The question comes up often. Friends and family members wonder, will twin sisters Amanda and Melissa Slack, the No. 1 and No. 2 tennis players on the Cape Elizabeth tennis team, end up going to the same college together?
The girls are finishing up their junior year, so there’s no clear-cut answer yet. They still have some time left before they have to decide, but if the other components of their lives are any indication, there’s a good chance they’ll be walking the same campus in the fall of 2007.
“We say that we’re not going to go to the same college just because we want to do what we want,” said Melissa. “But the thing is, we like all the same things pretty much. If I like a college then she’s probably going to like it, too.”
The Slacks’ mom, Lyn, isn’t putting pressure on the girls to stick together – although, parents’ weekends would be easier for her and her husband, Bill, if they did – but she knows them well enough to have an opinion on what will happen.
“At this point we’re just looking at different (colleges), but there’s a big chance they will end up together,” she said.
The Slacks always end up together.
“When they were growing up, we thought, ‘Well, gee, they’re going to choose different sports or different things.’ They never have,” said Lyn. “They’ve always done the same things, and they’re very content that way.”
Lyn comes from a family of tennis players, so the girls had rackets in their hands as soon as they could hold them. It was the perfect sport because, unlike, say, soccer or softball, they only needed each other to play a game.
“It’s awesome because there’s always someone there that you can do things with,” said Amanda. “We always just go down (to the tennis court) and hit forever.”
As a result, the Slacks have progressed as athletes at pretty much the same pace. According to Lyn, when their casual hitting does turn into actual games, there’s a chance that they’ll be playing for hours.
It’s the same way with the other sports they do: running cross country and Nordic skiing.
“It’s really strange sometimes,” said Lyn. “They’ll be in a running race and they’re only like seconds apart.”
As close as they are – they have the same friends, eat the same foods and wear the same clothes – the Slacks are competitive with each other, and that’s part of the reason why they are so even on the court, running and skiing.
They push each other, but not to the point where they’re going all John McEnroe on one another, arguing over points, getting in big blowouts.
“Never, and you’ll always find that if one has finished their match you’ll see the other twin standing right there cheering her twin on or giving her good luck vibes,” said Lyn. “They rarely argue at all. They’re just like what you’d think of twin sisters. They really get along well.”
Sometimes, they’re even checking on each other during their own matches.
“Even in a match when I’m in my game I always tend to look and see how Melissa is doing,” said Amanda.
Melissa does the same even though it’s taxing on her nerves.
“I always get more nervous watching her match than playing my match,” she said.
This past Saturday was particularly nerve-racking for Melissa. Both girls advanced through two matches on May 20 to continue playing in the Class B singles tournament, which resumed Saturday.
Amanda and Melissa both won their first matches, but Melissa lost her second match of the day to Falmouth’s Kristen Meahl, the No. 2 seed in the tourney. Amanda advanced one round further, to the quarterfinals, where she lost to the eventual winner, Waynflete’s Christine Ordway.
On Wednesday, the Capers began their quest for the Class B team title. If they win their first match, they’ll square off against Falmouth, which finished the regular season undefeated.
“We have a good team, but there’s so much competition this year,” said Melissa. “Falmouth is just amazing, but I think next year they’re losing six out of their eight members on their team, so I think we could have a good chance next year. But we’ll see how it goes (this year).”
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