Donna Kelce, the mother of the Chiefs’ Jason Kelce and the Eagles’ Travis Kelce, sported a jersey with both teams’ logos at the Super Bowl LVII. The two brothers, Jason a center for the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, competed head to head at the Superbowl on Feb. 12
Donna, Jason and Travis all exchanged hugs and tears after the game. Jason expressed how happy he was to have his mother there watching both of her sons play in the Super Bowl. “It was just so cool, man, to see her get to celebrate in that with us,” Jason said on the podcast “New Heights.”
Jason was more moved by the fact that his mother had this experience than the fact that he was on the losing team in the Super Bowl. This demonstrates the importance that family plays throughout any sport. At PV, we have student athlete sibling pairs in numerous sports.
Similar to the bond that existed at the Super Bowl between family members, PV too has multiple student athlete sibling pairs in numerous sports.
Senior Rusty VanWetzinga and sophomore Joey VanWetzinga played together on the varsity football team this past season. “It’s a one of a kind experience, I get to watch him develop as a person and a player while having fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime,” Rusty noted, regarding playing with his brother Joey. “My family loved the fact that Joey and I were playing at the same time because it made travel easy for everyone.”
Not only are both VanWetzinga brothers on the football team, but their father is the head coach. “They [Rusty’s family] also loved watching my dad being able to coach us on the field at the same time,” Rusty said. For the VanWetzingas, football games weren’t just a game, but also a family gathering.
Because of his outstanding high school career, Rusty has recently committed to the University of Iowa as a preferred walk-on for fullback. Joey has not made any decisions about his future as a football player yet, given that he is only a sophomore.
One of the other dominant sets of siblings at PV are sisters Quinn and Halle Vice. Quinn (SO.) has been playing with Halle (SR.) on the varsity girls basketball team for two seasons. “I look up to her in many ways on the court, she’s helped me see the game differently, and gives me advice on specific plays and moves that will help make my game better,” Quinn said. “Even when we disagree, we understand that we may be sisters but on the court we are teammates. Our family is very competitive and enjoys competition, so my parents really enjoy watching both of us compete and do what we love at the same time.” Quinn is ranked 4th on the team with 151 points this season.
Halle has been a key player for the basketball team for the past two seasons. Currently, Halle is leading the girls basketball team into the playoffs with 462 points. Halle has found the ability for her family to watch both her and Quinn play together to be incredibly supportive. “They have enjoyed watching us since we were young, but now getting to watch us play together on the same court is extra special.” Halle has committed to Marquette University to play women’s basketball post-high school.
As demonstrated by student-athletes at PV, our families are our built-in fans and teammates. For the Kelces, the VanWetzingas and the Vices, family is rooted in both outside of the court or field as well as in the team.
