Daily Bruin Grad Issue: Part 2

Graduation Issue 2012 Page 1dailybruin.com/sports

Sports BASEBALLThe College World Series, in which UCLA will compete, begins Friday.

UPCOMING SPORTS:

LONDON OLYMPICSThe Summer Games, where many Bruins will compete, begin July 25.

BY CHRIS NGUYENBruin Sports senior [email protected]

Throughout the National Football League Draft, pros-pects 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 biggest event of these players’ lives as they wait to see if their dreams of playing professionally will be rea l i zed. As prospects watch eagerly, their nerves and stress run high, their fates out of their hands.

And then there’s former 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 ver-satility.

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 Cole-man’s potential hasn’t been real ized as a running back even though he scored 19 touchdowns in his career.

“Initially, we recruited him to be a fullback, we thought he

was going to grow into a full-back, and when we recruited him we were still running the West Coast offense,” McClure said.

Because of the nature of UCLA’s of fensive 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 back-field, often likened to a bowl-ing ball or a baby bull – relent-less in his ball carrying, fight-ing for every inch.

While his position and play-ing 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 hear ing d isabi l-ity, which renders him legally deaf, would not affect his abili-ty to play professional football.

“That can never be a part of the situation at this point,” Coleman said regarding his hearing. “I started playing 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 every day for fou r months i n West lake. He worked on measurables, such as speed and agility, to impress scouts.

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-eligi-ble Bruins perform.

The scouts were impressed and several teams told Cole-man 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 profes-sional football.

Lack of NFL Draft pick benefits former BruinLISA ARAGONA/DAILY BRUIN

BLAINE OHIGASHI/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

Former Bruin Derrick Coleman was not selected during the NFL Draft, but the Minnesota Vikings picked him up as an undrafted free agent.

COLEMAN | Page 7

DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | sports | dailybruin.com/sports 2

Stephanie Kono loses amateur statusDEC. 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.

UCLA blanked by USCNOV. 26

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.

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.

Neuheisel was fired two days later.

“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.

Women’s soccer loses on penalty kicks in NCAA tournamentNOV. 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.

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.

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 Mansi Sheth, Bruin Sports senior staff.

UCLA basketball falters earlyNOV. 15

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.

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.

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.

Compiled by Sam Strong, Bruin Sports senior staff.

A YEAR IN BRUIN SPORTS

Men’s water polo loses in NCAA finalsDEC. 4

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.

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.


Men’s soccer loses in College CupDEC. 9

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.

DEC.NOV.

Check out our PodcastSearch ‘Daily Bruin Radio’ on iTunes to subscribe.

www.twitter.com/DBSports

Stay connected!

dailybruin.com/sports | sports | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN 3

A YEAR IN BRUIN SPORTS CONTINUED

UCLA softball lays an egg in own regionalMAY 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.

Shabazz Muhammad commits to UCLAAPRIL 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.

Compiled by Jacob Ruffman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Women’s volleyball wins UCLA’s 108th titleDEC. 17

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.

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.

With the victory, the Bruins won the program’s fourth NCAA title – its first since 1991 – and UCLA’s 108th team NCAA Championship.

Compiled by Steven Covella, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Patrick Cantlay wins low amateurAPRIL 8

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.

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.


Womens tennis starts season 20-0UNTIL 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 Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin Sports contributor.Women’s water polo loses to ’SC in NCAA semifinalsMAY 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.

Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports contributor.

Baseball gets No. 2 national seedMAY 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.Graphic by Jonathan Solichin, Bruin senior staff.

MAY

DEC.


GOINGPLACES

2012 Summer Olympics, London

BY LIZ SCHNEIDERBruin Sports senior [email protected]

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 – oth-er UCLA coaches have put their playing days

behind them to focus on the next generation of competitors.

Jeanette Bolden is one such coach. After win-ning a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay in the 1984 Olympics, the UCLA alumnus returned to her alma mater as well, hoping to move past the bitterness of a career-ending injury in the 1988 Olympic Trials.

“I volunteered at UCLA and moved from wanting to achieve my goals to help others achieve their goals,” she said. “I like seeing young people grow and mature – they’re not focused as freshmen and they really grow by the time they’re seniors.”

Decades later, Bolden’s prowess as a coach brought her back to the Olympics.

She was named the head coach for the 2008 team, leading Team USA to an impressive 23 medals.

She remains the only U.S. Olympic coach in history to have won a gold medal as an athlete – an accomplish-ment she says has proved invaluable to her coaching experience.

“I talk to (athletes) about the anxiety they feel, the nervousness – it doesn’t go away just because you’re a world-class athlete,” she said.

“They’re really surprised that they are still nervous, (but) it makes them realize they’re not different and that they are capable. That’s some-

thing my experience has really helped with.”Other coaches are quick to agree that teach-

ing players about the mental challenges of world-class competition is far more valuable than mere physical training.

Chris Waller, associate coach for the UCLA gymnastics team, teaches his athletes about the importance of staying calm under pressure, something even he struggled with during his time on the international stage.

A year after graduating from UCLA, Wal ler competed in the 1992 Games in Barcelona, where an intense internal focus – something Waller calls “the bubble” – got him to the pummel horse finals.

