PARTNER IN CRIME: (LEFT) Juniors Gretchen and Anna Moore practice Lacrosse together over the summer. Anna said there are moments when they wish they weren’t, but they also couldn’t imagine living without each other. Anna also said her favorite part of being a twin is always having someone to talk to and never having to go to social events alone.

Juniors Anna and Gretchen Moore are identical twins. When the two walk together in the hallway, most people would not be able to tell them apart. The same goes for them when they play sports together. Anna and Gretchen both play lacrosse and have been playing and watching the sport since they were young.

“They went to a lot of lacrosse games when they were younger. Their older sister and older cousins played at Guerin Catholic,” said Jennifer Moore, parent of Anna and Gretchen. “When the program was offered at St. Maria Goretti in fifth grade, they both jumped at the chance to play.”

By freshman year, the twins made the decision to play for the high school team.

Anna and Gretchen explained that their main reasoning behind their decision had to do with not only the team here at CHS, but the sport itself as well.

“I decided to play lacrosse in high school because I love the sport. It is so different from other sports, and anyone that works hard can be good at it,” Anna said. “Also, I love the team, and the program at Carmel is so amazing.”

Gretchen agreed.

She said, “I decided to continue to play lacrosse in high school because I really enjoy how fun and competitive the games are, and (Carmel) is just a really good team.”

Although they are in the same sport, the twins play different positions and have different skill sets. Anna plays defense, while Gretchen plays attack. Besides Lacrosse, Gretchen also runs cross -country in the fall.

“Because I run cross-country, I can run longer distances than (Anna) does. She is better at sprints than me—I can’t really sprint,” Gretchen said.

According to Head Coach Joshua Miller, it is difficult to tell them apart sometimes.

“It does not affect the coaching style other than just you have to try to figure out which one’s which, and I am really bad at that. We figured out, they told us, that Anna always wears a braid. But if she does not have the braid, I have to ask her who she is. So that is one of the main struggles,” Miller said.

The twins also explained the impact of having a set of identical twins on the team.

“It is hard because our coaches cannot really tell us apart sometimes; (Anna) has to wear a braid in her ponytail,” Gretchen said.

Anna chimed in, “And sometimes they compare us, but that is basically it.”

Miller explained that there is a possibility there is a heightened sibling rivalry since Anna and Gretchen are twins.

He said, “They play different positions so I think that probably helps in that way. But I would assume that there has to be some sort of sibling rivalry, and it probably becomes even more intense than you would feel with maybe just an older sister.”

When asked about any mental impact that playing with their twin could have on her daughters, Mrs. Moore said it is most often a source of positive motivation.

“I definitely think they feed off each other. When they first started playing, whenever one of them got a goal, you could count on the other one to score shortly after,” She said. “Also, when one of them was injured last year,  the other one kind of lost her momentum and just did not play well.”

Miller said the overall experience is a positive one.

“If we were to have twins on the team, or if there were two of one person, (the Moores) are probably the best ones to have. They are really easy to coach because they are good players and they work hard,” Miller said. “And they are very different when you talk to them.”