Three sets of twins have team seeing double
NORTH AUGUSTA -- Among general populations, the chances of having twins in the 21st century are about three in 100. The odds that three sets of twins would one day play for the same team are much lower, but that is what is happening with the GA-SC Bulls U13 girls soccer team.
The team has three sets of twins, two identical and one paternal, on its roster, and it isn't helping head coach Forrest Wimberly any to have to deal with it.
"There is almost very little to tell them apart," he said.
For Wimberly, all three sets of twins are different and have their own characteristics. Believe it or not, that helps on the field.
"One twin of the pair is real attack minded," he said. "The other twin is real defense minded. It's neat how each twin compliments the other. They have different minds for the game."
Wimberly said that one set is shy, while another set is wide open and another set is about middle of the road.
The most recent statistics, part of a 2004 study by the National Center for Health Statistics, showed that twins represented 32.21 of every 1,000 births. For Jessica and Lynzee Galvin, 13; Elizabeth and Emily Deyton, 12 and Mikaela and Jessica Schifer, 12; having a twin is an experience like no other.
"You have someone to pick on, and you have someone to talk to," said Elizabeth Deyton, who along with Emily is an identical twin. "It's more fun."
Jessica and Lynzee Galvin are also identical, while Mikaela and Jessica Schifer are paternal. The two sets of identical twins were born a minute apart and the Schifer's were born 18 minutes apart.
All six agree on the fact that they love soccer, but they do have different reasons for why.
"We are competitive and we can tackle hard," said Emily Deyton.
The aggression of the sport is what fuels the Deytons, while the competition is what the Galvins and Schifers like.
"I like the look on their (opponents) faces after the game and after we win," said Jessica Galvin.
"I like everything about it," added Lynzee Galvin.
Of the six, the two that seem the most energetic are the Schifers. But it's Mikaela that says she is the outspoken one.
"She (Jessica) and I don't really care," Mikaela said.
"She is more outgoing," Jessica added.
Mikaela and Elizabeth Deyton are best friends, while Jessica Schifer and Emily Deyton tend to be best friends. The two paternal twins said they can easily tell their identical twin best friends apart by their facial structure.
And because they can tell each other apart, they tend to get irritated when others can't tell them apart, as all the twins agree.
"They confuse our names," said Jessica Schifer, one of the paternal twins.
For the identical twins, it's even worse.
"The worst is when we are in public together, and people ask if we are twins," Jessica Galvin said.
All six girls are gearing up for the Bulls' summer season, which kicks off this weekend as the team participates in the U.S. Club Soccer Southeast Regional League. The team will play its first games of the summer on June 13 at Blanchard Woods versus Charlotte United and Lake Norman Soccer Club. The Bulls play Charlotte at 2:30 p.m. and Lake Norman at 7 p.m. They will play games in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh throughout the summer in what is a brand-new soccer league.
