI/ DA I LY
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Senior utility KK Clark played a major role on the women’s water polo team over the past four years and scored a team-leading 58 goals.
The sen ior uti l ity out of Atherton, Calif. was the team’s rock this season, serving as the team captain and scoring 58 goals in 27 games.
Although she would lead her team to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons, no
CLARK | Page 10
TEAM OF THE YEAR
TIM BRADBURY/ DA I LY
B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F
Junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder (left) and sophomore outside hitter Kelly Reeves (right) cut the net with coach Michael Sealy after their victory over Illinois in the NCAA women’s volleyball championship game.
Women’s volleyball bounces back BY ERIC PECK Bruin Sports senior staff epeck@media.ucla.edu The UCLA women’s volleyball team, eventual 2011 national champions, were at a low point by the end of the regular season. They lost in four sets at home to USC in their final regular season match. The prospect of winning six straight in the postseason for a national title seemed like a stretch, even for a group that
had been previously ranked No. 1 in the country. However, a timely pep talk from a former Bruin with championship experience helped correct the team’s mentality going into the NCAA Tournament. Sue Enquist led UCLA softball to its first national championship as a player in 1978 and went on to coach Bruin softball until 2006. She spoke to the volleyball team before the start of the postseason, and her influence was a
crucial part of the Bruins’ championship run. “Before Sue came in, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did, because we were so stressed out and mentally frazzled by the last few matches. We were able to regroup and get our minds right,” senior libero Lainey Gera said. Enquist told the Bruins to have fun, to imagine the added pressure of the postseason as
W. VOLLEYBALL | Page 10
In the most pivotal match of his tennis career, Nick Meister decided to charge. In the previous points of his last regular season match of 2012, he adhered to a conservative strategy, navigating the baseline and hoping USC’s Ray Sarmiento would make a rare unforced error. His coach didn’t like that. “(Coach Krzysztof Kwinta) gave me a look like, ‘You should be down right now.’ He was always telling me to be more aggressive,” Meister said. So, in the most important ANNIKA HAMMERSCHLAG/ DA I LY
MEISTER | Page 10
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Nick Meister was a pivotal member of the men’s tennis team during his time as a Bruin. Meister earned two All-America honors.
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports
CLARK | Sense of team a source of pride from page 9 moment compares in her mind to winning a national championship as a freshman. “There’s nothing else in the world that can give you that feeling,” Clark said about the title. “I wish I had known that was going to be my only one, but there are things I’m more proud of this year than I was on the team my freshman year – we just had a different result.” One of those sources of pride was a strong sense of team that she and the team’s other seniors helped develop this season. “Looking back on the season, even when we were really tired and weren’t necessarily ready
MEISTER from page 9 moment of his Bruin tennis career and with the conference championship on the line, Meister rushed the net unexpectedly. “I wouldn’t have done that early in my career,” he said. “I would have just played the baseline and hoped he’d make a mistake.” The redshirt senior won the point, and went on to win the match. “You can see his maturity on and off the court. He always brings his A-game,” Kwinta said. The win was arguably the biggest in Meister’s ca reer at UCL A, a nd it propelled the Bruins to an upset victory and conference title. T h is w a sn’t the on ly
for every practice, we all just encouraged each other,” rising junior utility Becca Dorst said. “I have such fond memories of even the stressful times, that all of it is a good memory.” Clark was a force to be reckoned with in the pool this season, consistently showing off her accuracy by beating goalkeepers from long range on offense. Defensively, she used her length to make passing the ball to the center position – a means of scoring point-blank goals – a mere fantasy for most teams. Upon earning a first-team All-NCAA Tournament selection in May, Clark was contacted by United States Olympic women’s water polo coach Adam
upset of Meister’s career – even his choice to come to Westwood was unexpected. “UCLA was always so stacked. They weren’t necessarily my top school,” he said. Meister was also considering academic powerhouses Northwestern and Duke. In the end, UCLA offered the perfect balance between academics and tennis. E ven more t h a n t he facilities, the L.A. Tennis Center or the weather, what Meister really valued about Brui n ten n is was coach Billy Martin’s honesty. “Coach was straight with me from the beginning. That was something that I didn’t get from the other coaches,” Meister said. “They weren’t as direct. Martin didn’t promise me anything. I respected that,
Krikorian to train with the team until it departs for London in late July. Following this venture, she will likely pursue opportunities to play professionally in Europe. Regardless of what pool her future finds her in, the dominance and poise Clark displayed this season will surely be missed by the UCLA coaching staff who witnessed her development over the years. “As a coach, you like your student athletes to mature and go through the whole process, and it’s been nice to see KK finish up her last year on such a positive note. She’s had so much growth as a person and as a player,” coach Brandon Brooks said. “It’s been an honor.”
and my parents respected that.” Meister led the tea m with 30 wins in his freshman year. His sophomore year he won the deciding match in the NCAA quarterfinals that sent the UCLA to the Elite Eight. In his third season he was ranked as high as No. 73 in the nation and beat Ca l’s top-ra n ked Ped ro Zerbini in straight sets. After undergoing hip surgery in 2011 and receiving a medical redshirt, he came back to lead th is year’s team to the Final Four. “Our team would not be in the same position this year, or any of the years that he played, w ithout (Meister). He’s just such a special kid,” Martin said. “I will always be grateful that he was a Bruin and chose to come and play for us.”
LEXY ATMORE/ DA I LY
B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F
Senior utility KK Clark scored seven goals in three NCAA Tournament matches, securing All-NCAA Tournament Team acclaim for the third consecutive season. She intends to pursue a professional water polo career in Europe.
