If an academic generation spans four years — the time it takes to raise a rangy freshman into a big, bad senior — then Malibu High School athletics is still in its youth.
Since its founding in 1992, only five classes of seniors have worn the teal and black school colors. But with 19 varsity teams and already a raft of 14 Frontier League titles, MHS sports has, like many L.A. youngsters, grown up very quickly.
With a passion for athletics, MHS Principal Michael Matthews said he firmly believes in the value of athletics, and contends that a strong athletic program does nothing but enhance the life of the school.
Matthews said developing an athletic program has been “very similar to building an academic program; both rely on high expectations.”
Ever since he arrived at MHS, Matthews said he has focused on the “side-by-side growth of academics and athletics.”
He points to recent Frontier League championships — in girls and boys volleyball, boys water polo and girls track — as well as acceptances to schools, such as Harvard and Stanford, as proof that the two do complement each other.
In fact, many contend that athletics does nothing but enhance the school’s mission to produce well-rounded students.
“Those teams have figured out that they can win,” said Matthews. “It’s one more way of teaching students that they can be successful.”
Girls’ volleyball captain Brittany Yerby is an example of a well-rounded MHS student.
“I take a lot of [tough] academic classes, as do many other athletes,” said Yerby. “[Sports] does take away from academics, but without volleyball I’d probably go crazy.”
In fact, some teams have enjoyed so much success they have long transcended start-up status. In spite of its youth and a relatively small enrollment of about 600, Malibu boasts a boys water polo team with a near-record, five-year win streak and volleyball teams that have broken into the top-10 in their CIF division.
Though the Sharks are new, the city’s athletic culture is not. In fact, many current Sharks were already honing their skills before the school even existed.
“Our kids have wonderful skills [from] AYSO, Little League and club organizations,” said Matthews.
The athletes and the overall climate of athleticism in Malibu help MHS teams to achieve success beyond their years, he added.
“In some sports they’re still working to establish a tradition, but volleyball is definitely a [mature] program,” said Yerby. “We’ve always had a high standard for us.”
Likewise, girls track and cross country coach Jennifer Gonzalez said last year’s track league championship, in which the Sharks upset “perennial powerhouse” Nordhoff, marked a proud moment, not only because Malibu is so new, but also because it enrolls barely half the number of students as do league rivals such as Nordhoff.
Though MHS cannot entice prospective coaches or athletes with tales of age-old prowess, Matthews said he has endeavored to build the program, in part, by linking it indelibly with the rest of the school through teacher-coaches.
“One of my goals has always been to have teachers who like to coach,” said Matthews. “It’s important to make connections with kids. We believe that the more students are involved in school, the better they do.”
“I can get to know the kids,” said Gonzalez. “Some of the kids on my cross country team have become some of my closest friends because they’re just so terrific.”
But while athletes like Yerby may enjoy the trials of developing new skills and making new friends while winning at the same time, some MHS teams still struggle both to win and to find their athletic identity.
According to Matthews, football and basketball are still difficult sports. The playershave yet to learn quite how to walk, much less tackle, pass and run.
“The challenges have been many,” said football coach Rich Lawson, whose teams have had trouble getting the numbers of athletes needed for the sport because it’s a very difficult commitment.
“Other sports have matured faster,” he said.
With a program experiencing “growing pains,” Lawson said many MHS students simply lack the work ethic and dedication that a strong football program demands. He deals not only with drills and plays, but also tardiness and even an episode of student unrest that compelled him to bench eight players from a recent game.
According to Lawson, an episode of junior-senior class rivalry escalated into a near-brawl. Lawson said none of his players was directly involved, but their presence represented “poor decision-making on their parts.”
“Programs with a tradition don’t have to deal with the things that I do,” said Lawson. “I could write a book of excuses for being absent.”
Lawson attributes some of his challenges to Malibu itself, though he does not disparage the town or the lifestyle; he simply notes it fosters a unique athletic culture.
In a city where surfing — an icon of athletic individualism — dominates, many would-be Sharks often choose to stay in the ocean.
Malibu has a lot of “beach surfer-types,” said Lawson. “There’s nothing wrong with that — I surf myself. But the beach school dominates inland teams in sports like water polo, and it’s the other way around with football.”
Nevertheless, Lawson said that his dedicated players, numbering fewer than 30, “show up with a very strong willing spirit.”
Though Gonzalez said her runners receive strong support from parents and other boosters, Lawson describes a different situation surrounding a sport that is traditionally an epicenter of parental and community enthusiasm.
“Boosters have a tough time,” said Lawson. “Those that are involved work hard, but [overall] there’s not a lot of parent involvement.”
And for Lawson, the absence of support for football indicates what he describes as a troubling trend in high school sports.
“All the young kids in all the sports get tons of fans at little league and AYSO,” said Lawson. “But at 13, it’s like you’re on your own. At high school they back off.”
While students and faculty alike describe a program of immeasurable benefit to its participants, perhaps nowhere does its focus on the student-athletes become more apparent than in row upon row of empty bleachers.
Matthews said the boys water polo can draw as many as 150 fans and that athletes often come out to support other athletes, but overall, Malibu’s teams play largely for themselves. Projects that may boost school spirit and mark yet another step toward full maturity include a new gym, track and bleachers, which are all under construction, and Matthews said he expects “that football will be key for drawing large crowds.”
Lawson said the new facility will be “a good shot in the arm.”
But even with new bleachers, MHS still must rouse support if it wishes to fill them.
Though its various academic and athletic victories give MHS the sheen of an all-American high school, Malibu is still not the typical small town.
“I wouldn’t call Malibu a typical anything,” said Matthews.
Despite the school’s achievements, “Malibu doesn’t yet have the tradition where people come and watch an event,” he said. “[The city is] 27 miles long, so [MHS] is not a true neighborhood school.
“I hope that improves.”