In high school sports, girls playing on boys teams are a rare anomaly. It often means facing prejudice and carrying the weight of extra expectations. But for Reese Reynolds, a girl on the Evanston boys hockey team, it’s not about breaking barriers – it’s about playing the game she loves with her teammates.
When it comes to athletic performance, Reese Reynolds has never conformed to the limitations society often places on women in sports. From a young age, she played on an all-boys hockey team. She learned the basics of the sport and was able to play at a high level. However, when she got to middle school, Reynolds decided to switch to an AAA girl’s team. There is where she learned how different girls hockey was compared to boys hockey. After playing on the AAA team for a couple of years, she decided to make another switch, this time to a Glenview girls’ team.
“When I made the switch to AAA I didn’t get the camaraderie that I was hoping for. I needed a team that would be supportive and push me to be the best version of myself, and that’s when I switched to Glenview for a more positive and fun experience,” said Reynolds.
Here, she forged friendships with her teammates and showed up to practice every day with a winning mentality. There was one problem, though. Being on a Glenview team was a major time commitment for Reynolds. The amount of traveling she did meant little time for anything else.
“Playing for the Glenview girls team was a ton of fun but it became too much as I got older. We would be traveling 3 weekends a month all over the country and playing over 90 games in a season,” said Reynolds
Coming into her junior year of high school, Reynolds had a goal, and that was to play in front of her friends, fellow students, and family; she also wanted to finish her career wearing ETHS colors. She had watched her brother play for ETHS and knows that playing in the atmosphere of boys’ games is an unforgettable experience.
“I remember watching my brother Logan play and how cool it was for him to have that experience playing for his high school and I wanted to have that too,” said Reynolds.
Unfortunately, before she had a chance to play for the team, she suffered a major injury.
“I was hoping to dip my toes back this past spring but a labral hip tear took me out and prevented me from playing on the team,” stated Reynolds.
This injury was a major setback, but she pushed through and worked for countless hours to get her strength back. After healing over the summer and spring, she made the hard decision to leave behind her all-girls team and try out for the boys’ team.
“Obviously playing with girls I had such a great camaraderie because they were my best friends. I was scared to let that go if I was to play with the boys,” notes Reynolds
Once making the team, Reynolds was quickly given a very important role. She shares the responsibility of the goalie position with Itamar David.
“Goaltending in hockey is a hugely important position, kind of our last line of defense,” said Head Coach Evan Nielsen. “Reese and our other goalie play a huge part in any success that we hope to have this year.”
Reynolds has unleashed her competitive nature this year and wants to prove to herself that she can play alongside the boys. She isn’t worried about the expectations that come with playing on a boy’s team, but rather she is simply just trying to play her best and have a fun time with her new teammates.
“Every time I step into the rink, I’m ready to be mentally focused and put forth my best effort. I went into this season wanting to prove to myself that I have what it takes to play boys again and while this season has been very challenging, I have also learned a lot about myself, have had a blast with this team, and found a new love for the game!” Voiced Reynolds
While Reynolds is focused on winning and playing her best, she’s also mindful of the impact she has on other female athletes.
“We are seeing more and more girl goalies playing on boys’ teams this year,” Reynolds said. “Hopefully I can shed some light on the power of girls playing on male-dominated teams.”
Some might expect Reynolds to disrupt the team dynamic, but she has in fact done the opposite. They’ve welcomed her with open arms, treating her not as an outsider, but as another valued teammate. Every boy on the ETHS hockey team has Reynold’s back. When an opponent gives a disagreeable shove, her teammates are ready to protect her. She is simply treated as one of the guys.
“Reese has done a great job at holding her own so we don’t really have to do much. I think we treat her like everyone else and that has worked out great,” stated Charlie Dillman, one of Reese’s teammates on the team.
That being said, not everything is smooth sailing. There have been some challenges for Reese being on a team where nobody looks quite like her.
“The locker room situation is one of the biggest challenges. There are times I have my own girls’ locker room and other times I’m in a janitor’s closet or a manager’s office,” Reynolds voiced.
A huge part of sports is the locker room experience. An after-the-game debrief or just talking with fellow teammates is a huge part of every sport. Not being able to change with the team is a challenge for Reynolds but it hasn’t stopped her. She is battling through the struggles and still feels connected to the team.
“It taught me to advocate and speak up for myself, which is something I wasn’t comfortable doing before,” stated Reynolds.
Reese Reynolds is focused on playing the game she loves, facing challenges head-on, and earning the respect of her teammates. She’s proving that with hard work and determination, she belongs right where she is.
