After the 2024 Track and Field CIF finals, Kenzie S. ‘27 had just finished running her four by four. After she finished running her race, she was in tears because she felt she had a poor running time. It was then that her twin, Lily S. ‘27, who wasn’t participating in the race, waited at the finish line to calm her down. After the track meet they went home to bake and build legos as they do on most nights.The support they give each other encapsulates their relationship as twins and the fact that they are always there for each other.
Growing up with someone the same age and grade made it hard for the Sands twins to find their own identities. Kenzie observed that people would often assume her and her twin were the same person. She was often told by her mother to be her own person and not like her sister which was hard at first, but found it became easier as she got older. She feels that her and Lily will always be competitive with each other, especially participating in Track & Field and Basketball together.
“I think it’s friendly competition, but it’s [still] competition on a track,” Kenzie said. “Lily and I are usually in the same heat [race], and when one of us beats the other, we’re upset about it but can’t help it. I feel like we just push each other more, because it’s like you’re always one step ahead [or] one step behind you’re just trying to catch up some other way.”
According to Barbara Klein in a Feb. 2023 article from Psychology Today, finding your identity is almost impossible while measuring yourself to your twin. Even through the beautiful moments twins can harbor resentment for one another.
However, Lily disagrees that there is resentment in her relationship with Kenzie. She feels her relationship with her twin is very close knit. Her sister is the one person that she can trust with information or if she needs comforting. Lily disregards people when they compare her and her sister, wanting to be her own person without others’ opinions.
“I feel proud being recognized as her sister,” Lily said. “Especially when she won a banner in seventh grade, people thought my sister was so cool. So I feel proud to be a part of her [life]. I don’t resent [her] for sports.”
Having fought often when they were younger, Ella C. ‘27 and her twin, Olive C. ‘27 often spent time in different houses since their parents are divorced in order to cool off after an argument. As they got older, they stopped fighting as much and connected due the amount of time they spent together increased. She feels that now, her and her sister share more similar interests and have more of the same friends so it is easier to get along with each other and support one another.
“I think we were just there for each other,” Ella said. “No matter what she could come talk to me, no matter what I go talk to her about anything, because we tell each other everything. So there’s no secrets anymore. We used to be really secretive when we were little, but now that we’ve gotten older, we’ve found that we can trust each other and we’re not going to snitch to our parents. Now we can tell each other things and be comfortable with each other.”
Sharing similar experiences as her twin, Olive felt that the bullying and aggression she faced by her twin growing up made her tougher in the long run. She feels grateful for Eella for this because their friendly fights have shaped her into a stronger person.
“Our roles kind of switched once we got older, because Ella realized she couldn’t handle being tormented and became the tormentor,” Olive said. “Now that we are at the age of 16 we are able to use our words and discuss things instead of bickering and being on opposite sides.” Unlike the Collins twins, Connor R. ‘28 doesn’t believe his twin, Zach R. ‘28, has posed difficulties or had a drastic effect on his life course. Connor feels that his relationship with his brother hasn’t been challenged by comparisons from their parents, hyper-competitiveness or longstanding conflicts. However, he is frustrated by encounters with new acquaintances that struggle with the idea of twins; they often make jokes at his expense, which for him comes off as insensitive and provoking.
“When people first meet us some of their jokes can be a bit annoying,” Connor said. “People walk up to me and say my twin’s name and think it’s funny. It just doesn’t land the way they thought it would, and it’s a little annoying.”
