High school sports can be stressful enough with the constant pressure to do well and impress coaches all while balancing sports with classes and other extracurriculars. The athlete “stars” of the team have an especially hard job having to constantly meet their coaches expectations and maintain a good reputation all around. However, many of these amazing athletes often have younger siblings who choose to do the same sport as well, and end up facing extreme pressure to live up to their older sibling’s reputation in a specific sport. Freshman and varsity field hockey player Selena Kaup has an older sister who currently plays field hockey in college. In previous years, her sister Lauren also played Marshall varsity field hockey with the same coach Selena currently has. Being on the same team that her older sister was a few years ago has caused Kaup to feel partly motivated, but partly under more pressure too. These difficulties range from other people’s expectations to their own built in stress.
“People expect me to play the same style that my sister does, but we are both different when its comes to field hockey so that can be hard sometimes,” Kaup said.
Likewise, senior and varsity field hockey player has an older sister who played on the field hockey team when she was in high school.
“Knowing that my sister had so much talent and skills she could teach me was great, but on the other hand it’s always been big shoes to fill,” Sexton said. “She was always the outspoken and aggressive one of us to, so I think that definitely scared me a bit.”
Although there are downsides for particular things, there are upsides, too. Having an older sibling athlete can also mean having someone to work out with, or get advice and inspiration from.
“My sister was a huge leader on all her teams, so I think her leadership has rubbed off on me,” Kaup said.
Sexton also holds a strong admiration for her sister, Emily, and her demeanor.
“My sister’s unwavering passion and effort in all the sports she played has always been a characteristic I admired and aspired to have myself,” Sexton said.
Additionally, not all siblings feel the pressure that comes with having a siblings athlete.
Junior Brendan Dudding plays on the varsity football team, while his brother Dallas played varsity a few years back, too.
“I loved watching him and he gave me a lot of motivation to be better and still helps me with my game now, but I don’t feel any pressure,” Dudding said.
Although having an older particularly amazing athlete as a sibling can be hard to compete with, it can also be highly motivating for them.
Dudding mentions how watching his brother play football helped improve him, too.
“I saw how his team had gone 0-10 and he had worked pretty hard, so that made me want to become a better leader and make sure that my team works hard because I never want to feel the disappointment that he did,”
Besides getting tips from a sibling, working out with them is another way that siblings are able to improve together.
“It’s great exercising and bettering myself alongside my sister because we both genuinely want to see each other be our best self,” Sexton said.
Having the same teammates and coaches can also strengthen relationships on the team.
“Marshall field hockey is such a close knit family that from the very beginning I felt at home because all my coaches and teammates knew me as “Emily’s lil’ sis,” Sexton said.
Although having an older sibling play the same sport can be pressurizing to live up to their expectations, there are many benefits to having someone alongside to work with.