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These days, when people think of Greenwich twins, it's usuallyTyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the town natives who claim their Harvard University classmate stole their idea for Facebook. But Greenwich High School can probably put twins on the map for a different reason --setting a world record. The GHS senior class has 16 sets of twins. That's the same numberas the sophomore class at Staples High School in Westport, which recently set the Guinness world record forhaving the most sets of twins in one class. Earlier in the year, one of the GHS twins, senior Ben Lanzoni,contacted the UK company about applying for the record. Afterhearing about the daunting process, which includes sending copiesof birth certificates and proof of enrollment for all of the twins,along with a letter from both a school staff member and the head ofthe school, the mission fell by the wayside. Ben decided to ramp upthe process again after hearing about Staples' achievement, hopingto at least tie with the rival Fairfield County school . Along with Staples, the GHS senior class would have to share thehonor with Valley Southwoods Freshman High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, which also has 16 sets of twins in theninth grade, according to a Guinness World Records spokeswoman. They might not hold the record for long. It turns out that the freshman class at GHS blows Staples and theIowa school out of the water with 18 sets of mostly fraternaltwins, along with two sets of triplets. Overall, out of the nearly 2,700 students at GHS, there are 62 setsof twins. The numbers have surprised the students, even though they havegrown up in a town where seeing double is not as rare as it oncewas. "I knew there were a lot of twins because it's a big high school,but I didn't think we'd have as many twins as we do," Ben Lanzonisaid. When they started off at North Mianus School , Ben and Will were among three sets of fraternal boy twins. A setof identical girl twins joined them later. By the time they entered Eastern Middle School , Ben and Will were among 11 sets of twins. "Through middle school and elementary school, we were always aroundlots of twins," agreed freshman Ethan Polan , who gathered in the gym recently for a photo with his twinsister, Katie, and several other sibling pairs. "We always had atleast one of them in our classes. Then in high school, with all thekids, it's kind of like you forget." `A SIGN OF THE TIMES ' The twin birth rate in the U.S. increased 76 percent in last 30years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released earlier this year. That means in 1980, one in every 53births resulted in twins. By 2009, it was one in 30. The reason, according to experts, stems from a combination of oldermothers and fertility treatments. More women are waiting untilthey're older to have children, and women in their 30s have agreater chance of releasing more than one egg during ovulation,hence becoming pregnant with fraternal twins. There are also morewomen using reproductive technology, such as in vitrofertilization, to treat infertility. "Certainly in the Greenwich population, mothers probably are olderthan the national average, and many of those women end up inreproductive endocrinology programs," said Dr. Annette Bond , director of maternal-fetal medicine at Greenwich Hospital , where 72 sets of multiples were delivered between October 2010and September 2011. With IVF, during which multiple embryos are commonly implanted, thechance of having multiples is between 25 and 30 percent, Bond said. Ben and Will's mom, Nancy Lanzoni , falls into the first category. When she was pregnant, peoplewould assume Lanzoni had undergone fertility treatments, but it wassimply the luck of the draw. She was 40 when they were born. "I have to say that I know for a fact that the four sets of twinparents that I do know, it was all just the luck of the draw,"Lanzoni said. "I think it was more just a sign of the times, womenhaving children later." Despite living in a world with reality TV shows like TLC's "MakeRoom for Multiples," the twins at GHS still consider themselvesatypical. During this year's Standing Room Only, the annual seniorvariety show, the 16 pairs participated in a "twin dance" to thesong "Cupid Shuffle." "I still do think that there is some sort of uniqueness, becausethere are not as many twins as there are children who have justbrothers and sisters," says Katie Polan . "A lot of people, when they find out I'm a twin, they ask me,`What does it feel like? How is it? What is it like being a twin?'" A `REALLY COOL THING' The experience, of course, varies by family. Ethan and Katie Polan,both 14, are part of the same group of friends, and have most oftheir classes together. Seniors Allegra and Siena Rumbough were always separated inelementary school, had a few classes together in middle and highschool, and now share only one music class at GHS. "When we were little we'd do everything together," Allegra, 17,recalled. "My mom dressed us the same until we were in middleschool. Then we kind of became our own people." After graduating later this month, Siena is going on to Fordham University in New York City, where she plans to be a pre-med major, whileAllegra is going across the country to Colorado College to study film. "We're complete opposites," Allegra said. "She's very freespirited, I'd say. She just kind of goes where the wind blows her.I'm more like, we have to keep on a certain path." The Lanzonis are also very different. Will is an artist, while Benis entrepreneurial -- as a 12-year-old, he asked for a snowblowerso he could help neighbors after storms, his mom said -- but theywill both be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall, and will be rooming together during their freshmanyear. "You know all the bad habits and you can deal with them for onemore year," Nancy Lanzoni explained. Many of the twins said that despite their differences, they stillhad particularly close relationships with their fraternal andidentical siblings. "Having a twin, there's always someone your age to hang out with,"Ben said. "It's a really cool thing to have someone there." A RECORD FOR EVERYTHING Along with breaking the Guinness record for most twins in oneclass, the GHS freshman class could also claim the Guinness recordfor the most multiple birth sets in the same class at one school.That record is 17, and consists of 14 sets of twins and 3 sets oftriplets, achieved by Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill. The GHS freshman class still has three more years to break therecords, though it remains to be seen whether they will followthrough. "I didn't even know there was a record for that," Ethan Polan said. lisa.chamoff@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter.com/lchamoff. I am an expert from cavitationslimmingmachine.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Face Wrinkle Remover , Co2 Fractional Laser Machine Manufacturer, Elight IPL RF,and more.
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