| Tami and Jodi Vermeulen's middle school cross
country coach knew they were good—they routinely beat boys. When
he told them if they trained hard in the summer the twins could make the
varsity team their freshmen year of high school, they did him one better
by taking Holland Christian's first two spots in their first race. Early
on they established a tradition of excelling together that's continued
in their careers at Calvin.
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| Tami Vermeulen |
Being twins "is nice because we have built-in best friends,"
said Tami. They also have built-in running partners, which came in handy
when the only time they could find to run at the camp they worked at this
summer was 5:45 a.m. And for the Vermeulens the constant back and forth
of which sister finishes first in races is a source of motivation, not
conflict. "If the other person's up there, you know you can be up
there too," said Jodi. The only problem, she said, is that sometimes
fans yell the wrong name. "You just kind of smirk and realize it's
for you."
The Vermeulens took a break from running their freshman year at Calvin,
but it was "too fun not to do," said Tami. Recording solid performances
over the last two years, the duo, as seniors, has stepped up to a new
level: both sisters consistently finished in Calvin's top seven, made
the All-MIAA first team, were named to the Great Lakes All-Region Team,
and ran for the team at the NCAA national championship meet this fall.
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| Jodi Vermeulen |
The twins will be back next year to do their student teaching, but scheduling
complications won't allow Jodi to use her last year of eligibility, and
Tami isn't sure whether she wants to run without her sister. They will
miss their coaches, who they say have helped them get the most out of
their abilities, and their teammates. "On every run we'd always end
up laughing and talking," said Jodi.
Right now, though, Tami and Jodi are focusing on the spring track season—their
last. "We're definitely going to be as dedicated as possible,"
said Jodi. Both want to make it to nationals: Jodi in the 1500 meters
or 5000 meters and Tami in the 3000-meter steeplechase. In addition to
perfecting her hurdling form this winter, said Tami, "I am going
to find a way to be as tough as possible, because in this event you need
to be as tough as nails." |
