Wearing their In-N-Out hats, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors come together to rehearse singing “Feliz Cumpleaños” outside. They are practicing their singing so they can play a lighthearted prank on their Spanish-speaking coach by serenading him with the traditional happy birthday song, even though it’s not his birthday. Amid laughter and screams, the Westridge varsity soccer team, who just suffered a 4–0 loss to the Chadwick Dolphins, find joy in the moment that follows their defeat—at an iconic SoCal fast-food restaurant, In-N-Out.

All but one team in the Prep League—the athletic league Westridge participates in—are within 20 minutes of Westridge, with the farthest being Providence High School in Burbank. The odd one out is Chadwick School, a K–12 school in Palos Verdes; the drive to and from Chadwick can take upwards of an hour each way. Because sporting events often finish in the late afternoon, Westridge is responsible for ensuring their athletes eat at an appropriate time. So, when teams take their turn to compete at Chadwick, athletes can eagerly look forward to a meal sponsored by Westridge afterwards. Oftentimes, the meal manifests itself as an In-N-Out burger and fries.

No matter the final score of a game, Westridge teams can count on the In-N-Out experience when competing at Chadwick. With seasons so short and practices so frequent, this dinner is one of the only school-sponsored team bonding events. 

Coach Melanie Horn, the Director of Athletics at Westridge, is happy to support the visit. “I love the In-N-Out game. It’s a rather large imposition for teams to travel that far for a single league game. In order to make it a fun experience, adding a quick dinner at a restaurant that most students and coaches enjoy makes good sense.” She continued, “As a former Westridge coach, I too enjoyed the stop. Good food and great company.” 

For athletes new and old, the In-N-Out game is a fun opportunity to connect with their teammates, whom they only play with for a few months out of the year. Larkin M. ’27 is a new student at Westridge and has had two In-N-Out games so far (although it is important to note that one team visit to In-N-Out was after a flag football game against Brentwood School, in west Los Angeles, as the school is also far. Chadwick did not sport a girls flag football team in the inaugural 2023 season).  

“I got to talk to people more than I normally do in practice. It was just really fun spending time with people, especially coming off of a win in flag football,” Larkin said. She also connected more with her coaches, as they were more laid back outside of practice. She said, “I loved how the coaches are a lot more casual at In-N-Out. It’s like they’re taking off their coach disguises.”

Even after several team dinners at In-N-Out, upperclassmen still appreciate the tradition. Imogen S. ’25 has played Varsity Soccer for the last three years. Like Larkin, she equally cherishes the trip to the classic California fast-food chain, highlighting the chance to bond with her team. “No matter what the outcome of the game is, we can all hang out and enjoy some delicious food and bond with the team and our coaches. It’s a really important tradition that students look forward to every season,” Imogen said. 

With one season left as a Westridge athlete, Associated Student Body Athletics Representative Jade I. ’24, a Varsity volleyball and softball player, is sad to leave the In-N-Out games behind in the future. Jade, who played on the Varsity team for all four years of high school, found her interactions with the Junior Varsity and Frosh/Soph teams limited. But In-N-Out allowed her to connect with players of all levels “I thought that for volleyball, that’s where we could really bond with other teams,” Jade said. “Not just varsity, but also JV.”