Every week at Oak Knoll, we highlight examples of our rich academic program, robust STREAM integrations, comprehensive music and art offerings, mastery-based learning, student and alumnae/i profiles, faculty excellence, leadership development, service work, and more. This week presents an exciting opportunity to highlight the magnificent ethos of the Oak Knoll Athletic Department — a sports program seeking primarily to develop the whole child while offering the community exciting opportunities to cheer and support (whether in victory or loss) as well as celebrate more than a few milestone championships in the process. As Athletic Director Kelly Childs declares, “This week in particular, it’s a great week to be a Royal!”

Oak Knoll Soccer entered last weekend with an exciting upset over No. 1-seeded Westfield that catapulted our team to the county championship this Saturday. This was the first loss for Westfield soccer in over 50 games — the longest unbeaten streak in New Jersey. Throughout this coming week, spectators can follow their momentum on the road and cheer them on in a few remaining regular season games leading up to the championship but also support all our fall season teams in an array of competitions that will highlight the character, sportsmanship, and exuberance of our student-athletes across the board.

Here are some fantastic opportunities to catch live action this week and cheer on the Royals

• The Soccer team plays for the Prep Schools quarterfinal Tuesday against Pennington at Pennington at 3 p.m. Pennington is one of the top teams in the state, let alone a competitive national soccer program.
• Volleyball is having an impressive season with a 16-2 record and plays in the NJISAA Prep School Semifinals on Tuesday, October 17 at 4 p.m. at Rutgers Prep. If we win, the Championship game is played immediately following at 7pm. 
• Field Hockey continues its strong season with more games against top ranked opponents this week traveling to Kingsway on Wednesday, and beginning the Union County Tournament Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. at ALJ. 
• The Varsity Cross Country team won the Union County Mountain Division Championship last week and will race this Thursday in the Union County Championships at Warinanco Park at 2:45 p.m. 
• Varsity Soccer earned a spot in the Union County Tournament Championship game which they will play on Saturday, October 21 at 5 p.m. at ALJ High School against Summit High School —a number 3 seed and one of our top cross-town rivals so it promises to be an exciting game.

Please consider following along with all the action of all fall sports this week and coming out to support our student athletes. The most updated information is always available on MyOKS.

“We firmly believe that our sports programs teach life lessons and our coaches instill that you are more than an athlete. Yes, we want our students to identify as strong female athletes, and we love that, but you are also a champion for service, a champion for academics, and champion for our school,” explained Childs. 

For example, our tennis players played in an all-day tennis tournament at Pingry for the Preps Championship last Friday, and on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. they were in Tisdall Hall setting up for a free tennis clinic for youth on a rainy morning to give back to our community.

“Our student athletes are competing against the best teams in the county and state and proving they have what it takes,” Childs said. “That requires a lot of dedication and a lot of really, really good people in support — great coaches and great families who believe in them and what we do here in our athletic program. But it’s definitely much more than just playing sports. It’s all about the life lessons that we teach through our sports programs. It is hard, time-consuming work, but when it comes together, it’s really a beautiful thing, and I think that that’s what you’re seeing this week — an athletic program that’s working really hard and working out on many levels and giving these young women the opportunity to play on the biggest stage with hopefully every resource that they possibly need to do so.”