W. VOLLEYBALL from page 9 playing volleyball in a formal dress. The team took this to heart and rose to the occasion, embracing the spotlight of the NCAA Tournament and losing only three sets in six matches to bring home UCLA’s 108th championship. Enquist also helped the Bruins see that all the pressure they felt came from inside themselves; this realization helped the team play confidently in the tournament. “What I took away from what Sue said was that the game doesn’t need to be as serious as you take it,” Gera said. “The postseason is playing with a party dress on, so we took that and tried to have as much fun as we could toward the end.” What was fun for the Bruins was turning matches into nightmares for their opponents. Tournament MVP, junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder, traumatized
opposing defenses, and UCLA’s with a 3-1 championship win over defense and passing were second Illinois, the first title for the Bruins to none. since 1991. American Volleyball The Bruins started the postsea- Coaches Association’s National son in a familiar environment: the Coach of the Year Mike Sealy was John Wooden Center, their cozy another undeniable factor in the but dusty home court thanks to the team’s championship run. Pauley Pavilion renovations. “The issue was we had fallen There they defeated Maryland off track and we didn’t know how Eastern Shore and San to reset. In our minds, Diego in the first two the season had gone rounds. awry and we couldn’t We didn’t Next, they dethroned get it back. Sue poiknow how to reset. fou r-t i me defend i n g gnantly and easi ly champion Penn State, ... Sue poignantly put us back on track,” e n d i n g t h e N i t t a n y and easily put us Sealy said. Lions’ 26 -match w i n back on track.” “We were able to streak with a definitive let the past go and 3-0 sweep. Mike Sealy get excited about the Their next match was future.” a shoot out with top- AVCA Coach of the Year Kidder spoke of the seeded Texas. team’s patience and The Longhorns had the Bruins persistence as important characsweating bullets, but UCLA tri- teristics throughout the season. umphed in four to advance to the “We had a lot of good qualities. National Semifinal against Florida We were very patient which helped State. a lot because no matter what situaThere, the Bruins put together tion we were put in, we knew that if another sweep that left the Semi- we stayed calm we’d be able to get noles scratching their heads. out of it,” Kidder said. UCLA capped the incredible run “We really stuck together.”
BASEBALL | UCLA take advantage of TCU errors from page 7 Junior first baseman Trevor Brown got the Bruins going w ith a triple in the second inning that resulted in the Bruins’ first run thanks to a sacrifice fly by sophomore shortstop Pat Valaika. “We’re not a power-hitting team. ... We work really hard to pass the baton and get the next guy to the plate and wear people down,” Valaika said. “It worked tonight and it’s been working all season.” UCLA worked together for another small-ball run in the third inning, as freshman Kevin Kramer singled and advanced to third off a single by junior center fielder Beau Amaral. Junior catcher Tyler Heineman’s sacrifice bunt was the catalyst for the Bruins’ second run. The Bruins’ third and fourth runs were unearned, as junior right fielder Jeff Gelalich and Amaral scored in the sixth and seventh innings off of two TCU errors – both passed balls. The combination of UCLA’s defense and TCU’s errors was too much for the Horned Frogs to overcome. This will be the second time in three years that UCLA has reached the Col lege World Series. They lost 4-3 to Irvine in the Regional round last year and were eliminated by South Carolina in the CWS in 2010. Brown is one of the members of the junior class that played in the College World Series as freshmen. He felt that there were similarities between this year’s team and the one from h is freshman year. “I feel like we had a really good chemistry and leadership my freshman year, and I feel like this team is very similar to that,” Brown said. “We have g reat sta r ti n g pitching and a great lineup, and I’m just really excited that this team has the opportunity to go to Omaha as well,” Brown said. Savage also commented on the likenesses between this team and the 2010 squad. “At the end of the day it’s a strong-minded team, it’s a team that gets along with each other,” Savage said. “It’s a team that every time they step on the field, they think they can win, and that says a lot about their character.”
dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
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a&e
EDITOR’S PICK:
BLOOMSDAY
Saturday, 4 p.m. Hammer Museum, FREE Portions of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” will be performed at the Bloomsday festival, which will also include live Irish music and a happy hour.
Graduation Issue 2012
Page 12
dailybruin.com/ae
A&E PROFILES
FIRE
just add As a pyrotechnics operator, recent graduate Stephanie Woropay helps put together fireworks displays BY LENIKA CRUZ A&E senior staff lcruz@media.ucla.edu The temperature hovered just above 50 degrees, and the sky was clear for a San Francisco evening. The Golden Gate Bridge, usually glowing with tiny headlights passing from one end to the other, was completely dark. Then, at 9:30 p.m., a waterfall of golden light began pouring from the bridge into the water below; minutes later, threads of fire shot up into the night and erupted into glittering halos of red, blue and green. Stephanie Woropay, who graduated from UCLA as a theater student last December, hung back and watched as her work transfixed shorelines of spectators for the Bridge’s 75th anniversary fireworks show. Woropay is a pyrotechnics operator – a “pyro” for short – and moments like these remind her why she chose to work with dangerous explosives for a living. “Everyone was so mad we were closing the bridge for an hour,” she said. “But when the show went off, everyone was cheering, and that’s what makes it worth it. For one minute, everybody agrees to do one thing, and it’s to look and feel.” When Woropay first came to UCLA to study theater lighting and design, she said she was mostly interested in concerts, but gradually
