Coming into UCLA, I thought that I knew what it meant to be a
Bruin. My mom and many of her relatives had come to UCLA. From the
moment of my birth I was a faithful fan of the basketball and
football programs.
But it wasn’t until the first football game I went to at
the Rose Bowl, as a first-year band member, that I really realized
what being a Bruin is all about.
Listening to the crowd roar as we ran onto the field for the
pre-game, clap with the fight song, and chant U-C-L-A in unison
provided me with sights and sounds I had never envisioned while
watching the games on TV. The energy continued throughout the whole
game, with the students and alumni feeding off the band and spirit
squad and coming together to support their team.
The chills I felt lasted throughout the entire game, and I
thought to myself, “So this is what it really feels like to
be a Bruin.”
It’s those traditions and intangible energy on display at
the UCLA sporting events that allow students, alumni and anyone who
feels any passion about UCLA to come together as a community and be
Bruins.
It is truly a unique experience. Where else can you find sane,
rational people acting totally out of their minds without any
reason to do so other than to show their collective pride? At
professional sporting events, it takes a great play, or a cue on
the scoreboard, to get the crowd cheering.
At a UCLA event, the spirit is there before the games even
begin; with the fight song and 8-clap, one cannot help but feel the
positive energy in the air. The ecstasy lasts throughout all of the
games. During all the breaks in the action, there is always
something the band, spirit squad or students on their own are doing
to display their enthusiasm for their school and team. The
exuberance you get by going to these games is truly second to none,
particularly if you are a student.
A special part of the atmosphere at collegiate events is the
student section. The students are constantly on their feet, shaking
the floor and getting the rest of the crowd involved. I can’t
help but think of the time when my dad brought my aunt from New
York to the UCLA basketball game against Western Illinois late last
year. My aunt is not much of a sports fan, and I doubt she knew
anything about UCLA before she came into Pauley to watch the
game.
Yet just 12 minutes into the first half during a commercial
break, I looked up into the stands and found my aunt shouting and
doing an 8-clap. Even at a relatively meaningless non-conference
game at the beginning of the season, the student section’s
enthusiasm for UCLA proved to be contagious.
Playing with the band at other UCLA sports events has also
provided me with some of my favorite UCLA moments. While
women’s basketball games and men’s tennis matches may
not have that same electric atmosphere as the men’s
basketball and football games, going to watch the “other
sports” gives students a chance to watch championship-caliber
teams at an extremely in-depth level. Going to these events gives
students a newfound appreciation for UCLA and allows them to fully
understand what being a Bruin really means.
As incoming freshmen at such a big school, it will be very easy
to “do your own thing.” There are certainly many
students here who never go to any of the games and never
participate in any school activity.
But there is a reason students camp out in front of Pauley
Pavilion the night before basketball games to get the best seats.
There is a reason why so many alumni return to UCLA sporting events
long after they have graduated. There is a reason why my
mom’s sharpest memory of her time at UCLA is the one football
game she attended against Oregon.
The atmosphere, traditions and pride on display at games are the
ingredients that allow students to really feel what it means to be
a Bruin, and in doing so create memories that last a lifetime.
E-mail Ben at bazar@media.ucla.edu if you have any special
UCLA experiences that you’d like to share.