When UCLA and California compete on Saturday, it will be a unique matchup between sisters Margzetta and eMjae Frazier. Margzetta, a redshirt senior with the No. 6 Bruins, is four years older than her sister eMjae, a freshman with No. 7 Cal. Growing up, eMjae wanted nothing more than for her older sister to watch her compete, and Saturday will be the first time the Frazier sisters have ever faced each other.
Both Margzetta and eMjae have had successful gymnastics careers. Margzetta extended her streak of consecutive no-fall routines this season to 109, contributing regularly on vault, beam, and floor. Meanwhile, eMjae was named Pac-12 Specialist of the Week after winning event titles on floor and vault against Stanford on Jan. 28 and has won five different titles in three events in five encounters.
The Frazier family has prepared for this special event. Margzetta’s father, William Frazier, created a special shirt for the occasion, cutting a UCLA shirt down the middle to fuse with a half Cal shirt. Margzetta’s mother, Tina Frazier, is nervous, excited, and unsure of how to handle this unique event for the family.
eMjae is focused and serious while Margzetta likes to improvise new skills. Margzetta admires her sister’s combination of strength, flexibility, and grace. With elite level skills like a double floor layout and a double twisted Yurchenko on the vault, eMjae can do things Margzetta never dreamed of.
Margzetta began gymnastics as a child at a gym in Sicklerville, NJ, 10 minutes from the family home. The Fraziers liked it because it kept their eldest daughter busy and it was close to home. But when new coaches took over and noticed how talented 10-year-old Margzetta was, they encouraged the family to pursue top-level gymnastics.
Saturday’s doubles meet in Berkeley will be a unique event for the Frazier family. Margzetta knows that she will keep an eye on every move her sister makes. She’s happy to share lip gloss, give out an extra helping of glitter, and offer good luck, but she’ll still be tapping into UCLA’s “Bruin bubble.” “At the end of the day,” Margzetta said, “we both mean business.”