her curiosity shifted to pyrotechnics, a field She angles the tubes according to the show’s she had heard was notoriously difficult to enter. specifications, loads them with fireworks and “I had people go so far as to tell me that my wires everything to the main board to ensure best chance was to be born into a pyro family continuity between the racks. in my next life,” Woropay said. Once the show finishes, she and the crew Unsure where to start, Woropay sent out clean up the debris. dozens of emails to potential mentors. John Garofalo, an MFA student in theater She was referred to Eric Elias, a UCLA alum- lighting who is graduating this spring, said nus and pyrotechnic operator-in-charge for the Woropay never relied on a false sense of entitleHollywood Bowl pyro crew. ment that students often have, thinking they Until the mid-’90s, men dominated pyro- can snag a job without working hard. technics, but Elias said he was Woropay f i rst met Ga rofa lo one of the few pyros who actively the summer before she started at recruited women. UCLA, and through him, she landed Woropay immediately joined his her first lighting gig in Los Angeles. When the crew and began working on shows They continued to work together show went off, for Journey, Disney’s Fantasia and, on professional and student proeveryone was most recently, Coldplay. ductions, where Garofalo said he “I know (Stephanie) intended to cheering, and witnessed her tenacity first-hand. go into the more traditional theater that’s what makes “Almost every single person on arts,” Elias said. the planet underestimates her, but “(Pyro) is considerably less it worth it.” I’ll take her (on my crew) over a traditional, but I think she came 6-foot-tall, super strong, seemingly Stephanie Woropay knowledgeable male electrician any to appreciate it for what it is. We UCLA alumna day,” Garofalo said. work long, hard, hot, sweaty hours, but at the end of the night, 18,000 Pyro work is physically demandpeople stand up and applaud.” ing. Though, at 5 feet 2 inches tall, Woropay To get her pyro license, Woropay needed to might not immediately seem cut out for the job, be 21, obtain five letters of recommendation she said the physicality of theater lighting work from licensed pyros, pass a series of tests and prepared her well. crew eight shows. Pyros often face harsh conditions, carrying When Woropay turned in her application heavy loads, sometimes working 12-hour days the day after her 21st birthday, not only had and enduring extreme temperatures. she met all the criteria, but she had also logged Once, at a gig in Lancaster, 113-degree dry 38 shows. heat caused Woropay to become dehydrated, Before a show, Woropay is responsible for forcing her to sit out the rest of the day. On putting together special racks that hold high- site, pyros need to be alert at all times, which definition polyethylene tubing. includes paying attention to strange smells
Scan the code using your phone to view photos, watch videos and listen to audio from graduating seniors who have made an impact in the arts and entertainment industry.
– like chemicals or smoke – that could spell danger. “I wasn’t used to the heat because I’m a Bay Area girl,” Woropay said. “Once you’re a little bit disoriented, it becomes too dangerous to keep working.” Woropay said she encountered her share of people who doubted her ability to succeed, but in the end, her family, friends and fellow crew always urged her to keep going. Which isn’t hard, she said, considering pyro is the coolest job she could think of. “I tell people that I do fireworks, because it’s easier for them to understand. It’s easier for my mom to say that than, ‘My daughter works with things that are designed t o e x p l o d e ,’ ” Woropay said, laughing. As a running joke, Woropay calls her mother w h i le d r i v i n g home after a gig late at night to assu re her that she still has all 10 fingers. When it comes to special effects, for Woropay, fire – as breathtaking as it can be – is but one element she plans to master. “ S o m e d a y,” Woropay said, “I’m going to do water.” REI ESTRADA/ DA I LY B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F
Jazz studies student bridges genre gaps Julian Le, known for his versatility and mixing of jazz and hip-hop, has plans for a new album, summer tour BY MARJORIE YAN A&E senior staff myan@media.ucla.edu As a child, Julian Le wanted to do what every kid had on his mind – spend a few hours playing video games, run outside with friends and go swimming. Instead, at the age of 3, Le’s parents introduced him to the piano. Between balancing swim practice, instructing piano lessons at his parent’s music teaching studio in Milpitas and studying his father’s Charlie Parker and Art Tatum transcription books, music became Le’s life. During his years at UCLA on a full jazz studies scholarship, some of Le’s accomplishments include the creation of his EP “Lost and Found,” the formation of the Le J Trio ensemble, touring in Europe as part of UCLA’s Jazz Ambassadors and the opportunity to perform at last year’s JazzReggae Festival. “Lost and Found” was the first album that Le recorded and put together on his own. While Le has the music already composed for his next CD, he said the release will be delayed so that he can focus on finishing school. “(‘Lost and Found’) was basically my first CD and a little project ... (I used) to familiarize myself with the whole process of making (an) album so I learned a lot from it,” Le said. Le credits the teachings of Kenny Burrell, ethnomusicology professor and director of jazz studies, and James Newton, professor of composition, for his growth as a musician. “I remember his audition clearly,” Newton said. “What impressed me ... was the repertoire that he chose for the audition. It was a beautiful piece by Sam Rivers called ‘Beatrice,’ and this is not common jazz repertoire. It showed me right away that this was a student that was really pointed towards ... finding their own voice in music.”
Radio Listen to a sampler of Julian Le’s music at dailybruin.com/radio
Le described his music as a collaboration between the genres of jazz and hip-hop. A musician that Le looks up to is jazz pianist and record producer Robert Glasper. “(Glasper) is a big influence for me in terms of people who are trying to bridge gaps between (music genres),” Le said. Some hip-hop artists that Le has worked with include Jonathan Park (Dumbfoundead), Elzhi of Slum Village, Ahmad Jones from 4th Ave. Jones, Alecoy Pete (Mic Holden) and Brandon Anderson (Breezy Lovejoy), among others. This summer, Le will go on tour with Dumbfoundead and Breezy Lovejoy in support of rapper George Watsky. UCLA alumnus Aditya Prakash, who has collaborated with Le over the past year and a half and performed with him at the JazzReggae Festival, said Le is the type of musician who is able to adapt to any type of musical style. “I sing in other languages and even though he might not understand, he’s able to pick up on the feeling of the song through his intuition,” Prakash said. When applying to UCLA, Le said he didn’t want to attend conservatory school, a learning institution that focuses only on music students. “I love classical music, don’t get me wrong,” Le said. ”Jazz is mostly improvisation and it’s all about interpretation ... so ... I thought ... I could do this as a career.” Aside from producing his new album and going on tour this summer, Le said he wants to travel the world and play music while trying as many exotic foods as possible. He also said he plans on creating a jazz branch at his parent’s teaching studio, as well as some day opening up his own music and food venue. “It’s a dream of mine,” Le said. “I want to play music, but I’ve always been a big fan of food ... I want to have a (place) with good food and music every night.”