After letting his “bubble” down for a split second to take in the sights and sounds all around him, he found himself overwhelmed and panicked.

“I decided I wanted to soak it in. I looked at the audience and the flags and the cameras, and I just

freaked out completely, just lost my head,” he said.

“It took me 15 minutes to remember how the heck to do consistent gymnastics.”

And although he eventually recovered his composure, executing what he called “the best routine I’ve ever done” and taking fifth in the 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 compe-tition. 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 Bhard-waj – 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 wis-dom 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.”

Coaches dip into Olympic experience

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, earn-ing 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.

World-class backgrounds shape coaching techniques, offer athletes chance to draw on first-hand wisdom

(Being ner-vous) makes them realize they’re not different and that they are capable.”

Jeanette BoldenTrack coach


BY STEVEN COVELLABruin Sports senior [email protected]

This summer, many UCLA students will trav-el abroad to embark on academic endeavors.

In a way, UCLA athletes Tiffany Lua, a ris-ing senior, and rising junior Patrick Cantlay are doing the same.

But instead of studying history or a foreign language like most stu-dents, Lua and Cantlay are studying golf, and they have big exams this summer.

This past weekend, Lua represent-ed the United States in the Curtis Cup in Nairn, Scotland, where she and her U.S. teammates squared off against the team representing Great Britain and Ireland.

In July, Cantlay will be participating in his third PGA Tour major of the year when he trav-els to Lancashire, England to compete in the British Open.

These international competitions, which players compete in independent of UCLA, pro-vide the Bruin golfers with a valuable experi-ence in several ways.

“It does so much for (Lua) in terms of recog-nition 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, and by being selected it basically indicates that you’re one of the top amateurs in the country.”

The format of the Curtis Cup is uncommon in golf and presents Lua with a rare opportunity to play for a much larger constituency than the typical golf tournament.

“It’s your country. It’s where you live and who you represent,” Lua said before leav-ing for Scotland.

“Just being able to represent a bigger party than yourself – espe-cially in golf, being such an indi-vidual sport – is a huge honor and something to embrace.”

Aside from the exper ience of international competition, both Lua and Cantlay will be exposed to the historic golf culture of Europe.

While Lua is excited about com-peting against her British and Irish

counterparts, she’s also looking forward to being a tourist and exploring the roots of the game she loves, which originated in Scotland.

“We’re going to stop by castles and other famous golf courses,” Lua said.

“Being able to play some of these legendary golf courses and be around the place where golf started is going to be special.”

Cantlay will also be exposed to Europe’s pres-tigious 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 com-pletely 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 differ-ent 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 differ-ent – 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-

flies and nerves,” Lua said. “The competition – that’s the biggest thing

I’m looking forward to.”

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.


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.


Rosie White, JapanUCLA men’s basketball, China

Many Bruin athletes 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 cre-ated. 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.

Golfers venture onto international coursesRising athletes to adjust to foreign greens, represent United States in overseas tournaments this summer

DON LIEBIG/ASUCLA PHOTOGRAPHY

Rising senior Tiffany Lua competed in Nairn, Scotland for the USA Curtis Cup Team this past weekend.

Just being able to represent a bigger party than yourself is a huge honor.”

Tiffany LuaRising senior golfer

JUSTIN BUCKLEY/DAILY BRUIN


‘Self-made’ star, Bruin alum a starter in NBA finalsBY RYAN MENEZESBruin Sports senior [email protected]

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 West-brook, who came to Westwood as an unheralded 17-year-old.

On Tuesday, Westbrook will start in the NBA finals for the Oklahoma City Thunder, con-tinuing a rapid rise that started six years ago at UCLA.

His evolution from energet-ic 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 recruit-ment of Westbrook. He wasn’t the main attraction back then, a motif that has stuck with West-brook 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 assis-tant: “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 real-ly 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 scholarsh 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 prac-tice because he was going crazy. He didn’t understand what he was doing.”

Mustafa Abdul-Hamid , 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 year w ith orders f rom the coaching staff to work on his all-around game, especially his jump shot.

Fe w e x p e c t e d h i m t o 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 summer. The UCLA coach-ing staff could only listen as reviews of Westbrook’s games with elite, NBA-level talent in the Men’s Gym poured in.

D o n a l d s o n : “ I n t ho s e games, guys don’t want to get embarrassed. There’s a mini-mal amount of defense being played. Most of the guys are working on their jumper. Rus-sell, every time he got the ball he would take it to the hole and try to dunk.”

Ryan Finney, men’s bas-ketball 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 bas-ketball coach: “All our NBA guys are coming out of the gym are saying ‘Russell, Rus-sell.’ Earl Watson especially was really on his bandwagon. Earl was in Seattle when they draft-ed him. I think those guys in DAILY BRUIN F ILE PHOTO

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.WESTBROOK | Page 8


Baseball sweeps, earns Omaha ticket

BY ERIC PECKBruin Sports senior [email protected]

UCL A ba seba l l h a d a n unusual perspective for Sat-urday night’s Super Regional game against Texas Christian University.

As the designated away team, UCLA found themselves watching the game from the visiting team’s first base dug-out.

H o w e v e r, t h e shift had no effect on the Bruins’ play, as the Super Region-al hosts delivered another dominant performance in a 4-1 win to sweep the Horned Frogs and punch their tickets to the College World Series in Omaha.

