By Richard Kellam

Over a decade ago Kylie Curtis’ dream of playing soccer at Crisfield High School was nearly impeded by one major obstacle: there was no girls’ team.

The 2012 graduate was 10 years ahead of her time because it was not until 2020 when a club team for girls was organized, transitioning to a varsity team in the fall of 2022.

Curtis could have switched to field hockey as an alternative, but she grew up playing in youth soccer leagues before arriving at CHS.

Determined to pursue her favorite sport, she tried out for the boys’ team her sophomore year in 2009 — not to try and prove a point that a girl could play with the boys — just to be able to play. She had missed conditioning, however, and was cut from the squad.

“I couldn’t get up and down the field, it was depressing,” said Curtis, who revaluated her situation then went straight to work. She joined the indoor and outdoor track & field squads and continued to stay active during the summer, making the team in 2010 at the start of her junior year.

Curtis, like Tashanna Brown before her in basketball, had played against boys in various youth leagues, and she would persist in her quest to play at the varsity level.

Curtis her junior year saw limited playing time as a first-year player, but earned a starting spot her senior year. She overcame all obstacles, demonstrating the effort and determination required to excel in sports. While she could have been a superstar on a girls’ team she was no novelty for varsity boys soccer coach Harold Frock Jr. “She doesn’t give any slack and she works hard, it was a privilege to have her on the team,” he said.

Curtis’ example should be emulated by all aspiring young athletes as she continued to chase her dreams even when they seemed out of reach.

Arielle Johnston’s favorite sport was field hockey where she excelled being named All South First Team three consecutive seasons. The 2016 graduate also played basketball and softball and became one of the Bayside’s top basketball players at the culmination of her four year career, even though she wasn’t introduced to the sport until her middle school days.

She adapted quickly, scoring 30 points on four occasions while leading the Lady Crabbers at her point guard position and was basically impossible to guard one-on-one as girls from the league’s top teams soon discovered. Johnston went on to play field hockey at Salisbury University, a key element on the Seagulls outstanding teams.

The success of the aforementioned ladies proves that you can excel if you work hard even at a small school that has not produced many championship teams over the years. Success doesn’t come easy, there are no shortcuts as these CHS standouts proved, and they made the grade.