The running Dowdell sisters’ sibling rivalry

Published 12:44 pm Tuesday, May 25, 2010

It’s fairly common to see two siblings compete on the same high school varsity team. But how about siblings who simultaneously compete in the same sport for OPPOSING schools?

That’s the case for sisters Chelsea Dowdell, a junior at Everett High School, and Hannah Dowdell, a Cascade High freshman. Last week Chelsea and Hannah competed against each other in the two long-distances races (1,600 meters and 3,200 meters) at the Wesco North Division Track and Field Championships in Arlington. In the 3,200 on Wednesday Chelsea placed sixth in 11 minutes, 48.62 seconds, one spot ahead of and less than one second faster than Hannah (11:49.38).

According to the girls’ dad, Rob Dowdell, Hannah was in fourth place in the 3,200 but fell about 5 yards in front of the finish line, which allowed a few runners — including her sister — to pass Hannah. On Friday the girls ran in the 1,600 at the North Championships. This time, Hannah was the fastest Dowdell. She finished eighth in 5:24.81; Chelsea was 12th in 5:35.77.

This week the sisters go separate ways. Chelsea and her Everett teammates will compete in the 3A District 1 meet in Shoreline, while Hannah and her Cascade pals will be at the 4A District 1 meet in Snohomish.

So here’s the big, obvious question: Why do Chelsea and Hannah attend different high schools?

Their parents requested an in-district variance so that Hannah, the freshman, could go to Cascade instead of Everett. It wasn’t Hannah’s choice, Rob Dowdell said in an e-mail. The girls are very competitive and play the same sports (track and soccer), he said: “Having them both go to different schools allows for each one to stand on their own and be their own person. Hannah isn’t Chelsea’s sister at Cascade.” Another factor: Rob said he and his wife prefer Cascade’s closed-campus atmosphere over Everett’s open campus and wanted to have Hannah give Cascade a try.

Sorting out transportation has sometimes been challenging, Rob Dowdell said, but overall “it’s been a great experience for the girls and our family.”