September 29, 2021
Boilermaker super fans: Aspiring Silver Twin sisters
The Inniger family demonstrates that a love of all things Purdue can bring a family closer together – and closer to their passions
Tricia Inniger says she probably learned the Purdue fight song before learning the national anthem. So it’s not surprising that as soon as her two daughters were old enough, they were regularly attending Purdue football games as well. “We were born and raised Boilermakers,” she says about herself and her two daughters, Emily and Mary. “Both of the girls’ first outfits were Purdue shirts.”
When Emily was around 2 years old, Tricia brought her to a Purdue football game that would change the family’s trajectory. Emily was instantly obsessed when the band marched in, led by the Purdue All-American Twirling team, the Silver Twins, the Girl in Black, and the Golden Girl. So Tricia bought her a kid-sized baton and continued bringing her to football games, baton in hand, every week.
When Mary was born a few years later, she also caught the Purdue twirling bug. One day, the two girls hope to twirl together as the famous Silver Twins.
It wasn’t long before the Purdue twirling team noticed the girls and their batons at every home game and instantly began encouraging them, teaching them tricks and cheering, even if they dropped the baton. Now, they take twirling lessons from current Golden Girl, Amanda Coy.
Tricia appreciates the amount of time and energy the Purdue twirlers have put into being role models for her daughters, especially on busy game days. “Instead of eating or getting water before their long day continues, they chose to stop what they're doing, stop interacting with their families and interact with my girls.”
Tricia says that’s why her girls love Purdue and why they are twirlers today. “That goes a long way,” she says, “And it says a lot about the university as well. Purdue is family. The whole environment and the atmosphere there, it's just something you don't find at other schools.”
“We all wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Purdue,” Tricia says. She met her husband at a Purdue basketball road game at Iowa. Purdue set her family on the course it is today, and that deep connection shows now that their family has grown.
“Whether we're watching games on TV or we're in Mackey Arena screaming and losing our voices, it's family time. That's what makes the memories strong,” Tricia says. “When you're spending time at a Purdue game, you're spending time with family.”
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