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Julian Le started playing classical piano when he was 3 years old and was taught by his parents, both of whom are graduates from Indiana’s Music Program with performance degrees.
VIDEO: “Beatrice,” a cover by Julian Le
PATRICIA FERIDO/ DA I LY
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Throughout his time at UCLA, fourth-year jazz studies student Julian Le has performed at countless events with his band Le J Trio, including JazzReggae Fest in 2011. Hear him play a rendition of his favorite song, “Beatrice” by Sam Rivers, at dailybruin.com/video
dailybruin.com/ae | a&e | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
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Fourth-year walks the runway, balances activities On top of an already busy schedule, Matthew Masterson works as a professional model BY TERESA JUE A&E senior staff tjue@media.ucla.edu It is a little ironic that Matthew Masterson almost lost his shoe during his first runway walk for the UCLA Fashion and Student T rends’ a n nua l fa sh ion show, considering that the fourth-year political science student is a professional male model. “As soon as I rounded the corner, my shoe slipped a little bit, and I didn’t test the runway to see what it would feel like,” Masterson said. “I didn’t panic, but I made sure every step I took was really exact and really sure-footed so I wouldn’t slip again. No one noticed but I told myself to just keep walking.” A nd M a s t er s on kept walking for UCLA Fashion and Student Trends for four years, joining the club his freshman year with the support of a friend. Masterson said he was nervous about joining something he knew so little about. “I can safely say that about four and a half years ago, if you had asked me if I would get involved in fashion, I would have said no
F rom hold i n g seven executive positions over the past four years in his fraternity to being the male modway,” Masterson said. el director for UCLA FashIt is not to say that Mas- ion and Student Trends, terson is an amateur on the Masterson immersed himfashion circuit. Since his self in multiple clubs across freshman year, Masterson campus. Not only is he one has steadily maintained of the founders of the UCLA a career as a male model, Board Club, Masterson is from walking in shows for also involved in the intraNew York Fashion Week to mural volleyball, softball shooting editoand water polo rials for fashion teams. publications “ T here’s no Matt is such as Vogue particular reaT u r k e y a n d ... not afraid to son why I l ike Women’s Wear pursue something being involved Daily. in so many because it might With the th ings other be too hard.” career came the than my interinevitable “Zoolests are very difKris Holz ferent and very ander” compariFourth-year varied. If I’m a s on s. M a s t erenvironmental pa r t of some son’s fraternity brother in Sigscience student thing, I want to ma Phi Epsilon be part of someand roommate thing as much as fourth-year theater student I possibly can,” Masterson Jake Rude said that while said. many took the opportunity Friend and fourth-year to joke about Masterson’s environmental science stucareer, he saw that Master- dent Kris Holz, who is one son had the talent and capa- of the founders of the UCLA bility to work hard at it. Board Club with Masterson, “A lot of the frat guys said that despite Masterpoke fun at him, but it was son’s busy schedule, he was all in good fun, and he’s crucial in helping the club’s ver y hu mble about it. I recruitment of new memnever made fun of him for bers. it because I saw it as a great “I think the thing about way to make a living. He’s Matt is that he’s not afraid to really good at it,” Rude said. pursue something because
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Political science student Matthew Masterson has been a part of UCLA Fashion and Student Trends for four years.
it might be too hard. He’s just a devoted, outgoing, passionate guy,” Holz said. “I’ve never seen him show a whole lot of stress about anything or fall through on a commitment.” Adding another job on his already full schedule, Masterson said that it was his outgoing nature, combi ned w it h h i s fa sh ion experience, that led him to be involved in the launch of DormStormer.com, an apparel website discounted and geared specifically to college students. With this opportunity to delve into his entrepreneurial side at UCLA, Masterson started working on the site last January and has since seen the site expand to 20 other campuses. While Masterson said he never thought he would be involved in fashion before enter i n g UCL A, he w i l l be working full-time for Dor mStor mer.com af ter graduation and modeling on the side when the opportunity arises. After wearing so many hats on campus and constantly balancing a packed schedule, Masterson said that all h is activ ities at UCLA have shown him how deep his passions and goals can run, and his life after graduation will only be better because of it.
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Graduating student Matthew Masterson has been working as a professional male model, walking in shows for New York Fashion Week and appearing in fashion editorials.
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A&E PROFILES
In control: student creates his own field of study Garrett Johnson will graduate with a game design and development degree BY MATTHEW OVERSTREET A&E contributor moverstreet@media.ucla.edu The dichotomy between the arts and the sciences goes back further than their designation as North and South Campus majors, but for Garrett Johnson, that division isn’t as extreme. Johnson is one of a select few students graduating this year who will not be receiving a diploma categorized under a predetermined set of majors. Instead, he will be graduating with a major he designed himself: game design and development. “I’ve always been into math and technical things, but I’ve always liked visuals and the creative side of things as well. ... I tried to incorporate that into my curriculum by creating a major that pinpointed both fields in games,” Johnson said. To create his major, Johnson said that he had to write a two-page paper for a committee of advisers from the School of the Arts and Architecture, explaining why he thought his chosen field of study was a legitimate academic endeavor and how it would benefit him in pursuing a career in video game design. He then had to put together a series of classes for his curriculum. Actually getting into the classes he had chosen was more difficult, since Johnson did not have priority as an independent major. One of the advisers who helped Johnson construct his curriculum was UCLA Game Lab director Eddo Stern, who has since worked closely with Johnson. The Game Lab, located in Broad Art Center, emphasizes independent game creation on campus. Stern said Johnson’s motivation and drive, along with his creativity, have impressed him. “For me it’s really satisfying to work with students like Garrett who, in a sense ... don’t care about all the kind of residual aspects of teaching that are less important like discipline and grading and timeliness and testing and all that stuff. I think he’s really done well.” As part of his curriculum, Johnson has been hard at work on his thesis project, a game called “Ascension.” The game, at first glance, is reminiscent of games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, but boasts both an interesting aesthetic and concept. Players control groups of souls from a fallen civilization, unearth artifacts and manipulate terrain in order to hinder opponents.
