Tag archives: sports

Play Ball! As SBCC Athletics Returns, There’s a New Man in Charge
By Nick Masuda   |   September 9, 2021

A recent Friday afternoon stroll down Cabrillo Boulevard brought about a sight that hasn’t been seen in more than 18 months — the Santa Barbara City College football team getting in an afternoon practice at the recently refurbished La Playa Stadium. With SBCC Athletics shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the spring of 2020, […]

Your Opponent is not Your Enemy: Just Ask Sports
By Charlie Firestone   |   July 29, 2021

As Tokyo gears up for the 2021 version of the 2020 Olympics, and calls proliferate to boycott the 2024 Beijing Olympics, it’s time to evaluate the role of sports in society. The ancient Olympics were the first instance of sports diplomacy, as the city-states called a truce to allow athletes to travel to the games. […]

Montecito Club’s Sports Complex Latest
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 22, 2021

Last Thursday, after more than four hours of discussion, the Santa Barbara City Planning Commission voted unanimously to give Montecito Club owner Ty Warner and disgruntled neighbor Angelo Mozilo two months to cooperate enough to conduct a noise study at the Club’s “Sports Complex,” which was built on the property’s upper lawn without the benefit […]

Westmont’s Sokhela is NAIA Track Athlete of the Year
By Scott Craig   |   June 24, 2021

Westmont’s Senzo Zola Sokhela, a 19-year-old freshman from South Africa, has hit the ground running despite his short time on campus. After Sokhela won two individual national championships at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships on May 28, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named him the 2021 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track […]

School of Squash
By Lynda Millner   |   April 22, 2021

No, it’s not something you eat. We actually have a Santa Barbara School of Squash (SBSOS) helping our youth here in town and in various places around the world. Their mission is “To Help in Life Through Squash and Education.” Squash was founded in England in the 1880s and is a racquet sport played by […]

Weekend of Conference Championships
By Scott Craig   |   April 21, 2021

It will be a weekend of stellar athletic competition this weekend in Montecito as Westmont hosts the Golden State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championship and the opening round of the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championships. No. 15 Westmont men’s soccer, fresh off a GSAC Tournament Championship in Arizona, will play No. 18 Corban (Ore.) […]

Montecito Club to Reopen Next Week
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 15, 2021

Ty Warner’s Montecito Club is set to reopen Tuesday, April 13, after being closed for more than a year during the COVID pandemic. The Club, which features a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and social club, has expanded its offerings to include new outdoor amenities, including tennis lessons and clinics for all ages, movies on […]

Dear Montecito: Anika Wilson
By Stella Haffner   |   March 25, 2021

I was in Ms. Balch’s first grade class when Anika Wilson was my Older. Anyone who attended MUS remembers the Olders-Youngers system. This program paired up students from different years, introducing younger students to a new upperclassman friend every year and eventually becoming a mentor to the next generation. I loved this program and remember […]

Polo and Ponies
By Lynda Millner   |   March 11, 2021

One of the things that fascinated me when we first moved to Santa Barbara in the mid-‘70s was the polo field just south of town. We soon became social members even though we lived in town and spent many a Sunday watching and learning about polo and its ponies. Yes, they are called ponies. We […]

Another Touchdown for Bolton
By Richard Mineards   |   February 11, 2021

David Bolton, Santa Barbara-based director of the California Missions Foundation, also has a successful career as a sports broadcaster for the Spanish language version of the Fox network. And, despite the pandemic, he has been hired again to produce this weekend’s battle of the NFL titans, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers […]

Love, Anyone?
By Leslie Westbrook   |   February 4, 2021

We can’t think of a sweeter Valentine’s gift than the one from generous Summerland resident and philanthropist Nora McNeely Hurley and her husband, Michael Hurley. Summerland School’s very tired tennis courts will be undergoing a complete renovation thanks to a two-year grant from the Manitou Fund. Nora McNeely Hurley is a Trustee and Chief Programming […]

Hope Remains Though Seasons Delayed by Pandemic
By Scott Craig   |   December 31, 2020

Westmont’s fall and winter athletic seasons have seen limited action, but several sports have offered inspirational moments. Prioritizing the health and safety of its student-athletes, Westmont decided to play contact sports only against opponents who test for COVID-19 before all athletic contests. Men’s and women’s cross country were the only fall teams to compete, as […]

The Natural
By Guillaume Doane   |   December 3, 2020

I was once in a race against Chris Tamas. To this day, I doubt that Chris is even aware of this. For him to have known we were in the same race, he would have had to be looking way back to find me, struggling amongst the other laggards who didn’t belong on that track. It […]

Warriors Tip Off Season
By Scott Craig   |   November 19, 2020

The Westmont men’s basketball team tips off its 2020-21 season against the University of Saint Katherine from San Marcos, on Saturday, November 14, at 7:30 pm in Murchison Gym. Though fans will not be allowed in the gym due to the pandemic, the game will be live-streamed at portal.stretchinternet.com/Westmont and available on Roku, Apple TV, […]

Running into GSAC Championships
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2020

Westmont cross-country first-year students Caleb Mettler and Anneline Breytenbach, Golden State Athletic Conference Athletes of the Month for October, lead their teams into the GSAC Championship on Saturday, November 7, at William Jessup University in Rocklin. Mettler, a San Clemente High School graduate, claimed second place in race two of The Master’s Invitational on September […]

Sports Legend Maria Sharapova buys Summerland Ranch
By Leslie Westbrook   |   November 5, 2020

A warm Summerland welcome to sports legend Maria Sharapova, who has purchased one of my favorite properties. The retired (in February of this year) tennis player has purchased a five-acre ocean view compound in the hills for $8.6 million. The 33-year-old Russian has won more than $38 million in prize money – that’s not counting […]

Friday Night Alumni Concert
By Scott Craig   |   October 13, 2020

Soprano Megan (Silberstein) Billings will perform as part of the music department’s Alumni Spotlight on Friday, October 9 at 7 pm. Listen to the free concert at vimeo.com/showcase/westmontmusic. Billings, a 2014 Westmont graduate, will sing recognizable tunes from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals as well as productions of Bridges of Madison County and Frozen. She earned […]

Arts in Lockdown Series Part 9: Al Bello, Getty Images on Sports & Photography
By Joanne A Calitri   |   October 1, 2020

I met Al Bello, sports special correspondent photographer for Getty Images, in 2005 when he called me to photo assist his Getty Images Discovery Channel assignment. We were photographing Lance Armstrong and his cycling team practicing for the Tour de France in Santa Ynez Valley.  A consummate and respected professional sports photographer, he started at […]

Student-Athletes Score Top Academic Honors
By Scott Craig   |   September 30, 2020

Westmont student-athletes flexed their academic strength as well as their athletic prowess with 52 Warriors earning NAIA Scholar Athlete status and a dozen athletic programs being named NAIA Scholar Teams. NAIA Scholar Athlete status is given to juniors and seniors who maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Team recognition is given to programs with at […]

Focus on Film
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 20, 2020

Despite a lack of socializing and being forced to sit on a car seat rather than a blanket or lawn chair, fans have still taken to UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 2020 free Summer Cinema series Game On! Grit, Grace & Glory, which has proven to be almost as popular as previous years held at the […]