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Siblings
Score On and Off the Field
by
Rebecca Vara
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| Tom
and Maria flash happy soccer sibling smiles. |
Competing
in college athletics and getting the chance to
show off your skills in a huge stadium is a dream
come true for most student athletes. But once
you get there, being a little fish in the big
college sea with no one around to cheer you on
can be rough. You're used to having the entire
town as your cheering squad, but suddenly you're
just a random player on the field. That could
be a huge confidence crusher for any athlete,
unless you're lucky enough to have your sibling
right there with you.
For
Arcadia University's sensational soccer duo, Tom
and Maria DeGeorge of Holmesburg, PA, they have
each other as a number-one fan. And, it really
does make all the difference.
Tom,
a senior history major, is not only one of the
Philadelphia, PA-based university's top players,
he's also one of the best in the nation. By leading
his team into the third round of the 2002 NCAA
tournament, Tom earned honorable mention, All-American
status, and the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference
(PAC) Player of the Year award. While Tom is achieving
goals, his younger sister Maria, a freshman corporate
communications major, is scoring goals on the
women's soccer team. She led the team with 14
assists and netted nine goals, which earned her
the title of PAC 2002 Rookie of the Year.
Both Tom and Maria are proof that two siblings
can play, study, and survive peacefully on the
same college campus. Through it all, they say,
they're devoted supporters of each other in soccer
and scholastics. "Knowing Maria is always
there cheering me on makes me want to play better,"
Tom says. "And after a game, we give each
other helpful hints on what we can do to be better
next time."
Besides pushing each other to excel on the field,
this sporty duo is well aware that their education
comes first. "We keep on each other with
schoolwork the same way we do on the field,"
Maria explains. "When Tom found out I was
struggling in psychology, he told me I had to
study more, and he kept on me about my assignments."
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| Maria
(right) keeps up with her studies. |
Even
though Maria earned a 3.3 grade point average
last semester, Tom still feels he has to take
on the "big brother" role by encouraging
her to consider scholastics top priority. "I
always remind her that college is not just about
having fun and going out. Studying and work come
first," he says.
Although
Tom has seniority, Maria gives her brother something
to think about, too. "Sometimes I send him
a card to encourage him, or stop by his room before
a big game to pump him up," says Maria. "Before
the NCAAs, I played him a song."
Some
big brothers may feel pressure with their little
sister running around campus, but that's not the
case with Tom. "I'm glad she's here because
I get to see her games. I'd rather have her here
than someplace else."
As
the youngest, Maria enjoys Tom's advice. "Before
going to college, I really didn't know what to
expect from college or soccer," she explains.
"So during the summer, Tom trained me to
be ready."
Both
Tom and Maria agree that in order to have a healthy
sibling relationship, competitiveness needs to
be ruled out. "Don't take it personally,
and remember, you're only [critical of each other]
to help out," advises Maria. "This way,
you'll be able to encourage one another nicely,
without having to worry about sibling rivalry."
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