Feb. 16, 2010

BERKELEY - With his red hair and unique name, California men's gymnast Raion Sabo stands out on the team for a variety of reasons. He is the only Golden Bear from Northern California but not the Bay Area, has had a bevy of injuries - six broken bones and three surgeries - and has the hardest name on the team to pronounce. Last year as a true freshman, Sabo competed in three regular season meets for the Bears on the horizontal bars and set his season high of 13.800 during his first meet at the Gold Country Classic. Thus far in 2010, he has already bested that high with a 14.050 at the Stanford Open on Jan. 30. CalBears.com recently caught up with Sabo to find out more about the 5-9 South Lake Tahoe, Calif., native.

CalBears.com: You're from South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - what is it like to go to school in a more urban setting?
Raion Sabo: It's definitely a change for the better. After 18 years of knowing everyone in the town, it's nice to escape from small towns and experience all that the Bay Area has to offer.

CalBears.com: You have the most unique name on the team. What is the country of origin for Sabo?
RS: Sabo evolved from Szabo which came from my Hungarian grandfather. That is contrary to popular belief that Sabo is short for "Sabosaurus."

CalBears.com: How many different ways do people mispronounce your first name Raion?
RS: It's rare that anyone gets it right. I have heard: Rayon, Ray-I-on, Rain, Radon, Saabo, and many others that make zero sense. Usually I just end up with really lame nicknames like Rainbow, Ray, Sabosauraus, Crayon, Ry Ry, etc. For the record, my name is Ryan.

CalBears.com: If you know, what made your parents choose Raion for you?
RS: Raion actually means lion in a certain Japanese translation. My grandmother was full Japanese and my parents thought it would be "cool" to give me a unique name.

CalBears.com: Since you started in gymnastics, you've broken six bones and undergone three surgeries - what keeps you coming back to gymnastics?
RS: I ask myself that question constantly, and honestly, I don't know how to put it into words. It's just something that makes me happy. The feeling of achievement that I get from accomplishing a goal in practice allows me to escape from all other stresses in my life. The gym acts as a sanctuary from any problems I am experiencing in life.

CalBears.com: What is the most unique/interesting injury or cause of injury that you've had?
RS: I would have to say when I dislocated my elbow in first grade. My brother and his friend were having a contest to see who could spin me around by my arms the fastest. Then somewhere around the fourth round, I heard a pop in my elbow and ran away crying. It's funny looking back on it now, but I doubt my parents were very happy with my brother at the time.

CalBears.com: In high school, you had to commute three hours a day to get to practice - what is it like to have your commute time lessened at Cal?
RS: It is nice only having a 10-minute walk to class. But sometimes I miss the alone time in my car and the fast food stops every day on the way to gym.

CalBears.com: Fill in the blank: I never...
RS: I never work out without hair gel.

CalBears.com: Fill in the blank: I always...
RS: I always leave a light on for my cat when I'm not home.

CalBears.com: Leading up to a meet, what are you thinking about?
RS: I try to act like it's just any other day.

CalBears.com: Michael Salipante, the last person to do a Q&A, wanted the next men's gymnast to answer - which teammate do you think would make the best president?
RS: Other than former Golden Bear Kyson Bunthuwong, anyone but the freshmen.

CalBears.com: What question do you want the next men's gymnast to do a Q&A to answer?
RS: If you had a sports car, who on the team would you not allow to drive it?

To view all previous Q&A with the Golden Bears, you can check out the archive here.