Twin Games: Two pairs of twins reflect on their experiences and impacts of playing the same sport on their relationship

Stella and Preslei Kaufman

Sophomore Stella Kaufman dribbled toward the right corner of the field, took a small step back, and launched the soccer ball straight into the left corner of the net. She’d scored the last point of the East girls JV soccer season. Stella’s teammates cheered as she ran to the sideline, going right to her injured twin sister Preslei, who was sitting on the bench.

The Kaufmans have been playing soccer together since they were 4-years-old. From daily 90-minute practices to weekly team dinners and trips to Italy and Spain, they’re always together.

The pair’s positions — Stella as forward and Preslei on defense as a center and outside back — force them to occupy opposite sides of the field at practices and games. But this doesn’t stop the twins from being a constant source of competition for each other.

“If we’re doing one-on-ones and I have to defend her and she wins, I get angry,” Preslei said. “If one of us has a really good game and the other doesn’t, one of us gets butthurt.”

Last year, the Kaufmans participated in four days of tryouts, consisting of mile-long runs, scrimmages, juggling and one-on-one drills. This was the most competitive they’d ever been with each other because they both wanted to make the best team possible.

On the last day, Stella and Preslei were both placed on the JV team. While unsurprised by the placement due to their similar skill levels, the two still wanted to one-up each other.

Being on the team together meant having a permanent practice partner, but also constant critiques of one another. The criticism isn’t always well received, and the two often get frustrated with each other.

“Sometimes she’ll be in the mood, or I’ll be in a mood where we just want to fight,” Stella said. “But other days, we’re happy for each other in the long run because we’re happy to see each other succeed.”

Stella plays at the front of the field and has broken her shoulder twice and her wrist once. Preslei has clubfoot (a defect where your foot turns inward) and had a broken ankle for the majority of East’s season last year. Although Preslei couldn’t play, she came to all the games to support Stella.

“After I [get] hurt, she always makes sure I’m okay,” Stella said. “And after I score she always runs up to me or I’ll run to her. It’s never really a lonely sport.”

Brynlee and Reese Perbeck

Freshmen Reese and Brynlee Perbeck stood in front of a long mirror at their dance studio, practicing their choreography. Their expressions were fierce and their body language was tense.

The Perbecks were rehearsing their contemporary duet, an intense two-minute routine that uses bold movements to portray a rivalry onstage.

They’ve performed three jazz duets together, but this will be their first contemporary duet.

“We were both so nervous competing our duet for the first time,” Brynlee said. “But when we got on stage and finished it, I remember being so happy and feeling so proud of myself and Reese. And now we can experience this one together, which is special.”

Dancing since age 4, they started at St. Teresas, spent six years at Dancerz Unlimited and have trained at Miller Marley School of Dance and Voice for the past three. They’ve done jazz, tap, pointe, lyrical, hip-hop and modern dance together.

With two-hour practices Monday through Thursday and five-hour practices on Sundays, they prepare for seven dances, including their contemporary duet, an eight-minute 100-person production piece and five smaller group dances. They’ve been prepping since August to perform the dances in March.

Last April, the twins tried out for the Lancer Dancers. Every night during the week-long process, they practiced for two hours straight, even using a long window as a mirror and moving their living room couch to give them space to practice.

“It was really hard because we had to learn from videos, but it all went well and we made it,” Reese said. “It was a really fun night when we opened our phones and made JV.”

Now, juggling two dance teams and their first year of high school classes, the twins have minimal downtime. They get home at 3 p.m., immediately start on homework and go to dance at 4 p.m.. Since Brynlee and Reese take similar classes and have a similar workload, they help each other with their homework, chores and, of course, dance.

“I feel like not a lot of people can say they have someone that close to you that does the same thing,” Reese said. “That’s really special for us because dance is always something that brings us together. I know if we’re having a bad day or fighting, we go to dance and afterward we’re best friends again.”