Oaks Christian Summer Practice

View photo gallery of the practice HERE

Watch the interview of the Oaks Christian athletes HERE

We met with the Oaks Christian of Westlake, CA at a park in nearby Agoura. Head coach Wes Smith was away on vacation, but impressively the athletes followed the pre-workout exercises and then ran a tempo run along Chesebro Rd in Agoura.

Nearby schools Calabasas and Viewpoint were also at the park for their practice and their pictures are included in the gallery. Coach Wes Smith shared information about the team:

How often does the team meet in the summer?

We practice 6 days a week during the summer. The first two weeks of summer were the CIF mandated dead period and after we have sessions 6 days per week in the morning with a couple of additional afternoon sessions on their own. 

What are some of the summer highlights for the team?

The summer highlights include a varsity camp June in mammoth and the main event all team camp in flagstaff at the end of July. 

How does Oaks Christian build team culture?

We emphasize the three cultural values the school highlights… respect, trust, and growth. These are incorporated into our camps, warm ups, team talks, and devotions. At the flagstaff camp the team will identify the character skills that the team wants to focus on this season. Our camps and overnight trips plus daily practices and team activities are opportunities for us to bond, build relationships, and practice our highlighted character skills. 

What are some of the cross country season highlights?

We don’t race a lot in the regular season.  Woodbridge and Clovis will be our target races plus a lesser emphasis on the Marmonte League Preview. That’s it for the varsity. However, year we are considering the Desert Twilight for a select group of varsity athletes. Then we train for 4 weeks before Marmonte finals and the CIF postseason run to state. Sterling and Arize will be liking to qualify for nationals as well.