Athletics

Our Athletics Program builds the kind of resilience and persistence that helps students succeed no matter what they do.

Every student participates in the program while they’re here. And whether they’re stars or rookies, whether they win or lose, students test and explore their own relationship to commitment, teamwork, stress, and personal limits.

List of 2 items.

  • Our Approach

    Our approach to coaching is a lot like our approach to teaching—most coaches are also teachers here, after all—in that we seek the zone where the mental and physical challenges facing each student are truly tough, but attainable with the right support. It’s how we produce champions, record-breakers, and college athletes, but also students who can confidently manage any demanding task at Thacher and beyond.

  • Different Paths

    Our approach also lets students chart a different kind of path. Every student is required to play on one third, JV, or varsity team before they graduate, but you’ll also see students joining activities you won’t find at other schools. The Rock Climbing Program takes students bouldering in the surrounding mountains, practicing belaying techniques on the indoor climbing wall, and tackling multi-pitch climbs in Joshua Tree or Yosemite. Students returning to the Horse Program spend afternoons training for gymkhana events and exploring the surrounding trails. And for juniors and seniors with unique talents and passions, Independent Projects allow them to create their own course of study for anything from martial arts or photography to aerial dance or painting.

Recent Athletics Highlights

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  • Boys’ Basketball

    Frontier League Co-Champion 2017

  • Girls’ Basketball

    CIF Semi-Finalist in 2015

  • Coaching

    Jason Carney (Boys’ Varsity Basketball) voted Frontier League Coach of the Year; Pete Fagan (Girls’  Varsity Tennis) awarded Frontier League Coach of the Year and USPTA California High School Coach of the Year

  • Boys’ Cross Country

    State qualifier for 11 consecutive years; 2nd in the Southern Section Championships in 2017;  6th in the state in 2016

  • Football

    Condor League Champion in 2016; CIF Runner-Up and Condor League Champion in 2015

  • Boys’ Tennis

    Tri-Valley League Champion in 2015

  • Girls’ Tennis

    CIF Champions in 2015 and 2016; Runners-Up in 2014

  • Track and Field

    Many School records broken, including the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x400, and 1600m.

—Lukas

“Playing on three varsity teams provided me with a competitive and rewarding experience, while simultaneously allowing me to grow in a place outside of the classroom. Thanks to my incredible coaches and teammates, and all I was able to accomplish, I now play football at Middlebury College and have loved every part of it.”

Middlebury, Vermont

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A college preparatory, coed boarding school for grades 9-12
The Thacher School
5025 Thacher Road
Ojai, California, 93023

Tel : 805-646-4377
Fax: 805-646-9490
Email: info@thacher.org
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Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.