The anticipation of going to a new school, meeting all new people, and not knowing your way around can feel overwhelming. Now imagine that three different times in one year. That’s what it’s like for Maddie Sims ‘24, stepping onto a different field every season to play sports for three separate high schools.
“I started swimming competitively when I was about nine years old. I joined a summer swim team and fell in love with the sport and the community,” Sims said. “I have been playing lacrosse since I was maybe even younger than six years old, and I joined field hockey last year, my junior year.”
Sims plays lacrosse at Fairview, field hockey at Boulder, and swims for the Monarch team. Not only does she play, but Sims takes on a leadership position in each of these sports.
“I’ve also been lucky enough to be voted captain for all three of my sports, which has given me the opportunity to break out and fill a leadership role,” Sims said. “I think it has made me a more well-rounded person and has given me opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”
Sims’s history with sports began when she was three years old playing soccer, and her parents started encouraging her to pursue sports.
“It was heavily encouraged by my parents to get me and my sisters to be active, and signing us up for sports was their way of doing that,” Sims said. “It never felt like something I had to do, but I always felt like I had a community in multiple sports, so there was no reason for me to pick one over the other.”

Sims’s parents had a long history with sports inspiring her to try everything and to strive to be a better player and person.
“My parents both grew up playing lacrosse, and my dad ended up playing professionally. Because of this, I started playing lacrosse pretty young, and once I got to high school, I knew that I would want to keep playing,” Sims said. “My mom also grew up playing field hockey, but I knew almost nothing about it before I started two years ago.”
For many high school kids, a busy schedule is something to complain about, but for Sims, it helps her focus and manage her time.
“Playing multiple sports has allowed me to keep a routine schedule, which makes it much easier for me to manage my time,” Sims said. “I know that I only have a set amount of time to get things done around practices and games.”
Not only have sports helped Sims stay on top of school, but they have also helped her come out of her shell, building deeper connections with girls she wouldn’t have met otherwise.
“The connections I have made with teammates and coaches have grown my love for the game in every sport I play,” Sims said. “I am lucky to have found amazing communities in every sport and people that always push me to become better than I am.”