S o p h o m o r e Nick Vander Tuig started the game for UCLA and pitched six innings, allowing five hits and only one run: a solo homer in the third inning to TCU’s right fielder Brance Rivera.

T he home r u n w a s the Horned Frogs’ only run of the night.

Vander Tuig overcame early nerves to earn his 10th win of the season.

“Coming into the game I was kind of nervous. ... Later on I settled down and started making better pitches,” Vander Tuig said, pausing to consider his words about his feelings on reaching the College World Series.

“And going to Omaha, you dream about that when you come into college baseball, and

it’s a great feeling to spend it with my teammates.”

Freshman David Berg fin-ished what Vander Tuig started as he appeared in his 47th game of the season for UCLA, moving him into a tie for second place on the NCAA’s all-time list for single-season appearances.

“We just chipped away, this was a typical game for us. We made everything count and I’m very proud of Nick, he pitched extremely well again, back-to-

back in the post-season,” coach John Savage said.

Berg faced and ret i red f ive con-secut ive bat ter s through the seventh and eighth innings before TCU was able to get a hit off him, and closed out the game in the ninth inning as well.

Savage called the decision to leave Berg the toughest one he’s made all season.

“We would not be in this position without (junior closer) Scott Griggs, and I did feel bad. ... I told him in the clubhouse that he is our closer, he’s going to be our closer in Omaha,” Sav-age said.

“I played the hot hand with Berg; they weren’t picking him up and I didn’t want to change.”

The f i rst s i x bat ters i n UCLA’s l ineup reached base safely on the night as the Bru-ins consistently managed to manufacture runs while the Horned Frogs struggled from the third inning onwards.

NCAA SUPER REGIONALS

KIMBERLY LAJCIK/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

The Bruins celebrate after defeating TCU in the Los Angeles Super Regional to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

***As the draft came to a close,

Coleman’s name was still on the board.

Although his name had not been cal led at the draft in Radio City Music Hall, teams were a lready l in ing 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.

Colem a n n a r rowed h i s

choices down to four franchis-es – the Seattle Seahawks, the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit L ions a nd the M i n nesota 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 fac-tors, 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,

to play, not necessari ly 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 want me the most.’ Well, that’s not neces-sarily 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 fact that Colem a n w a sn’ t d ra f ted m ay have been a blessing in disguise. Lower round draft picks, like

undrafted free agents, aren’t guaranteed a spot on the ros-ter of the team that drafted them, but they are still bound to that team. However, Cole-m a n h ad t he 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.

Coleman sa id h is bru is-ing style of play wi l l 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 with 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 main-tain classwork so he could graduate in time and just focus on the NFL afterward. So he balanced both academics with basically preparing for the big-gest 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 lon-gevity.

“Football is not exactly a career. Going to the pros is

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’l l have doors open so you’re not strug-gling.”

Coleman remains optimis-tic 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 show-case my skills at somebody’s camp whether I got drafted or not.”

from page 1

COLEMAN

UCLA advances to College World Series after clinching back-to-back wins over TCU this weekend

BASEBALL | Page 10

Going to Omaha, you dream about that when you come into col-lege baseball.”

Nick Vander Tuig Sophomore pitcher

PAID ADVERTISEMENT


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 nev-er 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 start-ed to speak for itself.”

Now, Westbrook ’s post-game wardrobe choices have gained attention as the Thun-der advances through the NBA postseason. To those who know him, his fashion sense is indica-tive 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 ward-robe, 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 con-fidence, 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. Col-lison 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 some-thing special was going to hap-pen.”

The clearest victim might have been Jamal Boykin, then California’s starting center, dur-ing a road game in Haas Pavil-ion.

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 some-thing.”

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 offen-sively. Anything he was giving us there was a bonus.”

Abdul -Hamid : “ I th 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 wouldn’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, West-brook has racked up plenty of accolades, most notably his

appearances in two All-Star games, two All-NBA team selec-tions 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 every-thing that he is getting. He’s put the time in and he deserves all the credit he’s getting.”

Donaldson: “If people ques-tion anything it’s his maturity. I think people mistake it for com-petitiveness.”

Keating: “He just needed more t ime to understand. Unfortunately for Bruins fans, the real time his understanding came was in the NBA.”

from page 6

WESTBROOK

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 Mon-day’s Major League Baseball first-year player’s draft.

S e v e n B r u i n b a s e b a l l jun iors heard thei r names called over the course of the three-day draft.

The f irst to go was r ight f ielder Jef f Gela l ich, who jumped up the draft board after a monster weekend in the Los Angeles Regionals.

He was taken by the Cincin-nati 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.

The Bru ins had to wa 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 occu-pying 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 tak-en by the Los Angeles Dodg-ers, 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 util ity for UCLA this season but is expected to move into the everyday catcher posi-tion when he plays profession-ally.

Brown occupied all three base positions as well as occa-sionally 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 batting 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 inf ielder, 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.


Daily Bruin on the goVisit dailybruin.com/m to access our mobile website.


Clark reflects on stellar seasonBY ANDREW ERICKSONBruin Sports [email protected]

KK Clark’s UCLA 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.

The senior 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

SENIOR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

NEIL BEDI/DAILY BRUIN

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.

