UC Davis unveils new aqua-themed uniform partnership. Why Tahoe?
UC Davis sports teams will have an iridescent look inspired by Lake Tahoe this fall.
The Aggie athletic program announced this week a line of new alternate bright blue uniforms and a matching logo for their football and soccer teams in partnership with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center to “celebrate their bold scientific breakthroughs.”
The uniforms are predominately light blue, which UC Davis is calling “Bold Aqua,” and will be featured in a series of Tahoe-themed games. The school said the partnership between the athletic program and TERC will give athletes the opportunity to visit the facilities on Tahoe’s north and west shores for learning and team retreats. Details on when the uniforms will be worn are forthcoming.
“Athletics offers a national stage to showcase UC Davis — a top-5 public, R1 research university,” said UC Davis athletic director Rocko DeLuca in a statement. “We in Athletics strive to match the excellence of our institution’s groundbreaking work, including the Aggies’ legacy of innovation and global impact at Lake Tahoe. We’re excited to give fans a behind-the-scenes look and celebrate that spirit through alternate uniforms and merchandise.”
The school said the “CA” logo, which stretches to either side of Lake Tahoe’s silhouette, has two meanings according to a university news release: “Research to restore lake quality, steward forest health and build the smartest lake applies to every inch of the 72-mile shoreline and 191 square miles of the lake. In addition, like Lake Tahoe, which occupies California on the west and Nevada on the east, UC Davis has research centers located in both states.”
The color was produced with the school’s uniform provider, Adidas, and got its “Bold Aqua” name by mirroring the “bold innovation” happening at the TERC. UCD’s typical colors are navy blue and gold.
What is the Tahoe Environmental Research Center?
The TERC studies Lake Tahoe and the environmental changes to the Lake Tahoe Basin. According to its website, the lake’s clarity has decreased by roughly 33 feet, or one-third of its transparency, since the 1960s.
That is due to urbanization, land disturbance, tourism, habitat destruction, air pollution, erosion and a loss of wetlands.
The research center has noted that seasonal shifts have impacted Lake Tahoe’s clarity, wildfires in recent years have hurt the region’s water sources and plastic pollution has become an issue in the lake.
Dr. Charles Goodman of UC Davis began conducting research on Lake Tahoe in 1958. Federal, state and local agencies rely on the TERC’s annual “State of the Lake” report to assess the overall health of the Lake Tahoe ecosystem and help guide managerial decisions.
