UCLA gymnastics’ Frida Esparza ready to shred at Pride Meet – Daily News

UCLA gymnast Frida Esparza has been plucking away at the guitar, teaching herself songs since the end of her sophomore year.

When she learned how to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the electric guitar, she sent a text message to Chae Campbell, her roommate and teammate. Campbell immediately messaged back, urging her to play the national anthem before a meet.

“She goes, ‘Go ask (coach) Janelle (McDonald). We’re asking her tomorrow. We’re doing this,” Esparza recalled. “I was, like, oh my God, no.”

McDonald was thrilled. The team set aside time before Friday’s home meet against Penn State (8-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) for Esparza to shred her way through the anthem before competing. It’s just one more layer added to the Pride Meet, which is designed to embrace the authenticity of the Bruin gymnasts and their fans.

“That’s one of the reasons I really liked UCLA before I came here,” Esparza told reporters. “It made me feel safe. And then just celebrating it in general is just – I feel like it’s good for all the younger gymnasts out there to see that they will be accepted, no matter who they are.”

The Bruins (7-2, 4-0) have scored 197 or higher as a team in their last five meets, which is giving them extra confidence heading into Friday’s late-night meet.

The 8 p.m. start time is UCLA’s latest of any event this season and the gymnasts are planning accordingly. Esparza plans to sleep in on the morning of the meet and bring something caffeinated with her. Others have their own routines, whether it’s napping throughout the day or sleeping in on their own schedule.

McDonald thinks it could have a positive impact on attendance, especially since the meet falls on Valentine’s Day.

“We’re excited to have a ‘Galentine’s’ all together at the meet this weekend,” she said, “but also it’s trying to promote that people can go to dinner and the best show in L.A. for Valentine’s Day. There’s not much better plans than that.”

The optimism is spilling over into the uneven bars, as UCLA scored 49.250 in its last meet against Washington after seeing steadily declining scores in its previous three meets.

Esparza led the way with a career-high-tying 9.950 individual score to place first in the event. She’s training in three events, but the graduate student, who performed a Metallica-themed floor routine last season, has competed on only bars so far this season.

“She just has such an incredible natural swing on bars,” McDonald said. “To see her so confident this year and steady on that event has been really fun to see. She’s inspiring with the way she shows up and the work ethic she has.”

Esparza said she no longer gets nervous before competing. Performing the national anthem, however, has her heart racing. She even considered backing out altogether.

“But then I thought, you know what, I’m gonna play it for the same reasons I usually kneel while it’s playing,” she said. “It’s my own little form of resistance.

Jordan Chiles stars in new Nike ad campaign

Nike debuted its new ad campaign featuring women athletes, including UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, in a commercial that aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

@nike

There’s one guarantee in sport. You’ll be told you can’t do it. So do it anyway. You can’t win. So Win. 🎤@Doechii

♬ original sound – Nike

The campaign’s slogan is “So Win,” which Nike says on its website reflects the ability of women athletes to redefine their sport even when the odds appear stacked against them.

Other athletes featured in the commercial include basketball stars Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, JuJu Watkins and A’ja Wilson, Olympic gold-medalist sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, soccer standout Sophia Wilson and No. 1 tennis pro Aryna Sabalenka.