Track and field twins set sights on top spots for CCS
Their coach can’t tell them apart and neither can their
teammates or friends. Even Sarah and Lila Yoldi’s parents sometimes
confuse the identical twin senior athletes at San Benito High
School.
But there is one easy way to distinguish the two and it can be
found in the track and field events that they excel in.
Sarah is best at hurling the discus and Lila recently set the
San Benito High School record for the shot put, tossing the heavy
steel ball 39 feet, 10.5 inches. Both currently lead the Tri County
Athletic League in their respective events and both have the
ability to do well enough at next week’s Central Coast Section meet
to qualify for the prestigious state championships.
Track and field twins set sights on top spots for CCS
Their coach can’t tell them apart and neither can their teammates or friends. Even Sarah and Lila Yoldi’s parents sometimes confuse the identical twin senior athletes at San Benito High School.
But there is one easy way to distinguish the two and it can be found in the track and field events that they excel in.
Sarah is best at hurling the discus and Lila recently set the San Benito High School record for the shot put, tossing the heavy steel ball 39 feet, 10.5 inches. Both currently lead the Tri County Athletic League in their respective events and both have the ability to do well enough at next week’s Central Coast Section meet to qualify for the prestigious state championships.
“If it weren’t for one being left-handed and the other right, I couldn’t tell them apart,” San Benito High shot put coach Paul Gillies said. “Lila is left-handed. So you think L for Lila and Sarah is right-handed. It’s tough. Coaching them though is easy. They are very receptive to coaching; they work very hard and have a lot of fun, and that’s the main thing.”
Sarah, the older of the two by 27 minutes, has hurled her discus 118 feet, 1 inch this season to lead the TCAL. She too competes in the shot put but has struggled somewhat this season after tearing the labrum in her shoulder earlier in the year. With that said, she still managed to hurl the steel ball a personal best 36 feet, 8 inches. But it’s her sister, Lila, who is literally 1.5 inches away from earning a partial scholarship to California State University, Sacramento.
“If you can throw the shot put 40 feet they automatically give you a scholarship,” said Lila, who plans on competing there next year with her sister. “Throwing the shot put 40 feet also automatically qualifies me to the state meet after CCS.”
Although they both compete in the same events, the rivalry is a friendly one.
“There is a rivalry, but I’m not angry if she beats me,” Sarah said. “We kind of have a mutual understanding. I know that Lila is going to take first in the shot put and I take first in the discus.”
Although both events are similar in that throwing is involved, the techniques to propel each object are different. In the shot put, the main focus is on using the legs properly to create the maximum tourque to power the shot.
“I focus on trying to get my legs underneath me,” Lila said. “People think that you throw it with your arms but all of the power comes from your legs. When you throw it right, nothing hurts. It just feels effortless, like nothing.”
Proper technique is also vital in the discus events – but a lot of it also has to do with “Mother Nature.”
“In discus, you really have to pay attention to the wind,” Sarah said. “If you have a head wind, you need to throw it low and make sure that it stays flat to get a maximum spin. Sometimes, the wind can also help you by lifting it up and carrying it further.”
Sarah hopes to hurl the discus 120 feet at today’s TCAL meet, which would make her one of the favorites at CCS.
In addition to competing in both of these events, the 17-year-old sisters have competed in a number of sports over the years, including basketball, gymnastics, swimming and water polo.
During the water polo season last fall Sarah played goalie for the Balers and Lila was the team’s two-meter hole set. In the pool with their bathing caps on it was even more difficult to tell the identical twins apart.
“People confuse us all the time,” Lila said. “If someone calls me Sarah, I actually respond. Most people don’t even call us by our names. They all call us the twins or the Yoldi twins. In water polo, even though I was in the field and my sister was in the cage, they still couldn’t tell us apart.”
