At the Manitoba Winter Games, twin sisters Ruth and Miriam Turk, both 13, are stepping onto the wrestling mat, but not on the same side. Ruth is competing for Team Winnipeg Gold, while Miriam represents Winnipeg Blue, meaning the sisters wrestling against each other.

Wrestling runs in the family. “Our parents wrestle, and our brother wrestles too,” Ruth explained. “So we decided we wanted to try it.”

The sport is still relatively new to them. The twins only started wrestling last year, and one of their first major competitions was the qualifier for the Manitoba Winter Games.

“We actually had to compete against each other at the qualifier,” Miriam said. Because wrestling is a small community with limited spots per team in each weight category, the sisters ended up being placed on different teams.

Even though they’re competitors on paper, both girls say the sport has quickly shown them the balance between competition and community.

“My favourite thing about wrestling is that it’s an individual sport,” Ruth said. “But there’s still a team aspect. You fight someone and it could be a teammate,and then after the competition you’re all hanging out together. It teaches you when to compete and when to just be part of the community.”

Miriam agrees that the wrestling community is what makes the experience special.

“No matter what happens on the mat, at the end of the day we’re all just one big community,” she said. “Everyone here is just trying to do their best.”

Still, facing your twin sister in competition isn’t always easy.

“It’s challenging,” Ruth admitted. “You want to win, but at the same time you want your best friend to do well too. So it’s kind of mixed emotions.”

Miriam laughed and added, “It’s hard to see a medal taken away from someone when you know you were the reason!”

Because Manitoba’s wrestling scene is relatively small, the twins say they often compete against the same athletes, and each other at different events throughout the year.

“We wrestle a lot of the same girls all the time,” Miriam said. “It’s a pretty small community.”

For the sisters, one of the best parts of the Games actually happens off the mat.

“Our favorite part is sitting on the mats and cheering,” Ruth said. “We cheer for each other and for people from other teams too.”

Miriam added that the supportive environment is something that surprises many newcomers.

“Because it’s a small community, everyone wants to support each other,” she said.

As the interview wrapped up, the twins shared a message for anyone curious about trying wrestling.

“It might seem scary at first,” Ruth said, “but it’s so much fun.”

Miriam nodded in agreement. “You’ll make great memories and you can really go places with the sport.”