This week’s notebook features CR South’s Taub twins as well as Wissahickon’s Haggerty siblings. It also includes an interesting name quiz!
By DENNY DYROFF
If Council Rock South track and field coach Deric Lynch remembered some of the commercials for Doublemint Gum that he heard when he was growing up, it wouldn’t be surprising if they popped into his head at times over the last four years -- especially the lines, “Double your pleasure, Double your fun.”
For the last four seasons, Lynch has had the good fortune to have the Taub Twins -- Allison and Shannon -- as an integral part of his outdoor track team.
The sisters are two of the premier talents in the Suburban One League. Their performances at last weekend’s SOL National Conference Championships underscore just how good they are.
There were seven gold medals awarded at the two-day meet at William Tennent High in field events. Five of those seven gold medals left the stadium in possession of the Taubs. Allison won the shot put at 38-11.25 and the javelin with a throw of 112-8. Shannon swept the jumps -- finishing first in triple jump at 36-5.75, long jump at 17-7.5 and high jump at 5-6.
When the sisters first showed up for spring track practice as freshmen, Lynch wasn’t quite sure what to make of them.
“It’s kind of funny,” said Lynch. “As freshmen, they both came in as skinny, awkward, gangly athletes.”
Shannon Taub said, “Looking back, I’d say that was a pretty good description of us.”
Over the four years, they have filled out, shown great co-ordination and developed into versatile top-flight athletes.
“Actually, they were impressive athletes from the start, and they just kept getting better,” said Lynch. “When they started, they both wanted to do everything together. They were each other’s biggest supporters -- and biggest challengers. It’s an awesome battle that they probably wage in everything they do.”
But, it’s always been friendly competition.
“Allison is older by one minute,” said Shannon. “I guess that was our first competition -- seeing who would be the first to be born. We’ve always been competitive, but we’ve also always been really supportive of each other. And, even when we are in competition with each other, it makes us work harder.
“We played just about every sport -- soccer, basketball, softball, field hockey. We even play volleyball now for our CYO team. When we were in kindergarten, we watched our older brother Drew who was in first grade and had started doing track. Going to the meets and watching him made us want to compete.
“We started track when we were in first grade for the St. Bede’s CYO team in Holland,” Shannon said. “In first, second and third grades, we were just runners. In fourth grade, we started doing shot put and high jump. Allison was more of a jumper then.”
Even in grade school, the twins’ competitive juices were flowing freely.
“I remember the first time I had to really compete against my sister,” said Allison. “We were in fifth grade and we had to race for the fourth spot on our CYO team that was going to the Penn Relays. She beat me and I was fifth overall. I went as the alternate and our team placed fifth overall.
“Once we got in high school, competing against each other was a win-win situation. It motivated us to do better -- and we were scoring points for the team. I would never be as good as I am without her. She always pushes me -- and I push her.”
Shannon said, “We’re always competing -- and we’re always pretty even.”
And, they were always pretty good.
The competitive nature evidenced itself another way when the girls were juniors.
“Allison was always the basketball player,” said Shannon. “I played basketball my junior and senior years because the team needed players.”
One of the reasons the team needed players last year was an ankle injury suffered by Allison.
“I broke my ankle and she pushed me to keep going -- to work on rehab,” said Allison. “I was warming up for a playoff basketball game. It was snowy outside and some people walked near the end of the court with snowy feet. The floor was wet. I went in for a layup and slipped. It was a clean-cut fracture right above my growth plate.”
Lynch said, “That ended her basketball season and I thought I lost her for the outdoor season. Midway through the (track) season, Allison came to me and said -- I just got cleared to throw. She was still wearing a boot.”
Allison said, “The doctors tried to hold me back. I definitely surprised them. They said I could compete as long as I wore the boot. I competed in the boot for a full month. Even when it rained, I put a trash bag over it and still threw.
“I got the boot off three-quarters of the way through the season. I wasn’t 100 percent, but I was still happy with how far I had come.”
She had come far enough to qualify for the District 1 Class AAA Championships.
“Allison qualified for districts and did a great job in javelin -- while still hobbling,” said Lynch. “This year, she has been unstoppable. Shannon is our points leader with 256 and Allison is right behind with 234. They are both phenomenal. Shannon has school records in high jump, triple jump and long jump and Allison has school records in shot put and discus
“And, they’re track nerds. They follow Penn Track and know everyone’s performances and seeds from all around the state. Whether they’re competing or practicing, they do everything the right way.”
Their careers have already provided many highlights.
“I think the most memorable moment was our team winning leagues,” said Allison. “That was huge. Individually, it was getting on the podium last year at districts. It was my first district medal.”
