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It\u2019s always a family affair at the U-M Lacrosse Stadium. On any given day it\u2019s common to see a sibling duo trading passes or yelling encouragement from across the field. For the van Wees and the Goodloe siblings, suiting up for the Wolverines means more than school pride. It\u2019s a continuation of a lifelong bond that\u2019s now woven into the culture of Michigan lacrosse.<\/p>\n
Freshman Truus van Wees, an attacker on the women\u2019s team, carries more than just her skill when she walks onto the field \u2014 she also brings years of backyard scrimmages, sibling rivalries and family pride. Truus grew up playing multiple sports and emulating her older brothers, one of whom is current senior defenseman Kees van Wees for the men\u2019s game. While Truus\u2019 own drive helped propel her to success in the sports she played, three older siblings pushed her to the max.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all super competitive,\u201d Truus told The Michigan Daily. \u201cWe never let anything go, if one of us wins something, the other won\u2019t stop talking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up with her brothers wasn\u2019t just friendly competition for Truus \u2014 it was preparation for a bigger state. And soon, while watching her older brother carve out his path at Michigan, she started to envision her own story unfolding. Originally, Truus never planned to be a Wolverine. But when she and her family moved Kees into his dorm his freshman year, she realized she wanted to follow in his footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cHe\u2019s been one of my biggest role models,\u201d Truus said. \u201cSeeing him work hard and have it all pay off is really inspiring\u201d<\/p>\n
That admiration goes both ways for the van Weeses, as Kees has watched his younger sister\u2019s journey with pride. And, as always, with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDivision I lacrosse was always our dream,\u201d Kees told The Daily. \u201cI eventually chose Michigan, and Truus was always hinting that she wanted to be here ever since. Seeing her on the field has been one of the best experiences of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Michigan Photography.<\/p>\n
Their mother, Mimi van Wees, attributes their success to a balance between structure and freedom. Mimi and her husband David were also both collegiate athletes, which paved the way for their children to follow in their footsteps and pursue excellence in everything they did.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cWe never let them play just one sport,\u201d Mimi told The Daily. \u201cWhatever the season was, they had to switch even if they wanted to try piano or something else. They didn\u2019t get burnt out because they were always trying new things, and didn\u2019t care what they did. We just asked them to be accountable, show up on time, and give it their best.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mimi and David avoided placing huge pressure on their kids to have to pick a sport \u2014 they just wanted their kids to be involved with something. Now that both siblings are at Michigan, as well as an older brother in graduate school at Michigan, they feel the van Weeses represent the Wolverines as a family.<\/p>\n
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Goalkeeping is often a solitary role, being boxed in the net as the last line of defense, but for senior Cameron Goodloe and sophomore Emileigh Goodloe it\u2019s a shared family experience. Their styles are different, but their mindsets are the same: calm, analytical, composed.<\/p>\nCourtesy of Michigan Photography. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cAs a goalie, you\u2019re constantly evaluating what\u2019s happening in front of you,\u201d Emileigh told The Daily. \u201cPlaying different sports growing up helped me recognize patterns, read the field, and understand strategy in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nGrowing up playing with her brother, Emiliegh felt that her goaltending style differed from other girls she played with. She originally started playing and practicing with her brother and his teammates. She also boasts a strong competitive drive, which she adopted from her brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I was competing with him more than he was with me,\u201d Emileigh said. \u201cEspecially going to camps, I was trying to figure things out in a men\u2019s lacrosse setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although lacrosse is the center of their life, their relationship isn\u2019t consumed by it. The Goodloes prioritize taking time away from lacrosse and bonding as siblings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe probably talk a lot less about the game than people think,\u201d Cameron told The Daily. \u201cIt\u2019s more about just being here together.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Michigan Photography.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nThey make sure to carve out time to get dinner, go to brunch or even just hang out in a non-lacrosse setting. This quality family time allows them to be the best version of themselves on the field and as people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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While sibling duos aren\u2019t exactly a recruiting strategy, they\u2019ve become an organic part of the Wolverines lacrosse identity. Their coaches have welcomed the natural accountability and leadership that comes with it as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving someone on the team who knows you that well sets a tone,\u201d Truus said. \u201cIt makes this place feel more like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kees\u2019 experience at Michigan has been one to remember. He helped the Wolverines win their first Big Ten Championship and make their first NCAA Tournament. And having his younger sister at Michigan for the final year made his experience even more special.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cHaving Truus here, and even having our older brother at Michigan has made this chapter really special,\u201d\u00a0 Kees said. \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet that my career as a Wolverine is over but I have the next three years to come back and visit since they are here.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Michigan lacrosse grows in stature and success, it\u2019s also growing in tradition \u2014 one that\u2019s rooted in something more than just the game. For the van Wees and Goodloe siblings, it\u2019s about something stronger, something lasting: family.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n
Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s always a family affair at the U-M Lacrosse Stadium. On any given day it\u2019s common to see a sibling duo trading passes or yelling encouragement from across the field. For the van Wees and the Goodloe siblings, suiting up for the Wolverines means more than school pride. It\u2019s a continuation of a lifelong bond […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1060,494,1059,222],"class_list":{"0":"post-950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-affair","9":"tag-family","10":"tag-lacrosse","11":"tag-michigan"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950\/revisions\/952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}