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Garrett Johnson works on independent game creation in the Broad Art Center’s Game Lab. His thesis project is developing the game “Ascension,” which resembles role-playing games like Final Fantasy Tactics. Johnson plans to work in the game industry after graduating from UCLA.
Johnson’s friends have been sup- hopes to find a job in the game indusportive of his independent major, try. encouraging him along his journey. Now at the end of his UCLA career, Fourth-year Design | Media Arts Johnson has time to reflect on the past student Joshua Nuernberger, who has four years like many soon-to-be gradknown Johnson since his uates. While some other freshman year, said Johngraduates might be ready son’s decision to create his He’s done to move on, Johnson seems own major shows his drive torn between the new life something ... very that awaits him and the life for self-determination. “I think he’s done some- beneficial ... for he leaves behind. thing that is very beneficial other students.” “I’m kind of disappointnot only for himself but for ed that I’m g raduati n g other students. (Garrett Joshua Nuernberger because it seems like it’s shows that) while you’re happening too soon,” JohnFourth-year son said. “I think there’s a in school you should really Design | Media Arts lot I can gain from the peopush yourself to get what student ple in this department, but you want out of your classes and that you shouldn’t at the same time a lot of it restrict yourself to course curricula,” (would just be) working with people said Nuernberger. that I know and individual projects to After graduation, Johnson said he sort of expand my own skill set.”
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Garrett Johnson’s independent game design and development major in the Arts and Architecture department consists of computer science, mathematics and design courses.
Sketches inspire laughter Persevering passion for the arts Extremely Decent, run by theater students, produces videos for the college community BY DAN PEEL A&E contributor dpeel@media.ucla.edu T he members of the video production company Extremely Decent adorn their walls with an antler-bearing can of Keystone Light, dual guitars, a large starfish and the plush head of a snow leopard mounted above a mistletoe. These are extensions of their approach to life, with humor residing at its core. Fourth-year theater students Ian McQuown, David Crane, Jon Eidson and Nick Smith run Extremely Decent in their apartment, creating comedy sketches for their college-age audience. The group, which formed in 2011, also includes Chapman University student Mikey Caro and University of Arizona student Brendan Rice. That same year, Extremely Decent won Best Picture at UCLA’s 2011 Campus MovieFest, the
and scarves, have “snowball fights” with clods of dirt and make “snow angels” while lying on a wilted meadow. The world’s largest student film skit ends with the disclaimer: festival, for their sketch “The “Happy Holidays. Love, Global Ex.” Warming.” Smith said they considered The team said they are the name “Extremely Decent” inspired by such influences among others such as “Con- a s Stephen Colber t, t he fetti Warfare, “War Panda” musical comedy group The and “Kitty Stomp.” Lonely Island, “It’s After collecting Always Sunny in re a ct ion s f rom Philadelphia” and If ... our their peers, they communist dictadecided to use the videos (make) tors for their use favored “Extreme- someone a little bit of absurdity and ly Decent.” happier ... we’ve irony. Much of their Each memcu r r ent hu mor done a good job.” ber of Extremely revolves around Decent contribDavid Crane utes ideas for their familiar college Fourth-year theater sketches and then scenarios, such as conversations student a ct s t hem out. about sexual C a r o pr o duc e s innuendos, friendships with animation overlay, in which ex-roommates and lost keys. cartoons are transposed over Smith said their skits ran- video. Smith writes the music domly break into song, tailor- and edits the films. ing their comedy for the ADD “Because we have so much generation. information coming at us all In the Extremely Decent the time, people are very hard sketch “Snow!” characters COMEDY | Page 19 dress up i n snow jackets
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Ian McQuown (center) and his roommates David Crane (left) and Nick Smith (right), all fourth-year theater students, are a part of short-film production company Extremely Decent.
Danielle Rosario lets nothing stand in the way of her dream to succeed as an actress BY ANDREA SEIKALY A&E reporter aseikaly@media.ucla.edu As a young girl, fourth-year theater student Danielle Rosario suffered from a common adolescent knee condition but she refused to let it keep her from dancing. This determination and tenacity has fueled her passion for the arts during her time at UCLA. “When I was in seventh grade I had Osgood-Schlatters and the doctors said, ‘You should probably stop dancing, that’s the only way it is going to get better.’” Obviously that was not really a choice for me,” Rosario said. Rosario, whose concentration is in musical theater, just wrapped up her final theater performance at UCLA in the role of Diana Morales in “A Chorus Line.” This show was the first musica l theater production that Rosario participated in at UCLA and she said it really helped her grow as a multi-talented actress. NICOLE MIREA/ DA I LY B R U I N While she has made the deciFourth-year theater student Danielle Rosario played Diana Morales in the sion to pursue a career in acting, UCLA film school’s production of “A Chorus Line” this quarter. Rosario got her start as a dancer. Rosario said she started taking dance classes when she was marks the culmination of Rosa- very self-motivated and light3 years old and then got her first rio’s UCLA career, those who hearted, which he considers to big theater role during the sum- have gotten to know her over the be important qualities in the mer after her junior past four years said industry. year of high school. they have no doubt Professor Scott Conte, a visit“I got cast i n t h a t s h e h a s t h e ing assistant professor in the I got cast ‘ G r e a s e’ a t a b i g potential to succeed School of Theater, Film & Telein ‘Grease’ ... I outdoor theater in as an actress, dancer vision, taught Rosario last year St. Louis, Missouri, couldn’t see myand singer. over the course of a yearlong w her e I ’ m f r o m ,” Professor Nicho- series of acting classes. He said self doing anything las Gunn, an adjunct that he enjoyed working with Rosario said. “That w a s k i n d o f m y else.” p r o f e s s o r i n t h e a dedicated and hardworking realization when I UCLA School of The- student like Rosario. Danielle Rosario ater, Film and Telethought I could do “I encourage the students this for a living and Fourth-year v ision who tau g ht to inhabit the characters that I couldn’t see myself theater student her as a fresh man they play. My class was comdoing anything else.” a nd then aga i n i n pletely new for her and she realThough her perher junior and senior ly worked hard and grew a lot,” formance in “A Chorus Line” dance classes, said Rosario is Conte said.