Shannon said, “My most memorable moment was last year when we went 7-0 and won leagues. For individual highlight, it was freshman year. We jumped together in the high jump relay and set the meet record at the C.B. West Relays.
“Our best competition against each other was at leagues in our freshman year. We were tied at 5-3 and the league meet rules say there cannot be a tie. So, we had to go up and down. We’d miss at 5-2, tie at 5-1, make it at 5-2 and go back to 5-3. We did this six or seven times. It just went back and forth.”
The sisters really live up to the “identical” part of identical twins.
“We’ve always stayed the identical with our height and we look the same,” said Shannon. “And, our grade point averages are really close. In our freshman year, our G.P.A. was exactly the same taking it to the thousandths.”
Shannon’s list of extracurricular activities includes National English Honor Society, “Thon Committee” (cancer benefit), Athletes Helping Athletes and Buddy Club.
“Every club she’s in, I’m in too,” said Allison.
The twins have been virtually inseparable for 18 years. That situation will soon come to a screeching halt.
“We’re going to different colleges,” said Allison. “She signed in November to go to Duquesne. I wanted to be close to her so I looked at Robert Morris. But, I didn’t want to go to school five hours away. So, I chose Monmouth, which is only an hour-and-a-half away.
“Everything we’ve done up until now has been together. So, being apart soon is definitely scary. But, we’re just a phone call or a Face Time away from each other. We’ll work it out. And, I’m rooming with a twin at college.”
Lynch will definitely have a tear in his eye when the Taub Twins move on.
“It’s been nice to sit back and watch the neat dynamic between the two,” said the Golden Hawks’ coach.
*****
There is also another pair of siblings that deserve recognition -- Wissahickon’s Dan and Will Haggerty. Not only are they dedicated competitors on the Trojans’ track and field team, they are members of an elite group known as “students with special needs.”
“Both boys have autism and both are members of Wissahickon’s track team,” said their mother Susan Haggerty. “Dan is a runner and Will does the pole vault.”
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.
Autistic disorder, sometimes called autism or classical ASD, is the most severe form of ASD, while other conditions along the spectrum include Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder.
“With autism, it’s something you have at birth,” said Haggerty. “You notice it when a child gets to certain milestones. The more severe they have it, the earlier you see it. The language is a big marker. And, there are a lot of little signs such as repetitive actions.
“With Will, he had language issues. They just came to him. Dan, who is a year-and-a-half older, has regular autism -- middle to severe -- not a lot of words. Will talks. His type is pervasive developmental disorder. It’s a milder form of autism.”
Participation in sports has always helped with the development of those with special needs -- especially the Special Olympics. The Haggerty brothers have competed in the Special Olympics for years.
And, they have competed for Wissahickon’s varsity swim and track teams for years. Varsity swim coach John High, who knew the brothers from the classroom at Wisshaickon’s middle school, played a big role.
High -- and his sister Antoinette -- were top-flight swimmers for the Trojans. After he finished college, High returned to his alma mater to teach special education classes and coach the varsity boys swimming team.
“John saw the boys swimming in the pool when they were in middle school,” said Haggerty. “When they got to high school, he suggested that they come out and join the varsity team.”
Will Haggerty said, “Swimming was the first sport we did at high school. For years, we had been swimming at our cousin’s pool and at other relatives’ pools. I always enjoyed swimming. But, I don’t like the chlorine on my skin and my eyes getting all red-veined.
“I swam in gym classes in middle school and that’s where Mr. High saw me swim. I was excited at my first high school practice -- and I was a little nervous. I was even more nervous for my first race. But, I really enjoyed being on the team. It gave me a chance to be with my friends.”
The Haggerty brothers’ interest in track and field had a different catalyst.
“I saw my brother Jack pole vault for St. Joe’s Prep,” said Will Haggerty. “So, I decided to pick pole vault when my brother and I joined the track team. It wasn’t hard to learn.
“My best friend Phil Fadel was a pole vaulter, and he taught me how. I liked pole vaulting right from the start. I began going over the bungee and then over the bar. Coach (Floyd) Garis has also helped me a lot with my pole vaulting.”
Last weekend, Will competed at the Suburban One League American Conference Championships at Plymouth Whitemarsh and finished with the sixth-best height in the meet.
“Competing at the league meet got my adrenalin going,” said Will. “My best height this year was 10-0 at a dual meet. Next year, I want to do 11-0. The most difficult part for me is the approach because I slow down when I get to the pit. I need to work on my plant. The best part is my guns.”
Will was referring to his biceps as his guns -- a reference to the movie “The Legend of Ron Burgundy” when the title character flexes his biceps and calls them “his guns.”
Movies are one of Will’s major hobbies. He is a serious movie aficionado and can reel off his favorite upcoming movies with rapid-fire delivery.
