It seems that almost immediately after exiting the womb, the Shearns twins were planning their life in gymnastics. Well not really, but Maddy and Riley Shearns got involved with gymnastics at the young age of four thanks to their mother, Denise, who was a gymnastics coach.
The twins have worked on their skills for the past 12 years at Elite Gymnastics in Ashland, where they have been under the guidance of Breanna Vacca. Three years ago, when the twins were entering their freshman year at Millis High School, Vacca and Medway Athletic Director Rob Pearl were working on putting together a gymnastics squad. Unfortunately, Medway didn’t have enough athletes to form a team, so Pearl contacted AD Chuck Grant at Millis. The first season, the team was billed as the Medway-Millis, but last year added Holliston to the mix, where the squad finished in the State Tournament three points behind Barnstable.
Both girls have been with the program from its inception, and although familiar with Coach Vacca, the tryouts still left them a little unease.
“Just because we knew the Coach, tryouts still had a nervous feeling to them, as we didn’t know anyone else who was trying out,” Maddy said. “But we were confident that we’d make the team because of our abilities.”
The twins can both take part in all four events for Medway-Millis-Holliston, but as only juniors they usually find themselves taking part in three of the four events during each meet. Riley takes part in floor, vault and beam, while her older sister, by two minutes, Maddy takes part in floor, vault and bars. And although both participate in similar events, both seem to like a different event.
“Floor is my all time favorite event, as it’s where I have my most success,” Riley said. “I also enjoy it as I’m performing to the music and dancing using my skills.”
While Riley is dancing around on the floor, Maddy prefers the skill of the vault.
“I like the entire anticipation of the event,” she said. “Making that good run, hitting the vault just right and then sticking the landing – that’s what I like.”
Although the Shearns girls have been participating in club gymnastics for quite some time, the duo really prefers the sport on the high school level much better.
“The two are totally different,” Riley said. “Club is more about individualism, while high school has much more of a team aspect to it.”
MMH Coach Vacca also believes that the two girls seem to gravitate toward different events that they seem to succeed in.
“Both girls are capable of participating in all four events and scoring points for the team, but they are different. Madison has decent bars, but she still can improve participating in a level 9,” the Coach said. “Riley is a very hard working individual who wants to get in all her skills on the floor.”
While high school gymnastics is more of a team sport to the twins, it is also a sport where you cannot afford to make a mistake, as you’re all alone.
“Gymnastics is tough, as all eyes are on you when you are performing. If you make a mistake, a lot of people see it,” Riley said. “It’s also hard to overcome, unlike soccer, where you’re part of a bigger picture. Mistakes can be hidden there, and it doesn’t always affect the team.”
Like most twins, Maddy agrees with her sibling.
“In any event you’re just trying to block everything out and focus on the task at hand,” Maddy said. “You don’t want to stress out, because you will make a mistake. You need to succeed at that moment and leave everything behind you.”
The Shearns girls have both had success on the club level with Elite, but would really like to improve upon last year’s success with MMH and capture a championship.
“I really think that if we work hard together as a team, we can win New England’s this year. I’d really like to bring the trophy home to Millis and show them that gymnastics is a top sport, too,” Maddy said.
Being part of a championship team is also a goal of Riley’s.
“We are a well practiced team with a good amount of talented girls. If we continue to improve I see no reason why we cannot win the New England’s,” she said. “Last year, it was a little intimidating going up against some of the higher divisions, but we managed to take third. Millis only has a small pool of girls to choose from, so it makes it tougher, but as a co-op, everyone benefits at becoming a successful team.”
As the duo plans on working extremely hard to accomplish their goals this upcoming season, they don’t use that aggression at beating one another, despite participating in the same events.
“We just want the best for each other,” Riley said. “We’re competitive, but we help each other in terms of what we’re doing in each event.”
With their spirited attitude, the Shearns twins, along with the rest of the MMH squad should have a decent shot at their goal of taking home a New England Title, and it’s no wonder why their mother wanted to get them into gymnastics at such an early age.
Issue Date:
January, 2017
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