Star Tribune Story about Twins featuring our own Abby and Ally

JIM PAULSEN and DAVID LA VAQUE, Staff Writers

All who would win joy, must share it; happiness was born a twin. -- Lord Byron

Armstrong senior Ally Kvidera was thinking about her post-high school lacrosse career. So was her twin sister, Abby. Neither had the other factored into her plans. ¶ "I was thinking about going East Coast and she was thinking West Coast," Ally said. ¶ On the advice of a coach, Ally began e-mailing coaches of schools that interested her. The only school west of Minnesota that interested her was Fort Lewis, an NCAA Division II school in Durango, Co. ¶ She e-mailed the coach indicating her interest. Unbeknownst to her, Abby had contacted the same coach. ¶ "Neither of us knew the other did that," Ally said. "I was like 'You contacted her, too?'" ¶ Both fell in love with the Fort Lewis campus on a visit there, and both decided that was the place they wanted to be. ¶ Their story illustrates the unusual circumstances that often accompany athletes who are twins. While it's not unusual to see successful twin athletes, this y! ear -- and particularly this spring -- it's been hard to ignore the achievements of so many sets of twins across the metro area.

Here, through the experiences of six sets of twins -- Eden Prairie lacrosse stars Matt and Mitch Hug-dahl, Holy Angels hockey players Connor and Ryan Reilly, Elk River seventh-grade tennis phenoms Josh and Sam Gearou, Eastview all-around athletes Amanda and Alex Beckman, Osseo baseball players Tom and Sam Windle and the aforementioned Kvidera twins -- we'll try to shed some light on what it's like to share the stage with a mirror image.

What differences?

Being born only minutes apart, growing up together, attending the same classes, sharing a bedroom and playing on the same teams, it's no wonder twins often are bound by more than a last name and a jersey color.

"They do exhibit that silent awareness of each other," Armstrong girls' lacrosse coach Bill Moir said of the Kvideras. "One will assist the other on a goal, then the role will be reversed with an uncanny pass during transition in the middle of the field."

Six separate stories could be written on twins' similarities, from the seemingly universal penchant for finishing each other's sentences to a taste for similar clothing, food and movies.

Where they perceive their individuality, however, might be the most telling. It's more about variations than differences.

As fraternal twins, Matt and Mitch Hugdahl assert that, as good a combination as they are on the lacrosse field (they've combined to score nearly 50 goals this season), they are very different people at home.

"For example, we listen to different music," Matt said.

As in, Matt listens to, say, hip-hop while Mitch prefers alternative?

"No, we both like hip-hop and rap," Matt said. "But Mitch likes smoother beats."

Living a life of confusion

Jenna Dockter, one of the Alex and Amanda Beckman's best friends and a teammate on the Eastview basketball team, has seen it happen many times. In the heat of a game, even coaches can get a little baffled.

"I've heard our coaches yelling at one of them and then asking us why she doesn't respond," Dockter said. "We say 'Because that's Amanda, not Alex.'"

Everyone has tricks for telling the twins apart. Moir said that he asks the Kvidera twins to wear their hair differently. So Ally leaves her hair long while Abby cut hers.

Osseo coach Tony Nelson doesn't even bother trying to guess which Windle is which. He just yells "Sam or Tom" when he wants to get their attention.

Elk River tennis coach Randy Ronning's way of telling the difference between his Nos. 1 and 2 singles players is by their wristwatches. Josh is right-handed and wears a watch on his left arm. Sam is a lefty and wears it on his right arm.

Even parents have to devise strategies for encouragement. During tennis matches, Becky Gearou has figured out a fool-proof method for cheering.

"I call each of them sweetheart," she said.

Forced to go it alone

Sam and Tom Windle did not make their athletic journeys together. Neither did Connor and Ryan Reilly. Each set of brothers was forced to split up as one made a higher level team. And the time apart helped propel the brother left behind to new heights.

As sophomores, both Reillys made the varsity hockey team at Holy Angels. But while Connor played on the first line, Ryan bounced around the second and third lines. Things changed that summer as Ryan made a Select 17 team while Connor did not survive the cuts.

"It really built Ryan's confidence," Connor said. "For me, I just knew I'd have to do more. It might have been the best thing for me."

The Reillys played on the same line at Holy Angels as seniors. They will also play together with Sioux Falls of the U.S. Hockey League for one or two seasons before heading to the University of Minnesota.

The Windles recalled times when their baseball and hockey paths diverged. Tom is the heralded lefthanded ace of Osseo's staff. But it was Sam, a righthanded pitcher, who first got called up to varsity as a freshman. One year later, Tom was a varsity regular while Sam opted to play junior varsity.

As bantams in hockey, Sam made the A team while Tom played a season on the B team. James Hanson, who played hockey and baseball with the Windles, said, "Sam kind of gave Tom some grief for not making it but I think that's what made Tom work so hard."

Often, their bond makes a split tough on both twins.

"I remember when Alex got promoted to the sophomore basketball team and Amanda didn't," said mother Wendy Beckman, herself a former college gymnast. "Alex cried harder than Amanda. She didn't know if she should go. We told her 'Hey, you get called up to a team, you go. You don't wait around.' But they were sort of heartbroken. They had never not played together before."

Breaking up is hard to do

It's a common theme for twin athletes: When the time comes to leave the nest, will they head out on their own or will they stick together?

"That's the golden question," Amanda Beckman said. "I can't imagine being without her."

Sam Windle plans on playing baseball at North Dakota State next year while Tom is off to play for Minnesota. Mitch Hugdahl has a lacrosse scholarship waiting for him at Georgetown University in Washington. Brother Matt is still weighing college options.

Even the Beckmans, who do nearly everything together -- "One can't go to Target without the other one," Wendy Beckman admitted -- think that a little separation is a good idea.

"We might go to the same college, but we're not rooming together," Alex Beckman said. "Our rooms are right across the hall from each other right now, and that's too close."

Click Here to return to Home Page.

This Website is a product of Mystify Your Web, Inc.