“I’m obsessed with movies,” said Will. “I’m going to see ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ this Sunday. Some of the movies coming out that I really want to see are ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Ant-Man,’ ‘The Fantastic Four’ and ‘Terminator Genisys.’
“I’m also a big fan of Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Wars and Star Trek. Batman is my favorite superhero. And, I like the villains in Batman like The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler.”
Video games also are a major hobby for Will, but he also savors his time with the track team.
“Being on the track team is good,” said Will. “It’s good socially. My friends and I talk when we’re stretching and we talk when we’re waiting for our turn to vault. We talk about track -- and we talk about movies.”
Wissahickon track coach Don Beterly said, “One word you’d definitely use to describe Will is enthusiastic. He wanted me to have a meeting with the pole vaulters back in February.
“I’m glad Will and Dan have this opportunity. They’re good kids. They have a purpose. And, they really latch onto something they enjoy. I’ve had kids with all kinds of disabilities. I always try to get them involved with team meetings and hands-in cheers. And, when I can, I like to get them t-shirts and trophies.”
Other school-based support for the Haggerty siblings has been provided by Lisa Hacking, a classroom aide at Wissahickon who accompanies the boys to swim meets and track meets.
“Lisa has been great,” said Susan Haggerty, whose husband Tom Haggerty played basketball for Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s College (now St. Joseph’s University) from 1975-1978. “And, so have our boys’ coaches -- John High, Floyd Garis and Don Betterly.
“Wissahickon has been very good about making sure kids with special needs have gotten involved. As a parent, it’s heartwarming. It’s so great for my guys to be accepted -- to be part of a team.”
*****
Last week’s track notebook looked at a few of the unique names of SOL track and field athletes with African heritage.
The results from last weekend’s three SOL championship meets included a number of wonderful names showing cultural heritage, parents’ inventiveness or both.
The following is a quiz dealing with some of the interesting names done in crossword puzzle style without the crossword structure. There will be a list of crossword-style clues followed by a list of the corresponding names. See how many you can guess correctly.
CLUES
1.First letter of the Greek alphabet
2.Beautiful color, beautiful scent
3.American troubadour/classical stringed instrument
4.“Play it again, ___/main character in “Dragnet”
5.Rare jewel
6.Legendary music industry building in New York
7.Dominique’s always in style
8.How you feel at the end of the day
9.A water priestess in Slavic mythology
10.Nighttime cold medicine/president of the Confederate States of America
11.Aerosmith frontman/American rapper
12.Expensive perfume
13.What you get on a breezy day in October
14.Name most suited for a WWE star
15.Ivy that covers the outfield walls at Wrigley Field
16.Opposite of a short Nguyen
17.Holy Roman Emperor
18.Limousine service at an airport in Ireland
19.Found at funeral viewings
20.Kin of “The King”
21.Native American/JFK’s assassin
22.Suburban neighborhood in Delaware
23.Best in countertops
24.Legendary Philadelphia department store
å25.Fabled American brush company
26.Beauty salon employee
27.One of New York City’s main rivers
Here’s the special food section --
28.Ketchup name
29.Tasty pickles
30.Barbecue necessity
31.Pretzel maker from Reading
32.Chocolate Town
ANSWERS
1.Quakertown’s Shiann Alpha
2.Pennsbury’s Lavender Nambo
3.Council Rock North’s Taylor Viola
4.Pennsbury’s Sam Webb
5.Hatboro-Horsham’s Dymond Black
6.C.B. West’s Joe Brill
7.Council Rock South’s Dominique Tirendi
8.Council Rock North’s Abbie Todd
9.Pennsbury’s Zaria Lassiter
10.Bensalem’s Niquo Davis
11.Council Rock North’s Tyler Loc
12. Cheltenham’s Chanel Brissett Chelt
13.Wissahickon’s Autumn Hair
14.C.B. West’s Rock Fortna
15.Quakertown’s Ronald Cubbage
16.North Penn’s Long Nguyen
17.Wissahickon’s Maxmillian Davies
18.Pennridge’s Shannon Coache
19.Quakertown’s Lily Colflesh
20.Pennsbury’s Dasia Pressley
21.Neshaminy’s Cheyenne Oswald
22.C.B. West’s Christiana Woods
23.Central Bucks South’s Marissa Formica
24. Pennridge’s Ilise Wanamaker
25.C.B. West’s Allyson Fuller
26.Hatboro-Horsham’s Casey Comber
27.Quakertown’s Hudson Delisle
28.Council Rock North’s BenHeintz
29.North Penn’s Mikaela Vlasic
30.North Penn’s Sarah Wiener
31.Quakertown’s Victoria Sturgess
32.Souderton’s Sarah Hershey
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