Sweden getting Utah twin pack

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 17, 2005 | by Brad Rock Deseret Morning News

It was a package deal from the start, like when you buy one medium pizza and get the second one free.

If Annie Hawkins is on your soccer team, so is her twin sister, Sarah. And vice versa.

No, this isn't a Doublemint commercial. But the Hawkins sisters are teammates from way, way back. And they're two of the best female players Utah has ever produced.

This isn't just a story about sibling athletes, though. That happens often. It's about women who are also on their way to Sweden to play professionally in one of Europe's best leagues. As far as their former club coach, Sean Macklyn, an 18-year coaching veteran, can determine, they're the first Utah women to play professionally in Europe. The team is QBIK, the league is Allsvenskan, the city is Karlstad, and do you ever wonder if there's a shortage of vowels over there?

New country, different language, unfamiliar teammates, strange foods -- but why worry? How scary can things be when your identical twin is your roommate?

"I'm a little nervous," said Sarah, who is a center midfielder.

"But it will be a great experience."

The journey from Salt Lake to Karlstad began 21 years ago when the twins were born. And yes, they do look alike. A stranger could tell the difference, but not without a DNA work-up. They sound alike, too. Though they don't wear identical clothes -- except on the field -- you have to wonder if coaches kept putting them on the same team because they couldn't tell one from the other. So the coaches applied the always-popular "dessert rule:" When in doubt, take two.

"We are a package deal," said Sarah.

The twins grew up playing basketball and soccer in the Foothill area of Salt Lake. If this seems like a story of people who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, you're wrong. They dreamed this all along. Planned on it, actually.

"We always wanted to be professional athletes," said Sarah.

After starring on various youth and club teams, they went on to play at Judge Memorial High, where they finished second in state their senior season. That year, Annie, a forward, visited a soccer clinic in Arizona, where she was scouted and recruited by Gonzaga University. Sarah was back in Salt Lake playing basketball.

During the recruitment process, Annie told the Bulldogs' coach, "Why not bring along my sister?"

A two-for-one deal if ever there was one.

The school looked at some film of Sarah and offered her a scholarship without ever having seen her in person.

In the last two years, the Bulldogs went 11-9 and 11-8, the best records in school history. Annie finished her college career as Gonzaga's second-leading scorer; Sarah ranks fourth.

After the season ended last fall, both wanted to keep playing. Why not make it their job? It beats working the night shift at Sonic. It beats being president of a bank, too, for that matter. Gonzaga's coach contacted the Swedish team and arranged a tryout. Both went overseas and came back with one-year contracts.

How do you say "Goooooal!" in Swedish, anyway?

In a rare move, the twins will actually be apart for a short time this summer. Annie will be attending the U.S. national B team's camp, July 1-4, while Sarah will set things up in Sweden. But a day or two later they'll be together again, playing for a paycheck. Ultimately, the Hawkins sisters hope the now-defunct WUSA will return. That way they could play in the United States.

For now, they just want to make a difference in Sweden. How much difference?

"(QBIK) finished 11th out of 12 teams in the league last year," said Annie. "Hopefully we can help them win and stay in the highest division. We hope to help them win games, but also to have a good experience and grow as people."

Do we really need to say it?

Same goes for her sister.

E-mail: rock@desnews.com