THE K-TWINS

NASA has Mars in its sights, and a big leap in that direction is now underway with a study on identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. Scott is now 111 days into a yearlong mission on the International Space Station, which means researchers will be able to test the effects on his body against samples taken from Mark on the ground to ultimately understand how humans react to long-term space travel.

Back here on the East Coast, New Jersey twins Casey and Jessica Kwiecinski have already gone through their own test separation: this winter, Casey embarked to Hawaii alone for the first time while Jessica stayed home to rehab an ankle injury. So how did two and a half months apart affect these sibling shredders collectively known to the surfing world as the K-Twins, who travel together, surf together, live together, hang out together, and even share the exact same sponsors?

“It’s the longest we’ve been apart,” Casey says. “We both went out there last year for our first time and it’s a very intimidating place, so it’s reassuring having someone with you at all times. I had to make decisions by myself this year, which was weird because we always do that together — little things like deciding where to surf or get lunch were just different.”

“It was weird not having her around and I got super lonely a lot of the time,” Jessica adds. “My entire life, I never had to call a friend to hang out, or to grab food, or to go to the movies. My best friend has always been right there beside me, living under the same roof.” Casey says that although she was living every surfer’s dream on the North Shore, not having Jessica by her side nearly proved too big of a hurdle to overcome. “At first, my anxiety was off the charts,” Casey says. “I think it was a combination of being by myself and being in a place like the North Shore. I stayed with a really amazing family, which helped a lot. They became like family of my own, which made me feel incredibly comfortable and lessened my anxiety – it slowed me down so I could focus.” 

However, like the Earth-grounded Mark Kelly, Jessica remained in Jersey, where she said it was tough both physically and mentally to be apart from her sister. “I almost felt as though I let her down because we were supposed to go together and had so many plans,” Jessica says. “I felt like I ruined that. It took a very long time for me to forgive myself for getting hurt. I know that accidents happen and that you can’t blame yourself for something like that, but I did.”

But Jessica channeled that pain to come back stronger than ever and is ripping again, especially after a recent trip the sisters took to Nicaragua. Casey says that didn’t surprise her at all. “Jessica is extremely determined and motivated,” she says. “I’ve seen her work her way from the bottom to the top. We don’t come from a surfing family, we didn’t start when we were extremely young, and we didn’t have any connections in the industry. We had to work hard to get where we are today. The coolest thing has been watching Jessica start from [a point that’s] as unfamiliar as it gets and work her way up to where she is today. The girl doesn’t give up.” 

That’s precisely the attitude that has led Jessica to win multiple ESA Easterns, NSSA East Coast, and Surfing America Prime titles. Which provides a good point to talk about the differences between her and Casey, who admits she’s not a fan of contests. Casey makes Jessica do all the driving, but Casey gives out Jessica’s phone number to guys she’s not interested in. Jessica prefers riding boards shaped by Adam “AJW” Warden, while Casey likes keeping it in-state with Brian Wynn. Jessica says Casey’s hair is a few inches longer than hers, but Casey says Jessica never forgets to remind her that she’s a half-inch taller. The sisters hated each other in middle school, but that changed once Jessica started surfing and Casey caught on a year later. “One day I made her paddle out in victory-at-sea conditions on my old soft board,” Jessica laughs. “She realized she had a lot of catching up to do, and ever since then it’s been a constant competition between us.” 

The sisters are clearly each other’s biggest supporters, though. Jessica says Casey charges bigger surf, while Casey admits Jessica can throw down a turn “with more power than any other girl.” Both recognize the other’s flaw of being a little too considerate and trusting, which means they’re both passionate about having each other’s backs. Jessica says Casey pushes her to be the best version of herself, and they both agree that their friendship is a two-for-one deal — “if you’re friends with one of us, you’re friends with both of us!” When asked to describe their relationship in one sentence, they chime in with a motto usually reserved for old married couples: “If she’s happy, then I’m happy.”

Their time apart this winter also revealed more about their individual natures, while also proving that nothing will truly separate them. “In a way, [the trip] was good,” Casey says. “I’ve never had the chance to be on my own as my own person. We’re always ‘The K Twins,’ but this time I was just ‘Casey.’” But Jessica says she’s not getting away that easily, even if they do begin following their own paths: “No matter where we end up in the world, we will definitely remain close,” Jessica says. “I would love to live near Casey forever, but who knows what will happen. We both love different places around the world. She’s been my best friend since the day we were born — nothing, even distance, could ever change that.” 

While the yearlong NASA study continues, the Kwiecinski sisters continue to push their own performance to peak levels in pursuit of keeping the dream alive. “We just want to keep doing this for as long as we can,” they both agree. “We love everything about surfing and love the industry, so we want to continue to build our names as much as possible. The places surfing has brought us, the people it has introduced us to… we literally can’t stop smiling and laughing while surfing, even if the waves aren’t good.”