Girls Lacrosse Co-Captain Kiera Reidy ’23 started playing lacrosse in the second grade. This turned into a combination of club and high school lacrosse at her local high school, before she came to Andover to play fall field hockey in the fall and spring lacrosse. Being a Co-Captain has allowed her to share her positive, motivating, kind, and compassionate leadership on a broader level.
Reidy described the balance between managing the responsibilities of being a Co-Captain and wanting to connect and have fun with your teammates.
“To me, there isn’t really any shift [from being a player to a Co-Captain]. I mean there are definitely more responsibilities and more things that I have to do and be aware of, but it definitely hasn’t changed the teammate I’ve always wanted to be and have been. If anything, it’s kind of just opened up my mind more to be extra mindful of how many of these younger kids are looking up to you. I had that before, but having this captain name also gives you all these responsibilities and pressures that you have to follow, which can be great but can also be taxing. As for the lacrosse team, they’ve been so good about it… I do think the biggest thing that was different is that you can have fun as a teammate, but as a captain, you can have the fun, but you also have to know that you are holding your team up,” said Reidy.
Teammate Charley Drouin ’25 shared how confident of a leader Reidy is on the team. She noted Reidy’s passion for the sport and how inspiring it is to see.
“I would definitely say Kiera’s been very supportive all over the field and even off the field too. Her leadership qualities are something that I’ve really been inspired by just because she can take charge and she’s very confident, which is so great about her. Ever since I met her, her passion and drive has been one of her major qualities that everyone aspires to do on and off the field. And she always motivates us to be our best every single day,” said Drouin.
Quiana Bell ’26 emphasized Reidy’s ability to connect the team through organizing get-togethers off the field and motivating people on the field. She also praised Reidy’s vocal positivity.
“Off the field, she does a really great job of hyping everyone up. She’ll cheer you on, she’ll give you pats on the back, and she’ll be the one to say, ‘Oh, team dinner tonight. Everyone better be there.’ And then on the field, whenever I have the ball I think her [voice] is the first one I always hear. I’ll always hear, ‘wheels, Q!’ And I feel like it’s like that for every single person. She’ll be the one yelling for you. She’ll always be the first one to [say], ‘Come on guys, we better talk, we better communicate on the field.’ So because I think her voice is just so loud and so positive that it really just strengthens the whole team and makes us want to perform,” said Reidy.
Reidy shared how her experience of not receiving positive feedback leads her to give her teammates plenty to motivate them. She also makes sure that underclassmen never doubt that they are just as valuable to the team as upperclassmen, helping to eliminate the divide between underclassmen and upperclassmen.
“I love to be positive and give positive comments because when I was younger, I wouldn’t get that and I’d only get negative comments and it made me feel [like] so less of myself and… like, well, I keep doing everything wrong. So my number one thing is to really try and hype up my teammates, especially the underclassmen to make them know that they have a voice. They made the team for a reason, they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t have the skills, if they didn’t have the I.Q.,” said Reidy.
According to Co-Captain Grace Hammond ’23, Reidy connects with each player on an individual level to check in with them personally. She assesses the type of motivation that is right for each person and works that into her leadership.
“She’s really good at talking to people individually. She’ll talk to the team as a group and motivate people, but I’d say that she really takes the time to talk to people individually and connect with everyone on a one-to-one basis and get to know people and motivate them through the way that is most effective for them,” said Hammond.
When asked about how she stays engaged with the sport and also keeps her teammates engaged at the same time, Reidy mentioned the importance of a bonded and supportive team. She strives to create a positive, trusting environment that her teammates are excited to be a part of.
“I honestly think it has nothing to do with the game, but about the team. If you’re playing with a bunch of girls that you don’t like, you don’t wanna be around, that make you feel less about yourself, you’re not gonna wanna be there and you’re not gonna wanna play. But if you’re on a team where everyone loves you, would go to the wall for you, would do anything — not necessarily outside of the field, but when you’re on the field and you know that everyone has each other’s back, [and] you see them all the time, it’s like a family. It really is. And the more you make that this great, positive, kind environment, the more kids are gonna want to come and play and be there,” said Reidy.