Meister’s contribution invaluableBY ANDY THOMPSONBruin Sports [email protected]

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 con-servative strategy, navigating the baseline and hoping USC’s Ray Sarmiento would make a rare unforced error. His coach didn’t like that.

“(Coach Krzysztof Kwin-ta) 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

SENIOR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Women’s volleyball bounces backBY ERIC PECKBruin Sports senior [email protected]

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 sea-son 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 cham-pionship experience helped cor-rect the team’s mentality going into the NCAA Tournament.

Sue Enquist led UCLA soft-ball to its first national champi-onship 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 post-season, and her influence was a

crucial part of the Bruins’ cham-pionship run.

“Before Sue came in, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did, because we were so stressed out and mentally fraz-zled 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

TEAM OF THE YEAR

CLARK | Page 10

MEISTER | Page 10

ANNIKA HAMMERSCHLAG/DAILY BRUIN

Nick Meister was a pivotal member of the men’s tennis team during his time as a Bruin. Meister earned two All-America honors.

W. VOLLEYBALL | Page 10

TIM BRADBURY/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

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.


moment compares in her mind to winning a national champion-ship 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

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 reck-oned with in the pool this sea-son, consistently showing off her accuracy by beating goal-keepers 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 selec-tion in May, Clark was contact-ed by United States Olympic women’s water polo coach Adam

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 domi-nance 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 stu-dent 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.”

from page 9

CLARK | Sense of team a source of pride

moment of his Bruin tennis career and with the confer-ence 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 basel ine and hoped he’d make a mis-take.”

The redshirt senior won the point, and went on to win the match.

“You can see his matu-rity on and off the court. He always brings his A-game,” Kwinta said.

The win was arguably the biggest in Meister’s career at UCLA, and it propelled the Bruins to an upset victory and confer-ence title.

Th is wasn’t the on ly

upset of Meister’s career – even his choice to come to Westwood was unex-pected.

“UCLA was always so stacked. They weren’t nec-essarily my top school,” he said.

Meister was also con-sidering academic power-houses Northwestern and Duke. In the end, UCLA offered the perfect balance between academics and tennis.

Even more tha n the faci l it ies, the L.A. Ten-nis Center or the weather, what Meister really valued about Bruin tennis was coach Billy Martin’s hon-esty.

“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,

and my parents respected that.”

Meister led the team with 30 wins in his fresh-man 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 Cal’s top-ranked Pedro Zerbini in straight sets. After undergoing hip sur-gery in 2011 and receiving a medical redshirt, he came back to lead this 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 grate-ful that he was a Bruin and chose to come and play for us.”

from page 9

MEISTER

playing volleyball in a formal dress.The team took this to heart and

rose to the occasion, embracing the spotlight of the NCAA Tourna-ment 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 defense and passing were second to none.

The Bruins started the postsea-son in a familiar environment: the John Wooden Center, their cozy but dusty home court thanks to the Pauley Pavilion renovations.

There they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore and San Diego in the first two rounds.

Next, they dethroned four-t ime defend ing champion Penn State, end i n g t he Nit t a ny Lions’ 26-match w in streak with a definitive 3-0 sweep.

Their next match was a shoot out with top-seeded Texas.

The Longhorns had the Bruins sweating bullets, but UCLA tri-umphed in four to advance to the National Semifinal against Florida State.

There, the Bruins put together another sweep that left the Semi-noles scratching their heads.

UCLA capped the incredible run

with a 3-1 championship win over Illinois, the first title for the Bruins since 1991. American Volleyball Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year Mike Sealy was another undeniable factor in the team’s championship run.

“The issue was we had fallen off track and we didn’t know how

to reset. In our minds, the season had gone awry and we couldn’t get it back. Sue poi-gnantly and easi ly put us back on track,” Sealy said.

“We were able to let the past go and get excited about the future.”

Kidder spoke of the team’s patience and

persistence as important charac-teristics throughout the season.

“We had a lot of good qualities. We were very patient which helped a lot because no matter what situa-tion we were put in, we knew that if we stayed calm we’d be able to get out of it,” Kidder said.

“We really stuck together.”

from page 9

W. VOLLEYBALL

LEXY ATMORE/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

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.

Junior first baseman Trevor Brown got the Bruins going with a tr iple in the second inning that resulted in the Bru-ins’ first run thanks to a sacri-fice 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 Heine-man’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 Caro-lina 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 simi-larities between this year’s team and the one from his 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 great star t ing 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 l ikenesses 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 f ield, they think they can win, and that says a lot about their character.”

from page 7

BASEBALL | UCLA take advantage of TCU errors

We didn’t know how to reset. ... Sue poignantly and easily put us back on track.”

Mike SealyAVCA Coach of the Year


Graduation Issue 2012Page 12 dailybruin.com/ae

EDITOR’S PICK:a&e

BY LENIKA CRUZA&E senior [email protected]

The temperature hovered just above 50 degrees, and the sky was clear for a San Fran-cisco 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 danger-ous 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 had heard was notoriously difficult to enter.

“I had people go so far as to tell me that my best chance was to be born into a pyro family in my next life,” Woropay said.

Unsure where to start, Woropay sent out dozens of emails to potential mentors.

