NOTICE
It's a (Twin) Thing
// KELCI SHIPLEY
Photo by Amanda Kitsner
Seeing double, Logan (left) and Gavin (right) Wartick, Rose Hill juniors, got up to tricky twin antics in grade school, sitting in each other's assigned seat and then serving double the detention. Today they still struggle with some people assuming they don't have individual identities (they do) and that, as identical twins, they have special telepathic powers (they don't).
I sat in the oral surgeon's waiting room, nervously flipping through an old copy of People magazine. As I was catching up on the daily gossip of underworked and overpaid celebrities, I felt my stomach lurch. My twin brother had already gone into the dentist's chair, and I knew the exact moment the IV was inserted into his arm. He's deathly afraid of needles and blood, and I've frequently been able to tell when he's facing one situation or the other. I'm not saying I can read his mind or feel his pain, but we have a different connection than most siblings.
Growing up with a twin brother allowed me to become an individual, but for same-sex identical twins the task is not so easy. There are many comparisons and judgments, but twins eventually form their own identity. Even with a unique personality twins have a closeness that fascinates the world, causing outsiders to assume that the two have "twin powers."
When I sit down to interview Logan and Gavin Wartick, Rose Hill juniors, I have no problem telling the two apart. Logan calmly sits across from me in a white T-shirt and jeans, his left ear is pierced and a five o'clock shadow sits on his long face. Gavin nervously sits to my left wearing a blue button-down and tan pants, his hair is a bit longer and he's clean-shaven with his girlfriend by his side.
Even though I can tell the difference, the boys say that most people can't. And although some would think they would it use to their advantage, they've only switched places once, in their high school Spanish class. To the frustration of their teacher, they sat in each other's assigned seats. Both were punished with detention because the school officials didn't know who was causing trouble. Gavin says he always ended up getting blamed when it was really Logan's fault.
When it comes to being compared, the boys banter back and forth. Gavin says that girls think Logan's prettier, and a bit of a lady's man. "And I'm obviously the smarter one," Logan counters. Their timing is almost comedic, interrupting one another when they disagree. "People assume that he's your best friend and that we're the exact same person mentally and physically," Gavin says. "But I'm my own person."
Watching them interact, it's obvious that they have a relationship unlike most siblings. Insults and jokes aside, Logan and Gavin have always been close; they've lived together their entire lives, and even share many friends. This closeness doesn't imply any sort of superpowers, however. The boys say that sometimes they'll be singing the
same song coincidentally, but nothing out of the ordinary usually occurs. "We're not telepathic by any means," Gavin says.
Dory Cochran, Manhattan senior, never got the chance to be distinguished from her sister until coming to Lawrence. Until then she and her twin, Laura Beth, had always been known as "the Cochran twins." The OshKosh B'Gosh-wearing girls had the same friends growing up, but Laura Beth was more vocal. "She would usually speak for both of us," Dory says.
Now the girls are separated, with Laura Beth studying architecture at Kansas State University and Dory here, pursuing degrees in English and women's studies. "I'm different than I would've been if we would've gone to the same school," she says.
Even through distant campuses — and continents during study abroad trips — Dory says that the older they are the closer they become, and that they try to communicate on a daily basis. Dory says that having a twin is like having a great
support system. "You can look at them and not even have to say what you're thinking."
Like Gavin and Logan, Dory says that she and Laura Beth don't have any ESP capabilities. She says that sometimes she'll ask her sister what to listen to and they'll end up picking the same music, but their similar thoughts and tastes are a result of knowing each other so well, more so than having a twin connection.
Most people assume that this recognition of emotions and pain is standard for twins, but there is no scientific research to back it up, says Pamela Fierro, guide to twins and multiples at about.com and author of several books on multiples. Fierro, mother of identical twin girls, says that there's a fascination with twins because of their rarity, and because people like to think of twins as clones.
"Twins try to avoid it by dressing differently and participating in different activities, but society judges them together."
Even with the comparisons and judgments, Fierro says that twins have a bond that outlasts relationships with their parents and friends. Logan and Gavin admit that they like constantly having a companion, and Dory says that she can count on her sister during hard times.
I for one know that my twin will always be there for me, whether it's to go see a movie, help with homework or even sit in the waiting room while I get my wisdom teeth removed. Thanks, Kevin.
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