THOUSAND OAKS : Students to Test Gladiator Abilities

The students at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks had a tough time mimicking Family Feud a few years ago because they couldn’t change the answer boards quickly enough. And in the Dating Game the year after, teen-agers blurted out things they shouldn’t have said.

But this year’s game show involves students from choir members to athletes in a contest of physical ability rather than wit, said Eric Johnson, the school’s Assn. of Student Government president.

Every year the students at the school organize an evening event that follows a game-show theme to entertain other students and parents. This year, it’s the “American Gladiators,” a game show that pits hulking opponents against average contestants.

On Thursday afternoon about 40 students turned out for the first day of tryouts, jumping rope, doing chin-ups and having their endurance and balance tested by running up and down a steep hill and attempting to push one another off logs.

Ten boys and 10 girls will be chosen to serve in the games.

Students will compete in games from 7 to 11 p.m on Dec. 14 and can attend a dance afterward, Johnson said. One game challenges contestants to maneuver their way past each other with a football in hand. In another, team members try to knock one another off platforms with padded sticks like giant Q-tips.