Sibling Sports

photos by Ty Browning 

The Mohr Brothers 

Freshman midfielder Will Mohr is pissed off. The lacrosse team faced unspeakable defeat in the St. Louis tournament, and he is beating himself up about it. When he gets back to the hotel, the only person who can calm him down is his brother and senior attack Tripp Mohr. He sits Will down and tells him he can’t get worked up and show that type of emotion on the field. He can be mad later, but on the field he has to keep his cool.

“It was a really cool memory that I’ll always have,” Will said. “Him just sitting me down in the hotel room and talking to me [about] all that stuff. [I] wouldn’t have been able to have that conversation with anyone else.”

No other teammate could have spoken to Will like Tripp did. Siblings who play sports together have an unbreakable bond that makes them better teammates. It molds them into stronger players on the field and more supportive siblings off the field.

Without saying a word, Will knows where Tripp wants him to be on the field. Playing in the backyard and knowing what the other is thinking has made them an in-sync duo. There’s no sibling rivalry, just pure chemistry.

Teammate and senior attack William Larson sees the value and brotherhood in their off the field relationship by their interactions and the way they look out for each other. He can tell they are always looking out for one another and trying to help each other out.

“There is no closer relationship than your own brother,” Larson said.

Epitomizing the stereotypical older brother role, Tripp makes Will go get balls he misses at practice and pushes him around a little, which he claims forces him to be a tougher player. Besides showing him techniques and moves, Tripp has helped improve Will’s mental game.

“Mentally, telling me what to do, when and how people are going to try to influence you and impact you, stuff like that,” Will said. “Maintain being smart and playing well.”  

But it goes both ways, as Tripp has picked up a thing or two from Will. When he sees Will out in the yard working on doges and shooting the ball, Tripp is impressed by his work ethic for and it pushes him to grab his lax stick and get in the yard too.

The MacAdam Sisters 

Silence.

Junior Katie MacAdam holds her freshmen sister Lizzie MacAdam’s blocks before her race. Katie knows Lizzie doesn’t talk before her races to get in the zone, just like Lizzie knows Katie rubs her lucky baton before every race.

“We know each other so well that it is like basically talking to myself,” Lizzie said.

The sisters’ closeness results in them being able to anticipate each other’s needs and learn how to comfort each other after a tough run.

This season, Katie placed a lot of stress on herself to meet the high expectations she set her sophomore year. According to their mom Lori MacAdam, Katie was able to talk through her insecurities and doubts with Lizzie because they were so close. As a result, Mrs. MacAdam sees that Katie has become more focused and confident throughout the season.

When Katie misses her finals time by .01 seconds, everyone crowds around asking if she is OK, but Lizzie knows what her sister needs. She gives her a little space then puts her hand on her sister’s shoulder and tells her she is still good. She knows just how to pick her sister up by having a ‘you’ll get them next time’ attitude.

Katie looks up to Lizzie like Lizzie looks up to Katie. As a junior, Katie has grown to be secure in her skills and her place on the team but has an acute case of self-diagnosed junioritis that affects her willingness to practice. She is always impressed by how Lizzie shows up ready to earn her place on the team.  

“She comes down fresh and ready, which inspires me to go out on the track and practice to get better,” Katie said.

When Katie and Lizzie aren’t running around the track, they are rooting for each other and providing unconditional support.  

Screaming from the sidelines, Katie excitedly cheers on Lizzie while she makes her way over the row of hurdles. Everyone stares at her while she frantically runs along the sideline next to her sister and cheers, but she doesn’t care because Lizzie is running her first race. As soon as she crosses the finish line, an exhausted Lizzie runs up to Katie and gives her a hug.

“There was no one else in that moment that I would rather be proud of me than her,” Lizzie said. 

The Smith Sisters 

Junior Izzy Smith and freshman Lucy Smith walk into the overwhelming smell of chlorine at the East pool together. With caps, goggles and matching suits, the only distinction between the sisters is the L.Smith and I.Smith in bold Lancer-blue printed on their caps.

Izzy has been swimming year round since she was 10 years old; she focuses on who she needs to beat and aims for times to please colleges. The dedication Izzy has is inspiring to most freshmen, but even more so to her sister Lucy.

Lucy sees her sister as the perfect example of hard work paying off, as she made varsity all three years of high school. While Lucy is also focused on competing and getting state times, she also prioritizes making her teammates smile after a grueling morning practice.

“They are both genuine people and they are always happy,” teammate sophomore Riley Kimmel said.  “Lucy is very chatty and she has an outgoing personality [,but] Izzy is little bit more reserved… They help bring out each other.”

While the sisters swam together at Leawood, this time swimming together is different. Swimming at a higher level and getting to finally participate in the comradery of the girls swim team is indescribable until you are finally apart of it. Together Izzy and Lucy help each other find a balance between dedication and having a fun while doing your passion.  

“[Lucy taught me]you don’t to take everything so seriously all the time,” Izzy said. “Lucy likes to have fun during practice and everything. I’m usually just coming in and getting the work done.”