Double trouble: 12 sets of twins competing at Canada Games
Manitoba twins competing in beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and canoe and kayak events
If you plan on taking in any of the 2017 Canada Summer Games, you may find yourself doing a double take — and quite possibly more than once.
There are multiple sets of twins competing in this summer's Games in Manitoba, including three sets of twins from the host province and three more from Alberta.
There are also two sets of twins from Newfoundland and Labrador, and one from each of Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and New Brunswick.
Hometown twins include beach volleyball duo and identical twins Kearley and Josie Abbott; Emma and Maddy Mitchell, also identical twins, competing in canoe and kayak; and fraternal twins Ashleigh and Jon Laube, who play indoor volleyball.
None of the Manitoba twins will be in direct competition with each other, but that doesn't mean sibling rivalry hasn't played a role in getting them to the Games.
The Mitchells
Maddy Mitchell competes in canoe events, while her identical twin sister, Emma, races kayaks. Maddy said she deliberately chose a different discipline than her sister.
"I didn't want to have to compete with Emma. I didn't want to have to catch up to her and then compete with her all the time. We compete in every other aspect of our lives," said Maddy, who got involved with the sport a year after her sister started getting serious about kayaking.
"We were always in the same class and we did a lot of the same sports growing up, so we were always being compared," said Emma.
While the 19-year-old sisters don't compete in the same sport, their sibling rivalry is evident if you read their biographies for the Games online.
Maddy wasn't able to make it the day they filled out their athlete profiles for the Games, leaving it up to Emma to fill in the blanks.
The Mitchell twins have also been known to pull the classic twin move of stepping in for each other.
Both athletes won several medals at the Western Canada Games in 2015, and at one point Emma stepped in for Maddy on the podium for one of her 12 gold medal wins.
"So my dad, obviously, he knew which one was which, and he was in the crowd and he was yelling, 'No Emma, get back, get back,'" said Emma.
The pair have also switched things up on the water, with Maddy hopping in Emma's kayak at a qualifying competition.
"I paddled up to the line and then I tipped at the start line, and I think the other girls knew that it wasn't Emma because she would never tip at the start line," said Maddy.
The Abbotts
Kearley and Josie Abbott say they prize the experience of being able to compete together as beach volleyball players, instead of against each other.
"I think it just makes it extra exciting that we get to play with each other," said Kearley.
"Just to have someone to experience this all with, it's very exciting. And it really helps when your partner lives with you and has the exact same schedule, so [it] really helps with practice times," said Josie.
The 18-year-old twins are definitely on the same page when it comes to volleyball, but that synchronization extends beyond the court.
"People sometimes … say that we finish each other's sentences and we think the same things," said Kearley.
Both women have the same hairstyle and wear similar clothing, only distinguishable by a number in a small font, on the court — similarities they use to their advantage.
"If one of us is being targeted we'll switch back and forth to see if the [other] team will pick up on it," said Josie.
"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't," said Kearley, laughing.
A united front during a game, they say they tend to carry that attitude into the rest of their lives and not get caught up in sibling rivalry.
"I think more so we're just pushing each other, so yeah, there is a little bit of competition — who can hit the ball harder and stuff — but it's all in good fun," said Josie.
"It's easier to maintain a good partnership if you don't compare things," said Kearley.
The twins play for the University of Manitoba Bison women's volleyball team and are both taking pre-pharmacy courses as they prepare to enter their second year at the university.
The Laubes
Fraternal twins Ashleigh and Jon Laube don't get to play against each other in their indoor volleyball matches, but say that's never stopped them from competing with each other.
"I feel like we're always competing and trying to be better than each other," said Ashleigh.
"It pushes us to be better as ourselves, and pushes the other person to be better," said Jon.
Despite that competition, the 18-year-olds say being a twin means always supporting each other.
Having that support behind them is important for the Laubes as they head into the Games.
"We've always been so close, so the fact that we get to experience it together is pretty awesome," said Jon.
The brother and sister say competing in these Games together is special because come fall, they will be going to different universities.
"It's going to be a lot different because we'll be competing against each other's school. We'll want to beat each other's schools," said Jon.
Jon and Ashleigh Laube will be competing in Week 2 indoor volleyball events, which begin Aug. 7. The Mitchell sisters can also be seen in Week 2 canoe and kayak events, which are free to attend.
The Abbott sisters play Thursday at 4:30 p.m.at the Sargent Park Beach Volleyball Centre.