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Tackling stereotypes through film Kyle Lau, who recently premiered his first film, challenges cultural boundaries with his work BY LEAH CHRISTIANSON A&E contributor lchristianson@media.ucla. edu
Americans) growing up ... I hope that ‘Greener’ will be a start to show a different side of minority characters, as it shows Asian Americans in a starring role; In 1982, two men in Detroit they’re not just nerds. Right now lost their jobs because of out- I’m focusing on Asian American sourcing to Japan. Looking for roles, but in the future I hope to someone to blame, they stum- transcend all these stereotypes bled upon Vincent Chin, a Chi- with my work,” Lau said. nese American man they had Jeff Bee, who plays the main never met. The two men chased character Kevin Lin in “GreenChin around their town with a er,” said that he was drawn to bat, brutally killing him in the the film because it offered a rare middle of the street while people chance for him to star in a leadstood by. ing role. For Kyle Lau, a fourth-year “This film is about the people. mass communications student, Of course, being Asian Ameritelling Chin’s story was a com- can is integral to the premise bination of alignof the story, but the ing his professional Asians represented filmmaking goals aren’t there because w ith a n ex ploraMy motiva- of a certain quirkition of h is Asian tion for filmmaking n e s s o r c o m e d i c American heritage. rel ief,” Bee sa id. Lau wrote, direct- is to transcend the “We’re there to be ed and produced a stereotypes I was a presence i n the 17-minute dramatic given growing up.” movie. As an Asian comedy “Greener” A m e r i c a n a c t o r, to accomplish these Kyle Lau that’s our goal.” goa l s. W h i le the Fourth-year mass A c c o r d i n g t o film is not an exact Bee, his character is communications a fairly normal guy replica of the events student who is thrust into surrounding Chin’s murder, Lau calls an abnormal situathe film his interpretation of the tion created by racial tension. hate crime, spiced up with a bit Bee said that “Greener” was the of romance. most challenging film he had “Greener is about a tow n ever performed in and attribwhere ‘East is East’ and ‘West uted the challenge both to his is West.’ East side kids don’t like background in comedy and the the West side kids and vice ver- cultural boundaries “Greener” sa. Similar to the Chin murder, tackles. the loss of a job is the last spark “Right now in Hollywood, to ignite the tensions between you can’t see an Asian actor on the two sides of the town,” Lau screen without thinking ‘Oh said. hey, he’s Asian.’ It even takes “Greener” premiered at Para- me by surprise, simply because mount Studio’s Sherry Lansing it’s something you don’t see that Theatre Friday. often. I think this film is a step “My motivation for filmmak- in the right direction,” Bee said. ing is to transcend the stereo“Greener” has been submittypes I was given (for Asian ted to film festivals such as Sun-
C O U RT E SY O F
COLIN DAVIS
Fourth-year screenwriting student Colin Davis (center) was recently chosen for an apprenticeship by the Fox Network.
Filmmaker earns a shot with Fox Colin Davis’ apprenticeship with major network reflects talent and skill on both sides of camera
C O U RT E SY O F
YUSUKE SATO
Kyle Lau just finished working on his short film titled “Greener,” which explores situations created by racial tension.
dance and the Los Angeles Film Festival. Lau said he took pride in being able to make “Greener” in the most professional way, using a RED ONE Camera, casting agencies and a real insurance policy. Steve Rizzo, a stunt double for “The Green Hornet” and “No Country For Old Men,” was the stunt coordinator for the fight scenes in “Greener.” Lau also said keeping this project in the UCLA family was important to him. The director of cinematography, Yusuke Sato, is a recent UCLA graduate and Lau’s roommate. Sato,
who is currently assisting on the television show “Boss,” said that he and Lau have been working on projects together since their freshman year. “Kyle is very specific about style. Spike Lee is one of his biggest influences, so we looked at a bunch of his films to give this movie a more ‘street’ feel,” Sato said. Lau said he hopes that this will be the first of many films for him. “UCLA will be the foundation of my filmmaking. This is where I honed my craft,” Lau said.
BY ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES A&E senior staff akonstantinides@media. ucla.edu The first script Colin Davis ever w rote was in crayon. He was 5, and the movie was called “Run or Die,” a film he made using his family’s video camera about how his family became stranded on an island with dinosaurs, and escaped by building a raft and paddling off into the sunset. Even then, Davis said he remembers channeling his inner-director. “I remember yelling at my mom like a little prima donna director that the velociraptor costumes she made didn’t look real enough,” he said. It’s th is creativ ity that Davis, a fourth-year screen-
writing student at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, used for his application to “Opportunity Fox,” a six-month long apprenticeship that pairs students with va r ious net work d iv i sion heads. Davis said the application process involved a number of creative projects meant to reflect the applicant’s personality, including finding five unusual ways to use a brick. One of Davis’ entries was to clothe the brick in a bikini, photographing it for Clayboy magazine. The call that Davis had moved on to the interview round came in December and with it a first-time experience that was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
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SPEAKS OUT UCLA students share the song they would most like to hear at their commencement. Portia Jackson Second-year, psychology “Probably Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ because I heard it recently and it represented what I’m going through right now.”
