Sibling harmony propels Van Dyks

SANDPOINT — There is no sibling rivalry with the Van Dyk sisters, far from it.

For Nicole, a senior soccer and track standout at Sandpoint High School, and Melinda, a freshman following in her sister’s footsteps, sibling harmony seems the more apt description. The sisters are running on two powerhouse relay teams this year, fulfilling a goal they’ve shared for a long time.

“That’s what they’ve always wanted to do,” says assistant track coach Steve Miller, who works with the sprinters. “My goal is for them to be on the podium together at state.”

Both excellent soccer players, they had hoped to share the pitch together last fall as part of the Bulldogs soccer team, but Melinda was injured and unable to play. Now they’re running together on the 4X100 and Sprint Medley relay teams, both of which won district titles last weekend in Lewiston.

So Nicole, being the older sister and a senior is obviously faster, right?

Not so fast, no pun intended.

“It’s interesting because she’s the faster one,” explains Nicole, admitting with a chuckle what most older siblings try not to. “Her times are just faster. She’s got horrible form though. Her arms swing and she runs like she’s cleaning tables.”

Melinda just smiles upon hearing the running assessment, admitting she’s always run like that. But the stopwatch doesn’t notice running form, only times, and Melinda’s are very fast for a freshman. It’s that raw speed which gives her confidence running on relays with three other seniors.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” says Melinda. “It’s nice because I can look up to them. It’s what I want to do when I’m a senior.”

The sisters hand off to one another in both relays. They’re joined by Brittany Groenhout and Desi Hutchings in the 4X100, and by Desi and Brooke DeMers in the Sprint Medley. Both relay teams have times that put them in the mix with the top 4A teams at state. Like relays often do, the key to victory will lie in the all-important hand-off, which has presented some interesting moments in practice.

“In practice we tend to giggle a lot,” says Nicole, who plans to attend Washington State University and study wildlife biology this fall. “That presents a problem with handoffs.”

If all goes well in Boise this weekend, the Van Dyk sisters hope to do their giggling atop the medal podium.