Sidelines
Twins wrestle with
facing each otherTHE referee took one look and turned around, delighted.
He'd drawn this match.
"Who's who?" he asked, with a grin he couldn't contain.
On the mat, two images mirrored each other.
Brothers.
Twins.
There was Kamehameha Schools' Martin Kaslausky, last night on the opening eve of the state wrestling tournament. And facing him was his brother, Ian, of Campbell.
They had won their first matches, and the bracket had directed the two of them together.
It would be the first time the 160-pound Kaslauskys would face one another.
"The first time ever," Ian would say later, fighting for breath after the match.
Not even in the summertime (too busy training for football). Not even around the house (they must have been perfect angels).
Martin, the one with more wrestling experience, said, "I was kinda scared." Maybe he'd given his brother too many tips over the years.
They lined up side by side, waiting to be directed to an available mat. They walked to the mat together. There was a mighty cheer.
They faced each other. They shook hands. They hugged.
The crowd called both of their names.
The coaches jokingly reminded the ref not to get the two mixed up.
In the first period, they were identical. They circled. The clock stopped again and again. Martin's headgear came off. Another whistle. Martin was called for stalling. The match was going nowhere. They were too equal, too even. They weren't attacking each other.
They were twins.
The first period ended in a 0-0 tie.
"He knew my package," Martin would say. "And I knew what he was trying to look for."
But then came the second period. Martin escaped for a point, then, suddenly, got the upper hand on his brother. A takedown. A nearfall.
It looked like the nervousness of facing Ian for the very first time was over.
"No, all the way," Martin said. He still wasn't over it, even after the match.
But between the second and third periods, the Kamehameha coaches were yelling, and Martin turned around with a look that said, "Nah, I get 'em."
It would be his day.
And then came three more takedowns, for a score of 11-3.
Ian escaped for the final point.
The match was over. They hugged, emotionally. They went to the other's coaches for handshakes, met again crossing paths, and hugged again.
They were breathless, spent, sinking to the floor. People kept coming up to share the history.
But it was tough for Martin, the winner. He felt badly for taking his brother out of the winner's bracket.
But Ian had a warm smile. His brother had won, and was on to the state semifinals.
"Someone gotta go to the top," he said.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com