She was referred to Eric Elias, a UCLA alum-nus and pyrotechnic operator-in-charge for the Hollywood Bowl pyro crew.

Until the mid-’90s, men dominated pyro-technics, but Elias said he was one of the few pyros who actively recruited women.

Woropay immediately joined his crew and began working on shows for Journey, Disney’s Fantasia and, most recently, Coldplay.

“I know (Stephanie) intended to go into the more traditional theater arts,” Elias said.

“(Pyro) is considerably less traditional, but I think she came to appreciate it for what it is. We work long, hard, hot, sweaty hours, but at the end of the night, 18,000 people stand up and applaud.”

To get her pyro license, Woropay needed to be 21, obtain five letters of recommendation from licensed pyros, pass a series of tests and crew eight shows.

When Woropay turned in her application the day after her 21st birthday, not only had she met all the criteria, but she had also logged 38 shows.

Before a show, Woropay is responsible for putting together special racks that hold high-definition polyethylene tubing.

She angles the tubes according to the show’s specifications, loads them with fireworks and wires everything to the main board to ensure continuity between the racks.

Once the show finishes, she and the crew clean up the debris.

John Garofalo, an MFA student in theater lighting who is graduating this spring, said Woropay never relied on a false sense of entitle-ment that students often have, thinking they can snag a job without working hard.

Woropay f i rst met Garofa lo the summer before she started at UCLA, and through him, she landed her first lighting gig in Los Angeles.

They continued to work together on professional and student pro-ductions, where Garofalo said he witnessed her tenacity first-hand.

“Almost every single person on the planet underestimates her, but I’ll take her (on my crew) over a 6-foot-tall, super strong, seemingly knowledgeable male electrician any day,” Garofalo said.

Pyro work is physically demand-ing. Though, at 5 feet 2 inches tall, Woropay might not immediately seem cut out for the job, she said the physicality of theater lighting work prepared her well.

Pyros often face harsh conditions, carrying heavy loads, sometimes working 12-hour days and enduring extreme temperatures.

Once, at a gig in Lancaster, 113-degree dry heat caused Woropay to become dehydrated, forcing her to sit out the rest of the day. On site, pyros need to be alert at all times, which includes paying attention to strange smells

– 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 wh i le d r iv i n g home after a gig late at night to assure 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.”

BLOOMSDAYSaturday, 4 p.m.

Hammer Museum, FREEPortions of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” will be per-

formed at the Bloomsday festival, which will also include live Irish music and a happy hour.

BY MARJORIE YANA&E senior [email protected]

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, instruct-ing piano lessons at his parent’s music teach-ing 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 stud-ies 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 compo-sition, 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 beauti-ful 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.”

Le described his music as a collaboration between the genres of jazz and hip-hop. A musi-cian 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 col-laborated with Le over the past year and a half and performed with him at the JazzReggae Fes-tival, 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.”

Jazz studies student bridges genre gaps

BLAINE OHIGASHI/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

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.

Julian Le, known for his versatility and mixing of jazz and hip-hop, has plans for a new album, summer tour

justaddFIRE

As a pyrotechnics operator, recent graduate Stephanie Woropay helps put together fireworks displays

When the show went off, everyone was cheering, and that’s what makes it worth it.”

Stephanie WoropayUCLA alumna

A&E PROFILES

VIDEO: “Beatrice,” a cover by Julian Le

PATRICIA FERIDO/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

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

Listen to a sampler of Julian Le’s music at daily-bruin.com/radio

Radio

REI ESTRADA/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

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.

dailybruin.com/ae | a&e | Monday, June 11, 2012 | DAILY BRUIN 13

ZOE ERSKINE/DAILY BRUIN

Graduating student Matthew Masterson has been working as a professional male mod-el, walking in shows for New York Fashion Week and appearing in fashion editorials.

Fourth-year walks the runway, balances activities

BY TERESA JUEA&E senior [email protected]

It is a little ironic that Matthew Masterson almost lost his shoe during his first runway walk for the UCLA Fashion and Student Trends’ annua l fash 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 Masterson kept walking for UCLA Fashion and Student Trends for four years, joining the club his freshman year with the sup-port 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 fash-ion, I would have said no

way,” Masterson said.It is not to say that Mas-

terson is an amateur on the fashion circuit. Since his freshman year, Masterson has steadi ly maintained a career as a male model, from walking in shows for New York Fashion Week to shooting edito-rials for fashion p u b l i c a t i o n s such as Vogue T u r k e y a n d Women’s Wear Daily.

W i t h t h e career came the inevitable “Zool-ander” compari-sons. Master-son’s fraternity brother in Sig-ma Phi Epsilon and roommate fourth-year theater student Jake Rude said that while many took the opportunity to joke about Masterson’s career, he saw that Master-son had the talent and capa-bility to work hard at it.

“A lot of the frat guys poke fun at him, but it was al l in good fun, and he’s very humble about it. I never made fun of him for it because I saw it as a great way to make a living. He’s really good at it,” Rude said.

F rom hold i n g seven executive positions over the past four years in his frater-nity to being the male mod-el director for UCLA Fash-ion and Student Trends, Masterson immersed him-self in multiple clubs across campus. Not only is he one of the founders of the UCLA Board Club, Masterson is also involved in the intra-mural volleyball, softball

and water polo teams.

