On March 17, Oak Park High School stunt competed against Royal High School in an intense match ending in an 11-14 loss. Stunt games consist of four quarters: partner stunts, pyramids, jumps and tumbling and a combination round.
The girls started off the season strong by winning two games, which is a big stride forward for OPHS stunt.
“We are stepping into a season where we’re taking wins for the first time in over five years,” coach Nicola Kerns said. “So, any game where we can put points on the board is a good game for us.”
During the match, the judge will call out a numbered routine that both teams have prepared, and the two teams perform against each other simultaneously.
“There are six routines. We practice all six and whichever one they call, we end up throwing it on the mat,” captain Audrey Wu said.
The OPHS stunt team has routines one through four prepared, but has not mastered routines five and six. If these routines are called, Oak Park will not perform and the opposing team will earn an automatic point. During the March 17 game, Royal earned a technical foul for calling two routines that Oak Park did not prepare.
The Oak Park team, while not holding the strongest win record, always maintains sportsmanship and positive attitudes.
“One of our goals is to remain the number one team in kindness. We definitely hold that title and I want to never let go of that,” Kerns said.
Tuesday’s game against Royal was a close match, and Oak Park even won their previous game against Royal on March 3.
“Although the points weren’t reflected on the scoreboard, we showed up and it was a really tight game,” captain Marissa Kalan said. “All the girls tried their hardest and I’m really proud of everyone who pushed through.”
Come watch Oak Park stunt as they continue to improve and prove to be tough competition. Their next match will take place at Simi Valley High School on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. against Moorpark.
