Pendola twins find comfort with cross country

WARSAW — Growing up in a family that is known for playing the sport you love can be bring positives and negatives. On one hand, you can get advice from people who are very close to you. On the other hand, a certain amount of pressure comes with that.

This is what River View seniors Caleb and Bella Pendola are going through right now, but they said neither of them feel any extra pressure.

Twins, Caleb and Bella are the children of Jason Pendola and Jennifer (Leighty) Pendola. Jennifer was one of four Leighty sisters — Deb, Shary and Becky — but ironically, Jennifer was the only one who didn't run in their time at West Holmes.

Jennifer played softball, but the family tradition fell to Bella and Caleb anyway.

"To tell the truth when they said they wanted to run I wasn't that surprised," Jennifer said. "We've always let them chose what they wanted to do."

Caleb said, "(Our Aunts) were pretty excited that we were going to continue the family tradition, since our parents didn't."

But that's not the only cross country family the Pendola twins have. Together they share a sibling bond where they discuss everything from running strategies to workouts, but they also have their cross country team that acts as another family.

Wherever the Pendola twins go there is a family atmosphere.

"It's really nice. Of course, we have our home, then we come to school and we all eat lunch and hang out together," Bella said. "No matter where we are, we have somebody."

Their journey started in the seventh grade, when they joined the middle school cross country program, where varsity coach Gwenna Neal was with them from the beginning.

Neal has turned the Black Bears cross country program into a consistent district and regional power, all around the family atmosphere, but Caleb said it didn't start out like that.

"It was more of you ran cross country to have fun and if you actually got some running done that was cool, but if you didn't then it's no big deal," Bella said.

Things have changed though, now the boys and girls teams are very competitive. In fact, last year the boys sent a team to the state meet and the girls sent a group to the regional meet.

So when Bella, who has the fastest time on the girls team and Caleb, who is currently third on the boys team, need competitive advice where do they go? Right back to their family.

"It's good to be able to talk to our aunts and take advice from them because one of them lives close to us," Caleb said. "So she sometimes comes over for dinner and we can just talk to her about our running and that's nice."

Bella said, "We are always texting them telling them how we do."

That's the perk of growing up in a running family, but when they can't get to their biological family for advice they go to their River View family. Who do they turn to then? Their coach, who holds a similar role as their aunts.

"Anything that we need we will either go to (coach Neal), our aunts or our mom," Bella said. "(Neal) has been a great influence for us, in our running. She has always been so supportive and she is a great coach. I don't even know how to put into words what she has done for us."

Growing up, the two Pendolas always had each other, with the exception of the one minute Bella was born and Caleb wasn't yet. But despite Bella messing with her "little" brother when they were younger about being one minute older, they are very supportive of each other.

"It's in a quiet and reserved way, but you can definitely see the bond between them," Neal said.

Until last year Bella was always the fastest between the two of them, but then Caleb, "got fast," Bella said.

"My junior year, he started at the same level as me and then something happened. Something changed mentally," she said.

Caleb just got into a different mindset and said that the attitude of the team last year impacted him.

Neal said, "Last year, we had a team go to state and Caleb was an alternate for that and he got to be a part of the success of that varsity squad and that lit a fire. He had already improved some, but it planted a seed of desire."

When Caleb achieved a goal of his — to be faster than his sister — instead of getting competitive, Bella, was happy for her brother.

"I was so proud of him. I've always wanted to improve myself it's not always been about, 'Oh am I faster than this person,' so being able to see him improve like that was nice," Bella said. "I can still remember in junior high him not wanting to run and then to see him break out of that was awesome."

"I was just happy that I was improving, more than the fact that I was faster than her. I was a little bit happy that people couldn't be like, 'Wow your sister is faster than you?'" Caleb said with a laugh. "But mostly just happy for myself."

Now, in their senior year, they are tasked with being key catalysts in returning the Black Bears to the regional meet and beyond. But they will do it like they always have: together and supporting one another.

"Our guys team is really developing. We don't have a lot of upperclassmen and everybody has really stepped it up this year. I feel like they are going to go really far, because they have all put in the work," Bella said.

"(The girls team) is just starting to get where they are competitive. They are starting to get a team of younger girls who have the capability to be good," Caleb said.

But more than having each other, they will have their running families behind them also: both of them.

"To watch them grow up and improve, it's the next thing to you appreciating watching your own children growing up," Neal said. "I feel very lucky to have them here."

"I'm just really proud of them. I've seen them work really hard for their own goals and team goals," Jennifer Pendola said. "We built a lot of family memories around cross country."

With one regular season meet left before their ECOL meet and then the postseason the twins have one thing in mind — state. Not just for themselves, but for their team, in other words their "family."

"It's my last year. I want to make the most of it and just put all I have into it," Caleb said. "Our goal is to go back to state this year. It's going to be hard and nobody expects us to be able to, but I think if we put the work in we can get it."

Bella said, "I really think we can make it to state this year. Since it is my senior year it is pushing me to be the best I can for the team, because it's like what do I have to lose. We just run our hearts out."

cteaguerob@gannett.com

740-295-3442

Twitter: @cj_teague