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Twins keep themselves busy

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2001

BROOKSVILLE -- Through volleyball, basketball and now softball season, Central has boasted a pair of three-sport athletes in twin sophomores Tamara and Thalia Tatham.

"It keeps you in shape," said Thalia, who will earn three varsity letters as a setter, forward and outfielder for the Bears.

"You get used to it," said Tamara, an all-conference selection in volleyball who convinced her sister to give softball a try.

Ask the twins what time they begin their homework, and they calmly respond: "11 o'clock." Don't take the late-night studying as anything less than time-management skills. Both say their schoolwork is a priority.

"It's not bad at all," Thalia said. "I make time for my homework. If you don't have the grades, you can't play sports. When I'm in class, I make sure I sit in the front of the classroom so I can get all of the information."

Their first love is volleyball, where both started as setters in guiding the Bears to their first playoff berth in four years. It's the one sport that persists year-round in their schedules, whether it be summer camps or trips to the beach for less formal practices.

"We never stop playing sports," Thalia said. "Break isn't in our vocabulary."

That said, the two also have the foresight to know the multisport adventuring is difficult to continue beyond the high school level.

"It's going to be hard to play three in college," Tamara said.

The two have their hopes set on playing volleyball at Florida.

To get a sense of how much they like to stay busy, consider this: Tamara wasn't content with her reserve role with the varsity softball team and asked her coach to demote her to the junior varsity so she could play more.

"You can't ask for much more from athletes in terms of playing three or four sports," Central softball coach Benny Martinez said. "They're great kids, and both have starter potential in every sport. They could run track, too, if we'd let them."

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