Two of a Kind

"Friends come and go, but sisters are forever!" - Pompeia Pohland

With some family's, gymnastics just happens to run in the blood. From an early age most little girls want to be just like their big sister. It starts with little sis tagging along to her big sister's practices and watching at almost every competition, mimicking her movements from the sidelines. Soon she's bagging mom to sign her up for classes and within the course of a few years she's training alongside big sis, preparing for elite competition. It's not rare to find sisters on the elite or collegiate scene competing with or against each other. These girls are training partners, competitors and teammates. But most importantly, their sisters first.

Mackenzie and Bridgette Caquatto

(Photo Credit: Bridgette Caquatto)

Mackenzie

Age:19

Biggest Accomplishment: 2010 World Team Silver Medalist

Best Event: Uneven Bars

"It's been nice having a family member to train with. I know I can tell Bridgey anything and she understands me. As far as competition goes, we have never really been extremely competitive with each other. We always cheer each other on and have a great time out on the competition floor. Training with my sister can be tough at times. We do fight sometimes, like any other siblings. I try to focus on my work and what I need to get done during workout and not pay too much attention to what she's doing."

Bridgette

Age:17 (turning 18 March 14th)

Biggest Accomplishment: Team, All Around, and Uneven Bar Gold Medalist at 2011 Pan Am's

Best Event: Uneven Bars

"I love competing with my sister! She is always cheering for me and pumping me up. She is very positive in meets and handles them very well, which has really helped me since we've competed together. In training she is just like another gymnast on the team who is there helping me along the way. We try to leave our gymnastics talk and work at the gym. We do have a 20-30 minute car ride home to talk about our day. But when we get home we like to spend time with our family."

Alyia and Nailya Mustafina

(Photo Credit: Ginnastica Forum) 

Aliya

Age:17

Biggest Accomplishment: 2010 World All Around Champion

Best Event: Uneven Bars (strong All Around)

Nailya

Age: 15

Biggest Accomplishment: 2008 Pacific Rim Junior Floor Silver Medalist

Best Event: Balance Beam

"For Aliya, the closest person is her sister. They have everything in common, although there is a also a spirit of rivalry!"- Farhad Mustafina (Aliya & Nailya's father)

Natalie and Kristina Vaculik

(Photo Credit: Durham Region)

Kristina

Age: 19

Biggest Accomplishment: 3 time Canadian World Team Member

Best Event: Balance Beam

Natalie

Age: 16

Biggest Accomplishment: 3rd All Around Gymnix International

Best Event: Uneven Bars

"Natalie is very different from Kristina, everybody is different, but I'm trying to take those different qualities that each of them have and bring them to the level that will benefit them most. They are a competitive family and they are eager to achieve something more. The desire is there." -Elena Davydova

Natalia and Dasha Joura

(Photo Credit: Dasha Joura)

Dasha

Age:21

Biggest Accomplishment: 2008 Australian Olympic Team Member

Best Event: Floor Exercise

"It was heredity, our parents were at the gym all the time and I was with them from the time I was a baby. I guess we both fell into it. When we're at home, that's my time to unwind. We try to avoid talking about gymnastics as much as possible when were out of the gym. You need a good balance."

Natalia

Age: 15 (turns 16 in February)

Biggest Accomplishment: 3rd All Around 2010 Massilla Cup

Best Event: Floor Exercise

Aisha and Mikaela Gerber

(Photo Credit: Cambridge Times)

Aisha

Age:21

Biggest Accomplishment: 3rd All Around 2006 American Cup

Best Event: Floor Exercise

"Hopefully I have been a positive influence on Mikaela! I think she has certainly looked up to me when she has a problem she’s working through. The experience I’ve had, having already been through that segment of a career, has really been helpful to her. But especially in the past few years, she has really taken her career into her own hands and has really taken off. I’m so proud of her."

Mikaela
Age: 16
Biggest Accomplishment: 2011 Canadian World Team Member
Best Event: Floor Exercise

"I've always looked up to Aisha! She's always been my role model and I love her so much. She's been a wonderful gymnast, and she's my sister so of course I've always looked up to her! She's one of my favorite gymnast's of all time!"

Ashley and Courtney Kupets

(Photo Credit: Atlanta Journal)

Courtney

Age: 25

Biggest Accomplishment: 2004 Olympic Uneven Bar Bronze Medalist

Best Event: Uneven Bars

Ashley

Age:27

Biggest Accomplishment: 2 time National Qualifier

Best Event: Floor Excercise

"We call them Koop and mini-Koop! It's great they're on the same team because they really raise the level of the other one's performance. They're different personalities. Courtney is a lot more outgoing. Ashley holds back a little more."- Suzanne Yoclaun

Rebecca and Ellie Downie

(Photo Credit: Rebecca Downie's Official Website)

Rebecca

Age: 20

Biggest Accomplishment: 2008 British Olympic Team Member

Best Event: Uneven Bars

Ellie

Age:13

Biggest Accomplishment: National Squad Member 2009, 2010, & 2011

Best Event: Balance Beam

"I think Ellie has been inspired by what Becky did in Beijing. I just hope she keeps her feet on the ground and I'm sure Becky will help with that having the experience she has. She has similar attributes to Becky but there are some things that can be worked on such as her leg line. She is a good competitor and worker and, if anything, a bit more of an entertainer than Becky." -Claire Starkey (Ellie's coach)

Charlotte and Gael Mackie

(Photo Credit: Gael Mackie)

Gael

Age: 23

Biggest Accomplishment: 2004 Canadian Olympic Team Member

Best Event: Floor Excericse

"Charlotte is my favorite gymnast to watch! Everyone in my family did, or still dose gymnastics and so it's something were all used to!"

Charlotte

Age: 18

Biggest Accomplishment:  2 Time Canadian World Team Member

Best Event: Balance Beam

"I talk to my sister almost every day on Blackberry Messenger. If I don't hear from her, I know she has exams or a big paper to write! We don't really give each other advice that much, we are really close and like to talk but we are pretty normal outside the gym."

Jordan and Tasha Schwikert

(Photo Credit: Allison Taylor's Official Website)

Jordan

Age: 23

Biggest Accomplishment: 2 time National Team Member

Best Event: Floor

Tasha

Age: 27

Biggest Accomplishment: 2000 Olympic Team Bronze Medalist

Best Event: All Around

"It's been a dream come true competing with Jordan at UCLA! I didn't know if we would get to go to the same college, and it's amazing that Miss Val and Chris took both of us. Jordan has been doing an amazing job and has been a huge asset to the team. To finish our career at Pauley going 1-3 in the all-around, I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Christine and Catherine Nguyen

(Photo Credit: WOGA.net)

Christine

Age: 23

Biggest Accomplishment: 2006 National Team Member

Best Event: Balance Beam

Catherine

Age: 20

Biggest Accomplishment: 2006 Junior National Team Member

Best Event: Balance Beam

"I decided to join the sport after seeing how much Christine loved it! We support each other all the way and we don't really get competitive. During her senior year we competed against each other for the first time and it was pretty cool. But we just look up to each other"

Other Famous Sisters!

- Kristina and Eleanora Goryunova

-Cassandra and Madeline Hanley

-Hong Su Jong and Hong Un Jong

-Yulia and Svetlana Khorkina

- Giulia and Marie-Sophie Hindermann

-All quotes were found online and we are not claiming to have interviewed these people.