Anthony Bebich Fourth-year, economics “‘Welcome to The Future’ by Brad Paisley because it’s all about ... the way the world has changed and developed. From the time he’s young and ... it’s the same for us. I can relate to that.”
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Linzy Bingcang Fourth-year, psychology “I would say ‘We Are Young’ by Fun. just because I feel like (since I’m) graduating, I feel old so I’m trying to remember my youth and remember the time period.”
Kelsey Mitchell Fourth-year, anthropology “It kind of needs to be upbeat because people are watching. I guess like an older song. I would say a Frank Sinatra song because it’s old time-y and everyone likes it and because it’s old time-ish, it has resonance, like a memory feel to it. I wouldn’t soil any song from this decade definitely.”
Kevin Trang Fourth-year, psychological sciences “It’s got to be Vitamin C’s ‘Graduation.’ It’s the classic song and every time I hear that song it just reminds me that I’m done and graduating.”
Geoff Schneider Fourth-year, mathematics economics “‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye because it reminds me of the good times I had this year during spring break.”
NOLWEN CIFUENTES
The end of the year will mark the finished result of TFT’s year-long class that revolved around remaking “Gone With the Wind.”
Graduate students reinterpret classic movie Culmination of yearlong seminar uses “Gone with the Wind” to explore issues of race, sex BY KELSEY ROCHA A&E contributor krocha@media.ucla.edu Au d io f r o m G e or ge W. Bush’s speeches was spliced to form the words of Langston Hughes’ poem “Minstrel Man,” which played out into the room of about 40 audience members. While Bush recited the poem, projectors displayed segments of the movie “Gone with the Wind,” mixed with images of African American history, ranging from the Jim Crow laws up until Halle Berry became the first black woman to receive an Oscar. This multimedia reinvention of the movie “Gone With the Wind” was the culmination of a yearlong graduate seminar at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The seminar examined pertinent and poignant topics from the film that are still relevant today. Because of the film’s status as an American favorite, people can overlook the issue of racial misrepresentation and sexist gender roles in the movie, said Anna Creagh, a
culture and performance graduate student in the course. The final production, which had two runs on May 11 and 13, explored such issues and was meant to integrate a variety of different performances and disciplines, said Jeff Burke, one of three professors for the course. “ T he r e m i x w a s a l i ve performance that included remixed elements of the film, of its musical score, of related books and texts and of events in contemporary culture that had related themes,” Burke said. “ T he l i ve p er for m a nce i ncluded acti n g, da nci n g, music, multimedia, technology and one of our experimental spaces.” The show was performed in a relatively cozy space, and the intimate setting helped to accomplish the goal of fully immersing the crowd in “Gone with the Wind,” Creagh said. Students also used a double screen and projectors so that when audience members filed into the performance space, their shadows were incorporated with images from the
film. The total submersion of the audience in the film culture is a reminder that many of the issues in the film from the 1860s are still at large in contemporary society, Creagh said. “We want them to see the issues that existed at the time and the issues that still persist in our culture that people don’t really want to look at,” said Janell Rohan, a graduate student at the School of Theater, Film and Television. In fall quarter, classes were devoted entirely to critically analyzing “Gone with the Wind.” “The poi nt was to draw contemporary parallels and question the status of that film in American history,” Creagh said. “From my point of view it was a chance to knock the film off its pedestal.” Creagh, who grew up in North Carolina, said she was accustomed to people revering the film as an accurate depiction of Southern values. Students also worked to subjectively break down “Gone with the Wind” through the written word, looking to literature that presented different perspectives.
Creagh, alongside fellow graduate student Rohan, drew largely from Alice Randall’s “The Wind Done Gone.” The book creates a fictitious narrative within “Gone with the Wind” through the eyes of a mulatto slave girl named Cynara, the illegitimate child of Scarlett’s father and the character Mammy. Laura Karpman, a v isiting professor who taught the course, said working closely with such a small, intimate group of students for a whole year was an eye-opening experience to their capabilities. As one of the student directors, Creagh, who said she thought her main contribution to the project would involve her background in folklore, found herself learning how to use a professional camera and editing programs such as Final Cut Pro. Similarly, Rohan found herself doing a live performance in the final show despite the fact that she had no acting background. “It was really fascinating to see students work outside their comfort zones, outside their disciplines and really stretch past what even they thought they could do,” Karpman said.
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Altering the Art World BY ANDREW BAIN A&E senior staff abain@media.ucla.edu UCLA – and the UC system in general – has seen a lot of change over the past year. And though some changes may introduce a little extra difficulty in students’ lives, other changes taking place on campus represent exciting new opportunities for students. Here is a sampling of what professors in the UCLA arts community – from Art and Design | Media Arts to Music and Film – think have been some major changes across UCLA this year that have made a major impact on this year’s graduating class, and that will continue to impact graduating classes in the future.
Sue Yank
Assistant Director of Academic Program at the Hammer A variety of artistic practices ... (that are) most commonly known as “social practices” ... could also be described as “participatory” or “interactive” art practices. Our museum has added (a public engagement department) ... which does artist residencies with artists who ... interact in participatory ways to impact our visitor experience here at the museum. I’ve noticed that UCLA art students are increasingly interested in this form of artistic practice and also are aware of many more opportunities to engage artistically ... with people, with communities, with museums outside of the gallery space, in public space. And I think that’s incredibly exciting.
Neal Stulberg
Professor and Director of Orchestral Studies One of the highlights for this year for UCLA Philharmonia is that we made a commercial recording of a piece that has never been recorded before (“Concerto Grosso” by Eric Zeisl) ... that was written in the mid-1950s by Zeisl. We made this recording in Royce Hall in January and it was a milestone for our program because making a recording involves a level of expertise and intensity that goes beyond even performing the concert. ... This was an activity that I think will have a great impact on the visibility of our program and in that way will be a calling card for us as a school when we recruit students in the future.
