To be a student at Anacapa means to have, it seems, countless choices in afternoon electives. And if your student has Gordon, Ryan, Hugo, or Bryan as a teacher in the afternoon this semester, then athletics may well be the elective of choice. Physical activities at Anacapa are certainly varied. The first semester offerings of athletics were soccer, swimming, squash, golf, volleyball, surfing, and sailing. This semester, Anacapa has surfing, team sports, tennis, kickboxing, squash, and golf. The goal of having so many options is to encourage the students to branch out and find some activity that they will want to continue to do long after their school days are over, setting the stage for a lifelong commitment to fitness that will be an asset to their overall health and well-being.
For team sports, Ryan takes students to the Carrillo Street gym, East Beach, or the West Beach field, where volleyball, soccer, basketball, and athletic skill assessments take place. The students really enjoy the variety of team games and skills that accompany each sport, and they appreciate the challenges that Ryan sets up for them. A groundswell of student interest encouraged the reintroduction of tennis this semester with Ryan as the teacher. At the municipal tennis courts on Coast Village Road, students learn the form that is needed for serving, rallying, and hitting backhands and forehands. There are several skill levels in this class, and the experienced players are improving their game and assisting the beginners as well. Friendly competitions take place, and a round robin tournament will be starting soon.
Hugo joins students in the fun and challenging atmosphere of martial arts when he takes kids to kickboxing. This popular class is taught by instructors at the Santa Barbara Martial Arts Family Fitness Center, and Hugo has the opportunity to participate and learn alongside the students, while sweating and learning techniques of self-defense. In squash, Robert Graham over at the Santa Barbara Athletic Club coaches our kids in the sport of squash. Students get an amazing workout and learn techniques in using their own strengths as well as finding their opponents’ weak spots to win games. The students are improving their skill level and truly having a great time!
Gordon continues the tradition of taking kids surfing at local spots around Santa Barbara and Ventura. We have a couple of beginners this semester and a couple of experienced surfers. Gordon is busy teaching the kids how to get their “stoke” on and to appreciate not only the power of the ocean but also the incredible natural beauty of the area we live in. In this class, too, the experienced surfers are really supportive, coming alongside the beginners to show them the ropes of the difficult and exciting sport of surfing and cheering on their progress.
Bryan takes kids out to Twin Lakes Golf Course in Goleta to get a lesson and to play the great game of golf. Our instructor is Anacapa alum Buff Platt, Class of 1993, who teaches the students this challenging and sometimes “frustrating” sport. Correcting that swing in order for the ball to stay straight and to not slice or draw is easier said than done! The kids, and Bryan, have a fabulous time being outside in the sunshine, learning this sport together. There are fun team or partner scrambles that take place, and there is even video analysis that Buff uses to show the golfers how they can adjust their form to improve their game.
Overall, the athletic program here at Anacapa is wonderful in many ways. It has tremendous variety, and the students, teachers, and instructors absolutely love what they do! Having the teachers not only directing but participating as well is another way for our students and teachers to become more closely knit together, which has benefits back in the academic classroom in terms of mutual respect. Anacapa’s unique combination of challenge, competition, cooperation, and support ensures that the physical activities are a real growth experience for every student in every class. It’s our hope, too, that the fun the students have in sports classes will motivate them to continue their athletic experience long after the classes have finished.