RECREATION

Twins don't slow for a minute

Twins Katherine and Cole Baker have had a busy summer with sports and community service.

By Ricardo Gándara
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, August 07, 2008

The slurping from the last of the Starbucks tall double chocolate chip Frappuccino is coming from Cole Baker who is trying to keep a straight face when asked to describe — in as few words as possible — his 11-year-old fraternal twin, Katherine.

"Athletic for a girl," he writes on a piece of paper as instructed for this interview.

"Likes to talk and argue," Katherine writes on her paper.

They don't share their thoughts with each other but giggle and hand wrestle instead.

The nearly inseparable twins are having a whirlwind of a summer. All-Star games. Chess tournaments. Hall of Fame professional basketball player and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley interviewed them by phone for his weekly "American Voices" Sirius satellite radio show. (They learned Bradley has "weird eyes," referring to the great peripheral vision that served him well on the basketball court with the New York Knicks). They're helping their parents, Steve and Allison Baker, form a nonprofit organization to feed hungry children.

And what are your kids doing this summer?

Today, however, is an unusual weekday morning. Katherine is relieved she slept until 11:30 a.m. because she had a friend sleep over. Cole, who was ahead of her into this world by a minute, was up at his usual 7:30 a.m. and got caught up on the Brett Favre saga on ESPN's "SportsCenter." Unlike just about every other day this summer, there were no baseballs or softballs to throw, basketballs to dribble, golf clubs to swing or chess pieces to move.

"Just hanging out," says Katherine, a fan of Miley Cyrus.

Cole, who prefers his parents' taste for AC/DC, and The Rolling Stones, says, "But I start Pop Warner (youth football) this afternoon."

Oh, are these kids decorated at such a young age.

Playing since the age of 4, they are well-known in local and state chess tournaments, sometimes facing each other. "I think I won at the Woolridge Park tournament," says Katherine.

"No," says Cole.

"Yes, I did," says Katherine. "He's good, though. He likes to attack but not defend."

"She's good at tactical stuff," says Cole.

Chess often conflicts with baseball and football. Both played baseball in the Western Hills Little League. Cole made the All-Star team as a catcher. Catherine distinguished herself by hitting a grand slam. "The other team cheered," says their mother, Allison. This year, they didn't attend national chess tournaments in Dallas and Pittsburgh due to baseball. Last fall, chess competition bumped with flag football (yes, Katherine has played for four years). This summer, the twins sometimes took byes in chess tournaments to dash off to a baseball game.

Katherine's favorite sport is basketball. She plays point guard. "You get to shoot a lot," she says, adding that her game high is 17. Cole loves football and this fall is playing the tackle variety.

Their competitive spirit carries off the field. "I'm stronger than Cole," says Katherine, whose slow-pitch softball team this summer placed fifth in a national tournament in Slidell, La.

"No, you're not," responds Cole.

"Yes, I am," insists Katherine.

One thing they agree on is the Cattlemen Care (www.cattlemencare.org) project, a nonprofit effort with the Austin Community Foundation to donate beef to agencies that feed the hungry. Through Cattlemen Care, ranchers can donate cattle that will be processed and taken to agencies such as the Austin Children's Shelter. The twins' older brothers, 16-year-old Temple and 14-year-old Treeman, are also involved.

"It's been interesting talking to the adults," says Katherine. "One man told us that a lot of kids don't know what hamburger is because they've never eaten it. I was surprised."

"We already have seven cows lined up and will deliver the beef by the middle of August," says Cole.

Sounds like the twins haven't strayed from learning.