Ep. 2 - Bears. Beat. Bulldogs.
by AndBears on Mar 22, 2009 10:02 PM PDT
17 comments
Saturday was an important game for the Cal Bears. I hope you were able to watch the game, although I did hear that ESPN decided to play NCAA musical chairs during the game. Sorry about that. I'd like to write today about the experience of the game, from the point of view of the spirit groups, not necessarily about the players skills or performance. That you can get from much more talented sports writers.
If you've ever been to LA, and you're reading this blog, you've probably been to the Staples Center. It's where the Pac-10 men's tournaments have been held since they began. I'm going to take a slight diversion to tell you about the new additions they've made to the area outside of the Staples Center. This is how I spent my morning before the game.
Staples Center - Friend or Foe?
They've taken the parking lot and created a courtyard surrounded by restaurants and EXTREMELY large video screens.
My favorite is the ESPN zone:
Corporate Sponsorship at its most blatant.
Most of the restaurants aren't open, but there is a brand new Grammy museum. Some of the other trip leaders visited there on Sunday. They had a good time, apparently there are a lot of Michael Jackson costumes to admire -- if you like that sort of thing. I just wasn't willing to pay $15 for a ticket.
Anyways, back to the game. The band and spirit groups met in the lobby of the hotel 2 hours before game time, in all our game-ready glory. Well, oski was just a guy with a duffle bag but he had given his sweater to the mic-man. It's pretty comically oversized (some of the band might have this pic but I don't).
Milling about, Milling about.
So, even when the band is on vacation, we're still on the trip for the team. We were there early to cheer the team as they headed out, sort of a 'March to Victory' but rather 'March to the Buses'. I'm sure they appreciate it on some level, but it is a little awkward. I Imagine it's akin to having a marching band greet you as you get ready to go to work. They're not really used to it.
Don't they look enthusiastic?!
Anyways, it's on to the buses and off to the Galen Center. Incidentally, I heard the Dance Team discuss their positions for the sidelines. Apparently, they know all the parts of the routines for whichever positions they need, I always wondered about this - whether they knew them all or always had to make sure there was a 'right, left, center' girl there. We arrive about an hour before the game and watch the teams warm up. It takes us about 10 seconds to set up because we don't have a drum kit or anything stationary like that. The Galen Center is where U$C plays, it makes the experience much more disturbing.
evil, evil, evil, EVIL!
But we were here to do a job. Cheer on the bears as they took on the dreaded Fresno State Bulldogs. The Fresno State band is pretty generic. They played Mars, we played 'Don't Stop til you Get Enough', they followed up with 'Lets Go Band'. It was just like Drumline only WE were the cool ones! How do you like that?!
The crowd was pretty split evenly between Bears and Bulldogs. The Bulldog fans were more excited, but probably because they were the underdogs -- ha!
'V' is for vasectomy?
First Half Awesome Action shot
Their Cheer, done to some popcorn dance mix. It really did remind me of Bring it On.
Our Dance Team performing a dance with Oski! Much beloved by the crowd, because Oski gets 3 of the girls! Yep, He's a playa'
Band
band
basketball
Coach Boyle -- Does it all, and in great shoes too.
Spoiler Alert - The Bears won! And pretty well too. What I really appreciated about the game was that even though we had the lead the whole time, the girls never let up. The intensity of the game was there the start to finish. The staff I spoke to knew the girls had it in them, they just had to get over their own nerves. They definitely did that in spades. From our point of view, we were yelling and cheering as much as if they were neck and neck. Well, occasionally the band was barking to distract/mock the other guys. Personally I thought the Fresno Cheer team sounded like chihuahuas. Actually, even though we were ahead in the game, we didn't even discuss the winning travel scenarios until the game was almost over and we were up by 20. That's when we starting making plans to hand out additional per diem and the possible flights home. After the game, the band and spirit packed up, and left to go back to our hotel. Apparently the girls stayed to watch the other game. They'll be taking on U. Virginia on Monday. They didn't get back until late and went out again to practice on Sunday. The spirit groups had the day off and pretty much scattered. That's it until next time...
Oski Victorious over the Unbelievers!
The opinions expressed in a FanPost are, in every way, reflective of the opinions of every California Golden Blogs Marshawnthusiast. Moreover, they are reflective of every employee of SBNation, including Tyler "Blez" Bleszinski.
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I Imagine it’s akin to having a marching band greet you as you get ready to go to work
A feeling I know all too well.
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 22, 2009 10:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You stole my line/thought.
FREE HYDROTECH!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Mar 22, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Developing that line of thought into a sitcom could be funnier than Friends and HIMYM combined! Or, alternatively, actually funny.
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 22, 2009 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Are you saying we should start writing a sitcom together?
FREE HYDROTECH!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Mar 22, 2009 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
We can call it Bears.Beat.Bulldogs and it can star AndBears on a magical, mystery tour.
Plus, she’ll have a wacky neighbor!
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 23, 2009 7:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But who would play the wacky neighbor?
the Maharg is above catch phrases
by Maharg on Mar 23, 2009 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Michael Richards!
….too soon?
FREE HYDROTECH!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Mar 23, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re right. Boyle’s shoes are awesome.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 22, 2009 10:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I knew you’d all be thinkin’ it. So I was going to say it for you.
by AndBears on Mar 22, 2009 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you’ve ever been to a Cal women’s game, you know that Coach Boyle almost never sits in her chair. She spends the entire game squatting in front of her chair (when she isn’t running wildly up and down the sideline and having to be restrained by her assistants from running onto the floor). Her trademark squat is well-represented in the photo above.
I have found myself wondering “does she ever sit?” Or does she only squat? If you go into her office, are there chairs? Or does she just squat behind her desk? Does she have chairs in her home? Or if one is invited to dinner there, does one have to squat next to the dinner table? I would be crippled for life if I tried to spend an entire basketball game squatting like that. And this woman is 45 years old! I think Coach Boyle’s squat demonstrates her great strength, and is one of the keys to Cal’s success in women’s basketball.
by CalBear81 on Mar 22, 2009 11:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
And thank you for the update on the tournament. It was excellent. Please keep posting them.
by CalBear81 on Mar 22, 2009 11:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Developing these lines of thought into a sitcom could be funnier than Friends and HIMYM combined! Or, alternatively, actually funny.
PS Coach Boyle is incredibly animated at games. My fav part is when she gets really upset about a call and storms onto the court and an assistant coach has to hold her back.
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 22, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
PS She must have the greatest quads ever!
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 22, 2009 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
my guess is that she looks better in the type of jogging outfits that you try to pull off.
Heaps and Hinder...come on down!
by carp on Mar 23, 2009 8:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those are some short shorts!
TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 23, 2009 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m looking forward to your fanpost about the Viriginia game. And are you going to Trenton?
by CalBear81 on Mar 24, 2009 3:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m getting it together now. I’m glad you all seem to like it. I’m not going to Trenton, I can’t go this weekend… and actually I’m pretty tired from the trip so I don’t mind not going. :-) It’s fun but exhausting.
by AndBears on Mar 24, 2009 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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