Sturdy Oakes

Three girls are studying in the stands, the track team is stretching, wide receivers are running post patterns, a kicker is practicing fields goals and basketball players are entering the gym for practice.

It’s 4:30 p.m. at Harvard-Westlake High. School has been over for almost two hours and Jill Oakes is standing in the middle of 15 cheerleaders. She does not look like a cheerleader.

Other cheer members are wearing tank tops and jazz pants. Oakes is dressed in soccer shorts, a U.S. National team T-shirt and soccer socks pulled up to her knees.

While the squad discusses who is throwing a party over the weekend, Oakes runs to her car where her shinguards and cleats await.

There will be no post-practice gossip for Oakes. The junior is late for soccer practice.

“It’s hard to organize my energy, but I feel it’s worth it because it makes me happy,” Oakes said. “It’s what I want to do. When I really start to feel the difference is when I have everything at once. When I have a soccer game, cheerleading and a test the next day, I stop and think that it’s too much.

“But I refuse to give it up. This is what I’ve chosen to do and this is what makes me happy. If I’m not happy then I don’t feel like I’m using my life correctly.”

Oakes balances cheerleading, dance performances, soccer and the Olympic Development program while being an honor student at an academic school.

Oakes is the heart of the girls’ soccer team and one of the region’s most dangerous players.

In spite of her success,she remains modest. Oakes, who has four sisters and one brother doesn’t have to tell people how good she is. They tell her.

“She is such an impact on and off the field,” said Louisville midfielder Jenny Farenbaugh. “It’s not just her soccer skills. It’s her personality, her humbleness and her desire to succeed.”

Soccer isn’t Oakes’ only stage. She is an avid dancer. Since Oakes was five, she has aspired to be a dancer like the ones on the television show “In Living Color.”

And a member of the U.S. National team.

And a choreographer for music videos on MTV.

And a college graduate.

All are within reach.

Oakes is a threat from anywhere on the soccer field.

Whether a defender on her club team, the Valley United Stars, a forward in high school or a defensive midfielder on the Olympic Development regional team, Oakes stands out.

“Jill Oakes is the best player in the region, both boys and girls,” said Terry Davila, her former club coach.

“And I saw her dance. She might be a better dancer than a soccer player. She’s the type of person we’re going to say, ‘We knew her when she was young.’ ”

Oakes has struggled at times.

From March 1998 through June 2000, Oakes battled through Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease, which is tendinitis in the kneecap occurring in growing children ages 10-16.

Doctors told her there was no cure for the disease.

She was given two choices--play through the pain or quit.

Quitting wasn’t an option. While her teammates practiced, Oakes trained in the pool and on a stationary bike.

Oakes has returned to top form.

She was recently selected to the under-17 National team.

In April, the team will compete in a 10-day tour to Canada, Germany, Holland and France.

The team will be competing in the under-19 division, with most games against other National teams.

“I think to play for our National team is the greatest honor because it’s what every girl who plays soccer dreams of,” Oakes said.

“I think the few moments before the first whistle blows it definitely crosses my mind where I am and playing. I get my confidence from knowing I was chosen among them, but once the game starts it is all about pride, first for the team and for the country.”

Before Oakes can worry about National team business, she has a few tasks she wants to complete at Harvard-Westlake.

Oakes, who played for Birmingham as a freshman, is hoping to add a second consecutive Mission League title to her collection.

For the Wolverines to be successful, a victory over league-rival Chaminade on Friday is imperative.

On the broader horizon, Oakes, who won mnational championships with the Stars in 1996 and ‘98, has her eyes set on a Southern Section championship.

‘It’s important to us because we’ve always been a top team and it’s important that we continue to build a strong program at our school,” said Oakes, who has nine goals, 14 assists and was selected to The Times’ All-Region team last season.

“We have something to prove by winning a [Southern Section] championship, and I think we can do it.”