Golden Nuggets: Calendars, Gronk Autographs, the Calgorithm Anthology and more in this Cal Holiday Gift Guide
What to get for someone that already has the Axe.
Hello and welcome to Golden Nuggets! Our weekly recap of all the fun stuff happening in and around the Cal-iverse. Below are a selection of links, stories, and pictures I saw this week and thought worth sharing. If I forgot something, add it in the comments!
Let’s Circle Back and Schedule Something in the New Year…
Oh boy do you like calendars and games? Because boy do I have some calendars and games! Cal Baseball, Cal Softball, and Cal Track and Field announced their 2025 Schedules. Click the image to go to the team’s twitter page for more information.
Doing Flips and Stuff
Cal Gymnastics season opener is right around the corner and to celebrate, the team is having an open gym for fans to come get an early look! Or catch them live in season during one of their games. Tickets available now! Did I mention that they got ranked today and have their highest preseason rank ever?
Cal Rowing Conference Realignment
Cal Men’s Rowing will join the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) this year joining Oregon St., Stanford, Washington, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, and UC San Diego. Cal Rowing joins Beach Volleyball, Men’s Gymnastics, and Men’s and Women’s Water Polo in the MPSF. Read more here.
Welcome to the Family!
National Signing Day was last week and Cal picked up a number of high school recruits! Welcome future Golden Bears!
A Familiar City
Cal Football got their bowl destination, heading south to So-Fi Stadium at the LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk. Catch your Golden Bears and the rest of the Calgorithm on December 18th at 6:00 PM
EmpowerHER
Join the Cal Women’s Basketball Team for EmpowerHER - a celebration of black women within sport which will feature trailblazing black female head coaches from the 2024 Raising the B.A.R. Invitational. Attendees will receive free tickets to the tournament!
Speaking of the Calgorithm…
What a season! Wouldn’t it make a good coffee table book? Or something to look back fondly on? Well friends, the Calgorithm is at it again doing it’s best to capture every insane thing that happened this year (and is still happening. Did Gronk really sign a meme?) If you’re interested in helping create this anthology and want to raise money for the California Legends Collective, we need your help!
We are looking for a story from this season that only you can tell. Obviously, the Calgorithm has been a defining thing of the year for all of us -- but instead of receiving a hundred different versions of how this year went, a more unique approach may be to focus into something forgotten, something missed, something that needs to be told. However, write as the spirit moves you.
If you need prompting: what are you taking from the season? How was GameDay from your point of view? What aspect of the Calgorithm experience was most important for you? How will you remember all *gestures* this?
The form will ultimately fit the story, but a good guideline is 750 to 1250 words for a "full" piece; I'll gather and group submissions less than that. Again, content will direct the vision.
For more information, please fill out this Google Form and someone will be in touch!
Need Some Holiday Cheer?
Love the holidays but hate the burden of finding a Christmas Tree? Well boy do I have the fundraiser for you! The Cal Forestry Club is selling sustainably sourced trees on campus! They’ve got a variety of sizes that are sure to fit whatever space you have available. Yours truly once put a tree in a Thallasa (RIP) mixed drink glass that sat on our apartment table as an undergraduate. Get to it!
Great Scott!
The Athletic profiled former Pac-12 Announcer and current NFL announcer Kate Scott (first female Mic Woman) on her rise through the ranks. Give it a read!
Golden Bear Honors
Liz Klompmaker was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region First Team. Canisha Van Duyn was named to the All-Region Second Team. Women’s Gymnastics received their Pac-12 Championship Rings. $100,000 Field Goal Kicker Daniel sent some Niner fans home with Mountain Mike’s Pizza. Cal Goalkeeper Marco Brougher was named an Academic All-American. Jack Alexy set a world record in the 4x100 free relay. Katja Wiersholm was named the November Gatorade Student Athlete of the Month for reaching All-America status and the NCAA Singles Championship for Tennis. Craig Woodson accepted an invite to the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl.
Cal Athletics Round Up
Women’s Basketball beat #19 Alabama and Pacific. There was no high tide in the Bay. To celebrate the win, an anonymous doner has matched up to $50,000 in support of Coach Smith’s top priorities. Donate here! Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving won at the Minnesota Invitational. Men’s Basketball lost to Stanford. The Bears also lost to the Bears (see this how you pre-write a section and no matter what, you’re right!). The Calgorithm made another song about a player, this time about Fernando! Equipment Manager Trevor Skogerbe found his way to Sportscenter (what even is this season).
Cal Pros Round Up
Marcus Semien kept his spot on the Player’s Association. Jaylon Tyson kept cooking. Jared Goff just…kept doing Goff things. I mean c’mon. Cam Bynum keeps on dancing. Catch more Golden Bear NFL action here.
That wraps it up for this week! Thanks for reading and Go Bears!