“There’s no particular rea-son why I l ike being involved i n s o m a n y t h i n g s o t h e r than my inter-ests are very dif-ferent and very varied. If I’m a par t of some-thing, I want to be part of some-thing as much as

I possibly can,” Masterson said.

Friend and fourth-year environmental science stu-dent Kris Holz, who is one of the founders of the UCLA Board Club with Masterson, said that despite Master-son’s busy schedule, he was crucial in helping the club’s recruitment of new mem-bers.

“I think the thing about Matt is that he’s not afraid to pursue something because

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, com-bi ned w ith h is fash 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 ing UCLA, he w i l l be working ful l-time for DormStormer.com after graduation and modeling on the side when the oppor-tunity arises.

After wearing so many hats on campus and con-stantly balancing a packed schedule, Masterson said that al l 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 bet-ter because of it.

On top of an already busy schedule, Matthew Masterson works as a professional model

Matt is ... not afraid to pursue something because it might be too hard.”

Kris HolzFourth-year

environmental science student

A&E PROFILES

ZOE ERSKINE/DAILY BRUIN

Political science student Matthew Masterson has been a part of UCLA Fashion and Student Trends for four years.

DAILY BRUIN | Monday, June 11, 2012 | a&e | dailybruin.com/ae 14

BY MATTHEW OVERSTREETA&E [email protected]

The dichotomy between the arts and the sciences goes back further than their designation as North and South Campus majors, but for Gar-rett Johnson, that division isn’t as extreme.

Johnson is one of a select few stu-dents 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 cho-sen 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 inde-pendent 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 reminis-cent of games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, but boasts both an interesting aesthetic and concept. Players control groups of souls from a fallen civiliza-tion, unearth artifacts and manipulate terrain in order to hinder opponents.

Johnson’s friends have been sup-portive of his independent major, encouraging him along his journey.

Fourth-year Design | Media Arts student Joshua Nuernberger, who has known Johnson since his freshman year, said John-son’s decision to create his own major shows his drive for self-determination.

“I think he’s done some-thing that is very beneficial not only for himself but for other students. (Garrett shows that) while you’re in school you should really push yourself to get what you want out of your class-es and that you shouldn’t restrict yourself to course curricula,” said Nuernberger.

After graduation, Johnson said he

hopes to find a job in the game indus-try.

Now at the end of his UCLA career, Johnson has time to reflect on the past four years like many soon-to-be grad-

uates. While some other graduates might be ready to move on, Johnson seems torn between the new life that awaits him and the life he leaves behind.

“I’m kind of disappoint-ed that I ’m graduating because it seems like it’s happening too soon,” John-son said. “I think there’s a lot I can gain from the peo-ple in this department, but at the same time a lot of it

(would just be) working with people that I know and individual projects to sort of expand my own skill set.”

Persevering passion for the arts

BY ANDREA SEIKALYA&E [email protected]

As a young girl, fourth-year theater student Danielle Rosario suffered from a common ado-lescent 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 prob-ably 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 concentra-tion 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 musi-ca l theater production that Rosario participated in at UCLA and she said it really helped her grow as a multi-talented actress.

While she has made the deci-sion to pursue a career in acting, Rosario got her start as a dancer.

Rosario said she started tak-ing dance classes when she was 3 years old and then got her first big theater role during the sum-mer after her junior year of high school.

“ I g o t c a s t i n ‘Gre a se’ a t a b i g outdoor theater in St. Louis, Missouri, where I ’m f rom,” Rosario said. “That w a s k i n d o f m y real ization when I thought I could do this for a living and I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”

Though her per-formance in “A Chorus Line”

marks the culmination of Rosa-rio’s UCLA career, those who have gotten to know her over the

past four years said they have no doubt t h at she h a s t he potential to succeed as an actress, dancer and singer.

Professor Nicho-las Gunn, an adjunct pr o fe s s or i n t he UCLA School of The-ater, Film and Tele-v ision who taught her as a freshman and then again in her junior and senior

dance classes, said Rosario is

very self-motivated and light-hearted, which he considers to be important qualities in the industry.

Professor Scott Conte, a visit-ing assistant professor in the School of Theater, Film & Tele-vision, taught Rosario last year over the course of a yearlong series of acting classes. He said that he enjoyed working with a dedicated and hardworking student like Rosario.

“I encourage the students to inhabit the characters that they play. My class was com-pletely new for her and she real-ly worked hard and grew a lot,” Conte said.

NICOLE MIREA/DAILY BRUIN

Fourth-year theater student Danielle Rosario played Diana Morales in the UCLA film school’s production of “A Chorus Line” this quarter.

Danielle Rosario lets nothing stand in the way of her dream to succeed as an actress

In control: student creates his own field of study

CHARLIE WANG/DAILY BRUIN

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.

CHARLIE WANG/DAILY BRUIN

Garrett Johnson’s independent game design and development major in the Arts and Archi-tecture department consists of computer science, mathematics and design courses.

Sketches inspire laughter

BY DAN PEELA&E [email protected]

T he me m b er s o f t he 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 leop-ard mounted above a mistle-toe. These are extensions of their approach to life, with humor residing at its core.

