Double Trouble

In American there is a 3% chance of giving birth to twins, 1 in 33 births; in the year 2000 about 118,916 sets of twins were born. I was blessed to be born with a best friend at my side, my sister! My sister, Liz, was born 3 minutes before me, and we were actually born on my oldest brother’s birthday! He got the greatest birthday gift ever, TWINS! Liz and I were born on a January afternoon in my hometown. As we grew older we did everything together! We had the same friends and spent every day and every night together, it was like living with a best friend. Some people consider me crazy for calling my sister my best friend, but it’s different with twins.

My sister was into horses and loved hobbies like scrap booking and ceramics, while I stuck to sports. Although she played volleyball too, she also enjoyed the other activities. When the college decision arose, I had made the decision to play volleyball at a particular school, hoping she would attend the same school as me, but she had other hopes. She chose a college in Kentucky that has always been a dream of mine to attend, she planned not to continue volleyball and focus on school. When she first made the decision to go there, I was positive that she was going to change her mind until the day we both left for college, the first time ever being on our own. She was on her way to Kentucky and I stayed closer to home. The only thing I could hope for now was for her to transfer, but it turns out now that she loves the school and will be staying there for the rest of her college years.


I tried not to pressure her too much into coming to the same school as I, but I really wanted her here with me. Now that she has made the decision to stay, I have learned that it is okay to be apart for once, to make new friends of my own, and to no longer be known as a twin because I know someday we will have that back.

Volleyball kept me busy first semester so I never really had time to think about the changes I have gone through, but when my sister was having trouble getting used to her new home, she would call me almost every night. It was great to talk to her and when I did I realized that being a twin gives a special bond that other sisters will never experience. We know everything about each other and there is no one in the world that knows more about her then I do. I am by no means saying that we do not fight and argue sometimes, but no matter what we stay close. It was hard for her, as well as for all freshmen, to understand who you can trust and who you can't especially when you go to a college six hours away from home. It takes time, and for her about a semester, to feel like you know the people you are surrounded by. I was fortunate enough to have a team that became my friends from the day I stepped on campus.

Family First

Growing up playing sports, I have always been pushed by my father to do the best I can, my mother was always there for the support! I watched all my siblings grow up playing sports, my oldest sister played volleyball and went to a small school in North Carolina to continue playing, my brother played hockey and was on the club team at Purdue University, and my other brother played hockey and soccer in high school but in college concentrated on his major, architecture. My sister and I were committed to volleyball whether it was our high school team or club team, and my parents drove us all over the U.S. for tournaments, games, etc.

Throughout my years of sports my family has always been the people I turn to first. I have always looked to my parents and siblings for advice and as I grow older I learn more about what family means to me. They are the people that you call when you have a bad day or a bad practice, and the people that will be there for you know matter what happens in life.

Volleyball has always been a large part of my life!