Twin gymnasts put twist on sibling rivalry
Dan Parr - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Sports
Carol Beiler could feel the rivalry brewing in her gut.
She knew that the sons she was pregnant with - identical twins and now members of the Iowa gymnastics team Matt and Mark Beiler - would probably be competitive and athletic, especially if they were anything like their father Egon Beiler, an Olympic wrestler.
Carol Beiler decided to eliminate one of the easier claims of sibling superiority before either one could spin, somersault, or swivel.
"It's actually a funny story," said Matt Beiler when asked who was born first. "My parents won't tell us.
"We won't know until we get married."
No date or bride is in the works yet, although Matt Beiler does have a girlfriend and is jokingly referred to by friends as Mr. Romance. The 20-year-old brothers seem to be getting along without the knowledge of who is older, but their mother calls them several times a week to make sure. She's not bashful - the Hawks' practices are often interrupted with her inquiries.
The Ontario, Canada, natives' one measuring stick for who is ahead in the standings has always been gymnastics. It appears that Matt Beiler recently pulled ahead in that category. In December, he qualified for the Canadian National gymnastic team after spending the fall semester training in Calgary with the rest of that nation's best.
"I'll be happy for him," said Mark Beiler, in between the roar of the crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings as Jake Plummer coughed up another ball last weekend. "I won't be jealous. If he does something good, it makes me look good."
Matt Beiler, who stands one inch shorter than his brother, added, "People can't tell us apart, anyway."
Matt Beiler's standout performance - fourth overall on the rings at the Elite Canada competition in Québec Dec. 10-11, 2005 - was the clinching factor in his addition to the Canadian squad.
The Canadian team has 15 members. Six of those, along with one alternate, will go to the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. Matt Beiler said he is right in the middle of the pack, in sixth- or seventh-place.
She knew that the sons she was pregnant with - identical twins and now members of the Iowa gymnastics team Matt and Mark Beiler - would probably be competitive and athletic, especially if they were anything like their father Egon Beiler, an Olympic wrestler.
Carol Beiler decided to eliminate one of the easier claims of sibling superiority before either one could spin, somersault, or swivel.
"It's actually a funny story," said Matt Beiler when asked who was born first. "My parents won't tell us.
"We won't know until we get married."
No date or bride is in the works yet, although Matt Beiler does have a girlfriend and is jokingly referred to by friends as Mr. Romance. The 20-year-old brothers seem to be getting along without the knowledge of who is older, but their mother calls them several times a week to make sure. She's not bashful - the Hawks' practices are often interrupted with her inquiries.
The Ontario, Canada, natives' one measuring stick for who is ahead in the standings has always been gymnastics. It appears that Matt Beiler recently pulled ahead in that category. In December, he qualified for the Canadian National gymnastic team after spending the fall semester training in Calgary with the rest of that nation's best.
"I'll be happy for him," said Mark Beiler, in between the roar of the crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings as Jake Plummer coughed up another ball last weekend. "I won't be jealous. If he does something good, it makes me look good."
Matt Beiler, who stands one inch shorter than his brother, added, "People can't tell us apart, anyway."
Matt Beiler's standout performance - fourth overall on the rings at the Elite Canada competition in Québec Dec. 10-11, 2005 - was the clinching factor in his addition to the Canadian squad.
The Canadian team has 15 members. Six of those, along with one alternate, will go to the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. Matt Beiler said he is right in the middle of the pack, in sixth- or seventh-place.
