EHS Fall Sports Spotlight: The Chynoweth Brothers

The battle for supremacy between brothers has been a time-tested facet of siblinghood that has always been a challenge for parents, but Ryan and Anthony Chynoweth have turned their rivalry into a positive: through sports, they push each other to excel.

In the end, it's the Enumclaw sports fans that win as they get to witness Ryan and Anthony's athleticism and finesse on the football field and tennis court, respectively, this fall.

Ryan is a senior, was just named part of the Enumclaw High School for 2011 and is the captain of the football team. Years ago, like most kids growing up, he tried all different types of sports before settling in on football.

"My dad signed me up for just about everything -- soccer, baseball, basketball," he said. "I found I was pretty good at playing football so I moved toward playing that."

Ryan, as the captain of the football team, has a huge leadership responsibility, and he credits growing up and competing on the basketball court against his brother Anthony for helping him develop his leadership abilities now.

"My brother and I would be very competitive in playing one-on-one basketball against each other," he said. "We eventually had to stop playing because we would get mad at each other."

He added: "I'm definitely a vocal leader by example on the football field."

As a senior and getting to play on for his final season, Ryan said he appreciates having such a great facility.

"It's been amazing," he said. "It makes us a faster, competitive team."

Of the two brothers, Anthony is the multi-sport athlete, competing as part of the No. 1 doubles team with Dan Milat on the boys tennis team in the fall, and then switching to basketball in the winter under new head coach Kellen Hall.

Anthony said competing against his brother has helped them both along the way.

"We just pushed each other to get better and better," he said. "We were definitely really competitive growing up."

His path to tennis was a fairly random one as unlike a lot of kids growing up playing tennis, he did not spend a single second playing any type of junior or club tennis.

"I didn't pick up a racket until the first practice of my freshman year," he said. "It's been really fun to play -- the teammates and coaches have been great."

Enumclaw boys tennis head coach Adam Ihde said Anthony has had a great impact on the program from a leadership perspective.

"Anthony is natural leader, and leads primarily by example," Ihde said. "He also has a good sense of humor and likes to make the team laugh."

Anthony also credits his parents' support of him and his brother over the years for his success as a high school athlete. "They want us to do the best we can," he said. "They have been vey supportive of myself and Ryan."

See Ryan in action next Friday as the Hornets take the field at Lakes High School. For Anthony, the tennis team next competes Wednesday in the SPSL Tournament against Auburn Mountainview High School.