Mariani Twins Remain Close Despite Living Far from Each Other
10/5/2018 1:46:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics, Features
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman women's gymnast Maddie Mariani decided three years ago to commit to the University of Michigan, a decision that would eventually take her away from her fraternal twin sister, Makenna.
At five years old, the sisters started doing gymnastics together. Maddie was full of energy and would stick with gymnastics from then on, while Makenna chose not to continue with the sport.
Growing up as twins they originally each wanted to have their own group of friends and do their own thing. They had separate rooms in the house and different personalities. As time grew on they started to realize their circles were interconnected and their friends overlapped. They became best friends.
"We had the same group of friends, so we would always end up doing everything together," said Maddie. "I always thought of her more as a best friend than a twin sister. Our rooms are right next to each other, so we would always go in each other's rooms when we woke up in the morning."
As they grew closer and closer, they started to realize that they wanted to take different paths after high school. Maddie wanted to continue competing in gymnastics and leave the state of Arizona. Makenna wanted to stay home in Tucson to go to school.
One of the schools that Maddie was interested in was Michigan. After taking her visits she knew exactly where she wanted to go to school.
"When I visited here it was my favorite school by far with the combination of academics and athletics," said Maddie. "When I came here and visited it felt like home. I loved the facilities too. I was at practice when Bev (Plocki) called to offer me a scholarship, and I said yes right away."
Maddie's academic interests include the health field, although she isn't sure yet which degree she wants to pursue. Makenna wants to be a dental hygienist and chose to attend Pima Community College in Tucson, as the University of Arizona does not have a degree program in that field. Once Maddie committed to U-M they knew they would eventually be apart.
"It was hard," said Maddie. "The three years leading up to me leaving got harder as we got closer."
After the twins graduated from Sabino High School it got a lot harder, knowing they soon wouldn't have as much time together.
"This past summer is when it started to feel real and when it finally hit," said Makenna. "Before then it was something I knew would happen in the future but always felt like a long time away. It hit me the hardest this summer."
Maddie and Makenna made the most of their time together this summer and have kept in constant contact over the last month since Maddie arrived in Ann Arbor. They are in communication through text messages, Snapchat and FaceTime.
"It is hard with us both being in school and the three-hour time difference," said Makenna. "We talk as much as we can. My mom jokes that I talk to Maddie three times a day and she only talks to her once a week. We both make time for it."
There are a lot of little things they have missed during their time apart, like getting Starbucks in the morning. However, one of the most difficult things has been having to go through a life change without the other one. They have always experienced change together, and now they are nearly 2,000 miles away experiencing college life for the first time.
They will see each other for the first time in over a month next week when Makenna will travel to Ann Arbor to spend a few days with Maddie during Michigan's fall break from classes.
As difficult as it is being away from each other, they are both following the path they wanted to take. Maddie is attending school and competing in collegiate gymnastics outside of Arizona, and Makenna has stayed close to home to pursue her college degree. And they are proud of each other for chasing their dreams.
"I am very proud of her," said Makenna. "Over the years she has given up so much for it. It really paid off for her."
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