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Saturday, March 1, 2008
Sibling Rivalry
Greater Reading, PA
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All is Fair in Love and...Sports
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Mutual respect, admiration, competitiveness – these are just a few of the words that describe the relationship between siblings. But what happens when you are not only related and attend the same high school, but you also play on the same athletic team? We sat down with a few pairs of siblings who play on the same Berks high school sports teams to get the inside scoop.
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Kyle & Josh Wheaton/ Oley Valley
Kyle, a senior at Oley Valley Senior High School, has been playing basketball since he was in eighth grade. But this is the first season where one of the starters on his team is also his little brother Josh.
“Last year my brother was on the team, but he was a freshman and didn’t get a lot of playing time,” explained Kyle, the team’s 6-4 center. “This year, as a sophomore, he starts with me. Although he is my brother, on the court he is like every other teammate. I don’t give him the ball more or less or anything like that.”
Despite his fairness on the court, Kyle said he is close with his brother. “We’re definitely good friends.”
Josh has risen through the ranks of the Lynx to become a starting forward this season. The younger of the Wheaton brothers, who has been playing basketball competitively since he was in sixth grade, said about playing with big brother Kyle, “I look up to him.”
I asked Kyle if he had a memorable experience playing with his brother this season. “Josh was having a tough game the other night,” shared Kyle. “He had four fouls and nothing was going his way. Josh can get his head out of the game easily. So I pulled him aside and said, ‘Josh, don’t let it get to you. Don’t worry. Just keep going.’ And he did. He had a couple of blocks and pushed through it. I was really proud of him.”
Josh, too, referred to that game as a high point in the Wheaton teammate/brother relationship. “I was upset and Kyle talked to me. It helped me play better the rest of the game,” Josh said.
Kyle, who is hoping to play basketball next year in college, said it’s sometimes tough to have a brother as a teammate. “If I have a bad game, I won’t stop hearing from him about it. He will let me know.”
“During the season, basketball is all we talk about,” said Kyle. “Sometimes we argue about it, or we discuss how we could have played differently. But off-season we don’t talk about it as much. We shoot around and have fun – although sometimes it does get heated. We are both competitive.”
Kristi & Kelli Noecker/ Tulpehocken
Junior Kristi Noecker is the starting shooting guard for Tulpehocken’s varsity girls’ basketball team. “It’s really nice having my sister as a teammate,” she said. “We get to spend a lot of time together, so we have really bonded.”
“We are a lot closer from playing together,” echoed younger sis Kelli who has been playing basketball since she was in second grade. “My sister had been playing two years before I started, and my dad was the basketball coach at the time. So, I joined the team.”
All those years of basketball have paid off for the freshman point guard who starts on the JV team and sees action in varsity games as well.
The Noecker gals have played together off and on since elementary school during both the school year and in summer leagues.
“We have a lot of fun playing together, said Kelli. “Although sometimes it gets frustrating at practice when we scrimmage because there is some competition between us.”
Kristi has similar feelings. “I don’t want my little sister to look better than me,” she said. “And Kelli is very good; she’s a really good ball handler.
But Kelli looks up to big sis Kristi. “It’s nice having my sister there to help me and guide through everything that went she through,” shared Kelli.
Hank & Glenn Miller/ Hamburg
Hamburg senior Hank Miller has been wrestling the past four years. “It’s both fun and challenging to have my brother as a teammate,” he said.
The brothers have been team members on and off during their wrestling careers.
When Hank was a freshman, he and Glenn were both on the same junior high team. Then Hank moved to varsity, and now for the past two years, both Miller brothers have competed at the varsity level.
Glenn, a sophomore, has also been wrestling for four years. When asked about whether he got involved with wrestling because of his older brother, he said, “Actually, it’s the other way around. My dad was involved in wrestling. When I was in seventh grade, I was interested in joining the team. Then Hank decided to wrestle that year as well.”
“We always wrestle with each other,” said Hank. “It makes us stronger and better opponents. And yes, there is a sibling rivalry, but it’s a friendly rivalry.”
“During the season, we talk about it a lot because we are both involved,” added Glenn. “It’s a 24-7 kind of thing for us.”
Glenn wrestles in a lower weight class than Hank. “I usually go out first and Hank will follow me. But if I pin my opponent, Hank will come right after me and pin his opponent faster. He is always topping me. But we are also always there for each other and to support each other.”
When asked which brother was the better wrestler, the older Miller brother Hank said, “Well, of course I am going to say I am. But when Glenn is a senior, he will be better than I am now.”
Maria & Yelitza Rodriguez/ Muhlenberg
These sisters are a competitive force as members of the Muhlenberg High School bowling team.
Both juniors have been participating in bowling competitively for three years. “I started bowling when I was around eight or nine, but I didn’t really get into it until freshman year,” said Yelitza. “My mom and dad used to be in a league, and that is what initially got me interested in bowling.”
“We have a lot of fun being teammates,” shared Maria, who also said she began bowling when she was much younger.
Yelitza feels the same way. “It’s loads of fun,” she said. “We can goof around, but we have our serious moments too.”
The sport keeps the gals busy. Maria explained that some weeks they have up to three matches against other area high schools.
I asked both sisters if they felt competitive against one another. Maria said, “Not really. We actually try to help each other with our averages. However, Yelitza had a bit of a different response. “How can you not be?” she adamantly replied. “We try to figure out our averages, and if one of us is better on a certain date, you better watch out because we will try to get each other next time.”
“Participating on the same team as a sibling brings out your competitive side,” said Yelitza. “I think you push yourself to a higher level.”
Maria said she often practices with Yelitza. “I would encourage others to work with family members if they can. It helps to have someone back you up,” she said.
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