Meet the UCI fan experience team!
 

Helen Hsueh

Assistant Athletic Director, Fan Experience & Licensing/Branding

13 years at UCI

Alma Mater: UCLA

How did you get started in the profession? What is your professional background and what brought you to UCI? 
In a very roundabout way! I started out as an athletics marketing and community relations intern as an undergrad at UCLA. Once I graduated from UCLA, I accepted a full-time position in the athletics department doing sponsorship fulfillment. Then moved into an administrative role supporting the Olympic sports teams. Eventually, I came to UCI athletics to assume an executive assistant role, and later moved back into the external relations space and have been growing in this role ever since.  I've been doing some variation of my current role since 2012.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
Being on the floor at the Honda Center for our first men's basketball Big West Tournament victory in 2015, which sent us to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. That collective joy is the type of feeling sports fans are always chasing, and it was such an incredible moment. Just standing there and waiting for those final seconds to tick down, and feeling the energy of all the Anteater fans cheering and spilling out onto the floor as we all celebrated together. 

Where is your favorite place on UCI campus?
 Anteater Ballpark! I love the atmosphere at the ballpark, and the sunset views are incredible. The team is so much fun to watch, and this ballpark is such a gem; the playing surface is gorgeous, thanks to our incredible grounds crew, and the ballpark itself is such a great place to spend a lazy afternoon or evening with friends and family. We also have the best concessions, and I would highly recommend the tri-tip fries. 

What is the best part about working at UCI? 
As part of my job, I am unofficially Peter the Anteater's manager and wrangler, so I would say tagging along with Peter on all of his adventures.

What has been your favorite UCI fan experience/in-game promotion campaign that you have been a part of?
This isn't really an in-game promotion, but it is top of mind for me since it's the most recent. Since most of our events were spectator-less last year due to the pandemic, my role switched from handling the in-game production to supporting the video stream production of our events. This was an entirely new (and challenging!) experience for me personally, and a very unique learning opportunity to get midway through my career. Looking back at the year, I think producing our baseball video streams in-house for ESPN3 in particular was probably the most satisfying accomplishment. We basically started out from scratch and managed to put together a really strong looking broadcast with not a lot of time to spare. I am incredibly grateful to our AD and administration for their support of the project, as well as to the production crew and amazing UCI colleagues I had the pleasure of working with all season.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
This is true for many things, but I think most people don't realize how much work goes into making the in-game fan experience go smoothly. When I was first starting out, one of my mentors at UCLA told me if I am doing my job properly, most fans will not notice. I didn't really get it at first, because I thought, well, of course people will notice when you're doing a good job!  But as I have come to understand, he really meant that if I am performing my job well, with enough preparation and coordination of all the moving parts of the "show," fans will end up having a good time, but no one really thinks about why. And of course, everyone will notice when even the tiniest thing goes awry. 

The really challenging part is that you can prepare and triple-check all of the details, but something completely out of our control could still go wrong, and the best we can do is just react quickly and move on. 

What are you most looking forward to in fans returning to UCI events?
Since our games were spectator-less last year, we had to use artificial noise to fill in for our usual crowd, and obviously it's just not the same vibe. So I am really looking forward to hearing fans cheering again! I want to see the spirit squad perform, watch the Anteater Band's shenanigans, dance along to whatever they're playing, and watch people get excited to see themselves on the video board.

And did I mention the tri-tip fries at Anteater Ballpark?  I'm looking forward to their return as well. 

 

Ryan Riffenburgh

Assistant Director of Fan Experience

1st year at UCI

Alma Mater: UCI

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
I actually got started in a completely different industry right after graduating UCI. I worked for UCSB as an advisor for their Study Abroad Program. While I was in Santa Barbara, I also started working for a collegiate summer league baseball team and that sparked my interest in pursuing sports as a full-time career. I received my master's in sports management from George Washington in Washington, DC. I was lucky enough to work for the Nationals in their promotions and events department the year they won the World Series. Since graduating, I've come full-circle and I'm back at UCI.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
When I was a student, I was able to take part in the Guinness World Record attempt for largest game of dodge ball. I was most definitely not the last one standing but it was still a crazy experience.