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Peter Lunenfeld
Professor in Design | Media Arts (One change that) Design | Media Arts is confronting and working with is the move from a more stable desktopbased interaction environment to mobility and small screens. That’s just the way people are moving. In other words, large screens fixed on your desk are really shifting over to your phone and your tablet and so those changes in scale and mobility are absolutely key. And that’s linked to ... more and more, having to think about social media in terms of what you’re designing, who you’re designing for and the environment that you’re going to design for.
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Meryl Friedman
Director of Education and Community Programs at the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA What was formally UCLA Live is now CAP UCLA – the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA – and we’ve just undergone a major sixmonth institutional and organizational rebranding. We’re really looking at how we, as a center, embrace the notion of participating with the performing arts that goes just beyond plopping down an expensive amount of money for a ticket and then leaving and forgetting about it. For us, what that means is really finding ... meaningful ways as an arts center to interact with the campus in ways that are really about having art serve as a catalyst for how you think about life ... (and) a way of living your life.
dailybruin.com/ae | a&e | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN
DAVIS from page 15 “I’m this kid who had never been on a studio lot before, and I was meeting and spending an hour with some of the most powerful people in television. I sat in their office, wide-eyed but also trying to sell myself.” Davis, who was one of nine students recruited from UCLA, USC and Stanford, in Fox’s long screening process, will be spending a lot more than one hour with the powerful individuals at Fox, where he will shadow Kevin Riley, who is in charge of Fox’s primetime television slate and is credited with bringing “Glee” to the network. Davis’ talents have already been widely showcased to the UCLA community. His friend Kyle Lau, a fourth-year mass communications student who was a co-director with Davis in Spring Sing’s Company in the 2010 and 2011 years, said Davis was integral to Spring Sing, crediting him for spurring last year’s musical intro and for giving “Club Bcafe” a lot of its humor. Lau also said he was
impressed with Davis’ editing skills, which illustrate Davis’ knack for comedic timing and his trademark use of stock footage. This multi-facetedness is no surprise for Davis’ friend Bobbie Nickel, a fourth-year English student, who said that Davis is full of surprises. “Colin is very self-motivated and creative. Spring Sing is what everyone on the UCLA campus probably knows him for, but as far as his ideas go he’s a jack-of-all-trades and good at multiple things. He’s the guy behind the camera and in front of it,” she said. Both friends said that Davis knows exactly what he wants and has the self-motivation to do it, a fact that is clear in Davis’ own experience in filmmaking. “I made a feature coming out of high school with some friends, a full-length movie we did over the summer with a $3,000 budget,” Davis said. “We bought a car and crashed it, guerilla filmmaking from the very beginning. We ended up premiering it at a movie theater off of Sunset Boulevard.” Davis has taken his talent and energy to a nu mber of outlets in the UCLA commu-
nity. He’s filmed and moraled in Dance Marathon videos as a member of the Pediatric AIDS Coalition, works as a campus tour guide and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The many activities he was involved with at UCLA is one of the things Davis is most grateful for about his experience at the school. “There was this moment in Powell one day where I was doing work and it was a stressful day, but then I suddenly realized, you’re at UCLA, you’re at one of the greatest places you could be,” he said. “I came here and I got a film education, yes, but I also got a college experience. UCLA has become home, so now I’m packing up and leaving home.” For now, Davis said he is excited to soak up everything around him after graduation, as long as he gets to continue stretching his creative energies. “We’re film students, we’re expecting to be starving artists when we graduate,” he said. “So to have something that would still allow me to be creative and live the life that I want to live is the best of both worlds.”
COMEDY from page 14 to fool,” McQuown said. “When you do get fooled (by comedy), it’s like Christmas.” Smith said their sketches last three minutes or less on average, so the humor has to hit audiences much quicker than full-length comedy films. Faced with this short time span, the group uses jokes that the audience would not expect from the onset of the sketch. “Comedy is a good way to make commentary on ... things that people are too uncomfortable to really talk about,” Crane said. “And if one of our videos makes someone a little bit happier for the day, I think we’ve done a good job.” For Ex tremely Decent, McQuown said the creative process entails transforming
ideas countless times through discussion and improvisation before settling on a final draft. “I have masterpiece syndrome,” Smith said. “I can’t show work to people until I’ve edited it for endless hours.” Smith said their post-graduation approach to humor will continue to reflect the state of their lives, which will likely involve trying to find jobs and paying for Top Ramen. After spending the summer making sketches, the group plans to move to the Hollywood area and create a characterdriven web series. McQuown said the series will be about four guys who live in their apartment and have adventures, such as finding alternate universes beneath the kitchen sink. “The plan (is) to produce a pilot and a story bible for the entire series arc that explains
Evan Johnson and Jennifer La met at a scholarship competition their senior year of high school and started dating their freshman year. They bonded over an ice skating trip during their first quarter at UCLA and now, almost four years later, they’re preparing to graduate. Throughout the course of their time together at UCLA, they’ve fallen in love and learned about each other’s cultures and families. Listen to their story at dailybruin.com/radio
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each episode,” Smith said. “Then we will showcase the series to networks. The hope is to get picked up by a startup production company.” According to Smith, if their plan does not work out, then the group w ill continue to build a following through its YouTube channel and website, releasing new episodes each week. Although Smith said that he could write comedy, act and produce music forever, none of the members are certain where they will end up. “This is the scariest time to be living ... but don’t be afraid to freak out,” Crane said. “Uncertainty is awesome. Before we know it, we’re going to be 35 ... with mortgages. We have this opportunity to figure everything out. We don’t even have to worry about school anymore.”
Ice skating and family tension, anyone?
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DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | a&e | dailybruin.com/ae