Fourth-year theater stu-dents 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 Uni-versity 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

world’s largest student film festival, for their sketch “The Ex.”

Smith said they considered the name “Extremely Decent” among others such as “Con-fetti Warfare, “War Panda” and “Kitty Stomp.” After collecting react ions f rom their peers, they decided to use the favored “Extreme-ly Decent.”

Much of their cu r rent hu mor revolves around famil iar col lege scenarios, such as conversations a b o u t s e x u a l innuendos, friendships with ex-roommates and lost keys. Smith said their skits ran-domly break into song, tailor-ing their comedy for the ADD generation.

In the Extremely Decent sketch “Snow!” characters dress up in snow jackets

and scarves, have “snowball fights” with clods of dirt and make “snow angels” while lying on a wilted meadow. The skit ends with the disclaimer: “Happy Holidays. Love, Global Warming.”

The team said they are inspired by such influences as Stephen Colber t , the musical comedy group The

Lonely Island, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and communist dicta-tors for their use of absurdity and irony.

E a c h m e m -ber of Extremely Decent contrib-utes ideas for their sketches and then acts them out . Ca ro produces

animation overlay, in which cartoons are transposed over video. Smith writes the music and edits the films.

“Because we have so much information coming at us all the time, people are very hard

HANNAH GUO/DAILY BRUIN

Ian McQuown (center) and his roommates David Crane (left) and Nick Smith (right), all fourth-year the-ater students, are a part of short-film production company Extremely Decent.

Garrett Johnson will graduate with a game design and development degree

He’s done something ... very beneficial ... for other students.”

Joshua NuernbergerFourth-year

Design | Media Arts student

If ... our videos (make) someone a little bit happier ... we’ve done a good job.”

David CraneFourth-year theater

student

I got cast in ‘Grease’ ... I couldn’t see my-self doing anything else.”

Danielle RosarioFourth-year

theater student

Extremely Decent, run by theater students, produces videos for the college community

A&E PROFILES

COMEDY | Page 19


BY KELSEY ROCHAA&E [email protected]

Aud io f rom George W. Bush’s speeches was spliced to form the words of Langs-ton 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 reinven-tion of the movie “Gone With the Wind” was the culmina-tion of a yearlong graduate seminar at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Televi-sion. The seminar examined pertinent and poignant topics from the film that are still rel-evant today.

Because of the film’s sta-tus 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 grad-uate 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 vari-ety of different performanc-es and disciplines, said Jeff Burke, one of three professors for the course.

“ T he rem i x was a l ive 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.

“The l ive per for ma nce included act ing, dancing, 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 incorpo-rated with images from the

film.The total submersion of

the audience in the film cul-ture 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 per-sist in our culture that people don’t really want to look at,” said Janell Rohan, a graduate student at the School of The-ater, Film and Television.

In fall quarter, classes were devoted entirely to critical-ly analyzing “Gone with the Wind.”

“The point 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 depic-tion of Southern values.

Students also worked to subjectively break down “Gone with the Wind” through the written word, looking to litera-ture that presented different perspectives.

Creagh, alongside fel low 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 isit-ing professor who taught the course, said working closely with such a small, intimate group of students for a whole year was an eye-opening expe-rience to their capabilities.

As one of the student direc-tors, 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 her-self 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,” Karp-man said.

Tackling stereotypes through film

BY LEAH CHRISTIANSONA&E [email protected]

In 1982, two men in Detroit lost their jobs because of out-sourcing to Japan. Looking for someone to blame, they stum-bled upon Vincent Chin, a Chi-nese American man they had never met. The two men chased Chin around their town with a bat, brutally killing him in the middle of the street while people stood by.

For Kyle Lau, a fourth-year mass communications student, telling Chin’s story was a com-bination of al ign-ing his professional f i lmmaking goals w ith an explora-tion of h is Asian American heritage. Lau wrote, direct-ed and produced a 17-minute dramatic comedy “Greener” to accomplish these goa ls. W hi le the film is not an exact replica of the events surrounding Chin’s murder, Lau calls the film his interpretation of the hate crime, spiced up with a bit of romance.

“Greener is about a town where ‘East is East’ and ‘West is West.’ East side kids don’t like the West side kids and vice ver-sa. Similar to the Chin murder, the loss of a job is the last spark to ignite the tensions between the two sides of the town,” Lau said.

“Greener” premiered at Para-mount Studio’s Sherry Lansing Theatre Friday.

“My motivation for filmmak-ing is to transcend the stereo-types I was given (for Asian

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; they’re not just nerds. Right now I’m focusing on Asian American roles, but in the future I hope to transcend all these stereotypes with my work,” Lau said.

Jeff Bee, who plays the main character Kevin Lin in “Green-er,” said that he was drawn to the film because it offered a rare chance for him to star in a lead-ing role.

“This film is about the people. Of course, being Asian Ameri-can is integral to the premise

of the story, but the Asians represented aren’t there because of a certain quirki-ness or comed ic rel ief,” Bee sa id. “We’re there to be a presence in the movie. As an Asian A mer ic a n a ct or, that’s our goal.”

A c c o r d i n g t o Bee, his character is a fairly normal guy who is thrust into an abnormal situa-

tion created by racial tension. Bee said that “Greener” was the most challenging film he had ever performed in and attrib-uted the challenge both to his background in comedy and the cultural boundaries “Greener” tackles.