Where is your favorite place on UCI campus and why?
I'd probably say Aldrich Park. It's so serene and relaxing, especially now that I no longer have to worry about rushing off to class.
 
What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The people! It has been great to get to know so many different people with interesting sports backgrounds. We're all able to come together and share fun and creative ideas for what we think the fan (and players) will enjoy at games.

What has been your favorite UCI fan experience/in-game promotion campaign that you have been a part of?
I've only been with UCI Athletics for a little under a year and we haven't been able to have full attendance and the full in-game experience because of COVID. I'm looking forward to being able give the fans the full game day experience after such a long time away.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
Just how many people it takes to successfully pull off a game day event. There are so many behind the scenes things that need to be addressed both before and after the game. It's challenging but also rewarding when we're all able to come together and pull off an event. Long days, but they can also be lots of fun. Then it's time to do it all over again for the next game.

What is the most rewarding part of the job? 
Getting to see the teams grow and compete together. I worked all the home UCI baseball games, and it was awesome to see their team chemistry and support for one another. Not to mention they won the Big West!

What are you most looking forward to in fans returning to UCI events?
The roar of the crowd! It has been bizarre to have a big play happen and not have a huge reaction from the fans. I'm looking forward to all the fans coming out in full force to support the teams. They've been missed!

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work/ favorite hobby?
I'm a big movie buff and it's one of the things I've missed most over the last year and a half. I'm looking forward going back hopefully soon. Netflix just isn't the same as the big screen.
 

Eric Sanchez

Band Director

27 years at UCI

Alma Mater: UC Irvine

How did you get started in the profession and what brought you to UCI? 
Fun fact, my primary position at UC Irvine isn't with the Athletics, but as a system administrator with the School of Biological Sciences. However, music has always been a passion and I've been with the band since I was a freshman here! I've served as a student manager, associate director, and now director with this group.

What is your favorite UCI moment or memory? 
There are a lot to choose from! Since I've been here so long, I will say the women's basketball team winning the 1994-95 Big West Tournament. It was my first championship to experience in person. It was also quite an experience getting the band there (the tournament was held in Las Vegas at the time).
 
Where is your favorite place on UCI campus? Also favorite place in the Irvine/Newport area? 
Aldrich Park. If I ever need to take a break from work from my office, a nice walk on the inner ring will help clear your mind, get some fresh air, and give your eyes a break from staring at computer screens. For the Irvine/Newport area you can't go wrong with any of the beaches here. Of my favorites, I would say is Crystal Cove State Beach.

What is the best part about working at UCI? 
The people! We have some of the best people working here attracting the brightest students. It's easy to see why our rankings as a top university remain so high.

What has been your favorite UCI fan experience/in-game promotion campaign that you have been a part of?
In general, my favorite fan experience is when basketball opponent shoots free throws on the band side. The band gets creative with their distraction techniques, you'll never know what they'll pull out next.

What is your favorite UCI Athletics initiative you get to work with/support?
My favorite initiative would be when we work with campus on Welcome Week events. One event I'm particularly excited about is Freshmen Convocation. To welcome all incoming freshman (perhaps wake them up) with our music energy. It gets them excited for the journey they are about to embark on.

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the job that people might not realize? 
Fulfilling everyone's request for a band appearance. Since the band is primarily made up of students and they are volunteering their time, I'm very cognizant of their schedules. I want to ensure they have a well balanced life of school and extracurricular activities since I've been in their shoes.

What is the most rewarding part of the job and why? 
To know that the band's presence at games or outside events makes a difference. To receive the praise and recognition from our coaches and staff gives the band members enormous validation. Also, within the band, it's rewarding to see many lifelong friendships formed because of their time together. In fact, we have quite a few couples that have gotten married because they met each other while in band!

What are you most looking forward to in fans returning to UCI events?
The energy! I was fortunate to help with music and crowd noise during this past season. And while it was nice to have some familiar sounds of a home game played through the PA speakers, nothing beats the organic noise and chants of fans. It's something that can't be replicated no matter how hard you try.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work/ favorite hobby?
Watching live performances, spending time & traveling with my wife, and working on DIY projects around the house.