Save The Slugs!
While my alma mater is Cal, that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for the lesser other nine campuses of the UC system. One big happy UC, so the party line goes. Bear, Bruin, Bobcat, Banana Slug, whatever. This also explains one of the reasons I love UC San Diego’s Triton Invitational water polo tournament in the fall; there are generally four or five UC teams in the mix and there’s always someone worth cheering for.
So, imagine my dismay to see that the next step in the UC’s nickel and diming toward mediocrity is a proposal to axe men’s and women’s Banana Slug water polo. Will these be the last photos you see of Santa Cruz water polo? I know education is in in a huge financial crisis in this state – I hear about the problems on local education daily. Hourly on some days. But it’s tough sitting back and watching programs get slashed. College is about more than sleeping though lectures, and if California wants to teleteach commuter students we already have a great community college system. The UC is special because it is everything: Rose Bowl Champions to Nobel Laureates and everything in between. Even hard core water polo playing Banana Slugs.
[...] to demote its mens and womens water polo teams to club status, rather than cut them outright as originally proposed. I guess that counts as a save, and leaves the door open for returning the team to NCAA Division [...]