“Right now in Hollywood, you can’t see an Asian actor on screen without thinking ‘Oh hey, he’s Asian.’ It even takes me by surprise, simply because it’s something you don’t see that often. I think this film is a step in the right direction,” Bee said.

“Greener” has been submit-ted to film festivals such as Sun-

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, cast-ing agencies and a real insur-ance 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 direc-tor of cinematography, Yusuke Sato, is a recent UCLA gradu-ate 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 big-gest 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.

Filmmaker earns a shot with Fox

BY ANNETA KONSTAN-TINIDESA&E senior [email protected]

The first script Colin Davis ever wrote 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 fam-ily became stranded on an island with dinosaurs, and escaped by building a raft and paddling off into the sun-set. Even then, Davis said he remembers channeling his inner-director.

“I remember yelling at my mom like a little prima donna director that the velocirap-tor 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 appli-cation to “Opportunity Fox,” a six-month long apprentice-ship that pairs students with var ious network d iv ision heads.

Davis said the application process involved a number of creative projects meant to reflect the applicant’s person-ality, 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 cal l 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.

COURTESY OF YUSUKE SATO

Kyle Lau just finished working on his short film titled “Greener,” which explores situations created by racial tension.

COURTESY OF COLIN DAVIS

Fourth-year screenwriting student Colin Davis (center) was recently chosen for an apprenticeship by the Fox Network.

Colin Davis’ apprenticeship with major network reflects talent and skill on both sides of camera

Graduate students reinterpret classic movie

DAVIS | Page 19

Kyle Lau, who recently premiered his first film, challenges cultural boundaries with his work

My motiva-tion for filmmaking is to transcend the stereotypes I was given growing up.”

Kyle LauFourth-year mass

communications student

A&E PROFILES

SPEAKS OUTUCLA students share the song they would most like to hear at their com-mencement.

“Probably Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ because I heard it recently and it repre-sented what I’m going through right now.”

Portia Jackson Second-year, psychology

“‘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.”

“‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye because it reminds me of the good times I had this year during spring break.”

Anthony Bebich Fourth-year, economics

Geoff SchneiderFourth-year, mathematics economics

“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.”

“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.”

Linzy Bingcang Fourth-year, psychology

Kevin TrangFourth-year, psychological sciences

“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 res-onance, like a memory feel to it. I wouldn’t soil any song from this decade definitely.”

Kelsey MitchellFourth-year, anthropology

COURTESY OF 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.”

Culmination of yearlong seminar uses “Gone with the Wind” to explore issues of race, sex


Altering the Art World

(One change that) Design | Media Arts is confronting and working with is the move from a more stable desktop-based interaction environment to mobil-ity 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, hav-ing 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.

Peter LunenfeldProfessor in Design | Media Arts

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 six-month institutional and organizational rebrand-ing. 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 cam-pus 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.

Meryl FriedmanDirector of Education and Community Programs at the Center for the Art of

Performance at UCLA

One of the highlights for this year for UCLA Philhar-monia 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.

Neal StulbergProfessor and Director of Orchestral Studies

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 engage-ment 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.

Sue YankAssistant Director of Academic Program at the

Hammer

BY ANDREW BAINA&E senior [email protected]

UCLA – and the UC system in general – has seen a lot of change over the past year. And though some changes may intro-duce 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.

YANGZI SHE/DAILY

BRUIN


“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 indi-viduals at Fox, where he will shadow Kevin Riley, who is in charge of Fox’s primetime tele-vision 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 spur-ring last year’s musical intro and for giving “Club Bcafe” a lot of its humor.

L a u a l s o s a i d h e w a s

impressed with Davis’ editing skills, which illustrate Davis’ knack for comedic timing and his trademark use of stock foot-age. 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-al l-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 ful l-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 number 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 grate-ful for about his experience at the school.

“There was this moment in Powell one day where I was doing work and it was a stress-ful 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 col lege 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 ener-gies.

“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.”

from page 15

DAVIS

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 uncomfort-able to really talk about,” Crane said. “And if one of our videos makes someone a little bit hap-pier for the day, I think we’ve done a good job.”

For Extremely Decent, McQuown said the creative process entails transforming

ideas countless times through discussion and improvisation before settling on a final draft.

“I have masterpiece syn-drome,” Smith said. “I can’t show work to people until I’ve edited it for endless hours.”

Smith said their post-grad-uation 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 character-driven web series. McQuown said the series will be about four guys who live in their apartment and have adven-tures, 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

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 wil l 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 l iving ... 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.”

from page 14

COMEDY

Ice skating and family tension, anyone?

Evan Johnson and Jennifer La met at a scholarship com-petition their senior year of high school and started dat-ing their freshman year. They bonded over an ice skating trip during their first quar-ter at UCLA and now, almost four years later, they’re pre-paring to graduate. Through-out 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

SARAH ROGOZEN/DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

Check out our PodcastSearch ‘Daily Bruin Radio’ on

iTunes to subscribe.

We fit in your pocket.

Visit dailybruin.com/m to access our mobile website.

www.twitter.com/DailyBruin

Stay connected!


Documents

Daily Bruin Grad Issue: Part 2