Golden Nuggets: Cal Golden Bear Spotlights help pass the time

Go head first into some in-depth spotlight features on your favorite Cal athletes

By Cam Mellor@CamMellor May 1, 2020, 8:00am PDT

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: MAR 01 Women’s Cal at Arizona

The coronavirus pandemic has ceased sports operations from the winter semester, through the spring and now is touching the summer semesters around the country. Gone is our norm. Gone is our routine.

While the 2020 NFL Draft certainly played a part in helping us pass the time, that was just a mere three days of action that took our mantles. Three days out of 50 that we haven’t seen live sports of any kind (thanks Adam Schefter for reminding us of the countdown).

So, what are sports journalists to do during times like these? Unprecedented times that call for creativity and integrity in cultivating and championing the utmost courageous ideas. From video game recreations to full-on, in-depth interviews, journalists are getting crafty and enjoying this newfound freedom.

Over on the Cal Athletics website, they’ve featured several Golden Bear Spotlight stories that have taken us into the lives of some of our favorite athletes. From gymnasts to volleyball stars and rowers to tennis players, the Golden Bear Spotlights take their turn at highlighting those athletes that, though they’re famous in their own sports, may not have seen as much limelight as they have during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They’ve been a terrific source of time-passing and one that I certainly hope continues throughout the rest of the year and then into the next calendar years, even when we have those big four sports back in our lives.

In honor of their entire month of Golden Bear Spotlights, we take a look back at Cal’s April Golden Bear Spotlights:

April 29 — Cailyn Crocker, women’s basketball

April 28 — Lucas Churchill, men’s soccer

April 27 — Jessica Houghton, women’s volleyball

April 24 — Nikos Delagrammatikas, men’s water polo

April 23 — Kailee Gifford, women’s soccer

April 22 — Jake Curhan, football

April 21 — Charlie Ryan, men’s rowing

April 20 — Sona Halajian, softball

April 17 — Jack Manzo, men’s rugby

April 16 — Chloe Betts, women’s rowing

April 15 — Darren Baker, baseball