| The adage from the Three Musketeers "All
For One and One For All" very appropriately depicts the
interrelationship of three students attending Mesa State. Kelly,
Joey and Shawn Kercher are brothers, actually identical triplets,
born April 18, 1981. The trio are nearly impossible to tell
apart with the same weight, height, appearance, mannerisms,
even verbal responses are often in unison. It isn't until you
get to know them that you begin to realize the differences in
their personalities. Shawn, the first born, is more active,
aggressive, and financially more liberal. Joey, the second born,
is more mellow, laid back, financially more conservative. Kelly,
the last born, is more competitive and he handles the bill paying
for the trio. Each identifies with his own circle of friends
but also adheres to a larger sphere of friends that includes
each triplet's circle.
All for One Throughout Childhood
According to Joey, "No one could tell us apart in school.
When we played soccer in little league we had to wear color-coded
wristbands so they could keep us straight." In fact there
are several stories throughout their childhood of misidentification.
Shawn confides, "Friends are always coming up and saying
hi and they have no idea who we are. We usually just play
along because it is easier than going through the explanation."
One of the more memorable pranks they pulled was in a high
school competition for the top 10 athletes in the class. Two
of the three were obvious contenders for the top 10. The trio
did some filling in for one another so the third brother would
not be left out of the top ten.
All for One as Stars
You may have seen the trio on TV last Christmas. The trio
aired during the week before Christmas in a Sears commercial.
Kelly sent out an email on one of the triplet websites with
a photo attached looking for marketing opportunities. Within
a week the triplets received an email from an agent in Los
Angeles who was looking for identical triplets for a Sears
commercial. Sixty people had auditioned for the commercial
but they didn't like any of them. The Kersher trio were chosen
for the national television ad. Kelly said "Fame has
not changed us, except now we have more money and more clothes."
This was not the first time the triplets have used their odds
for fame and probably not the last. They were featured in
some TV and print ads while living on the Front Range as they
were growing up.
All for One at Mesa State
The triplets live together in a house off-campus in Grand
Junction. They are very active and enjoy downhill skiing,
football, baseball, rugby and riding motorcycles on public
land just minutes away. Shawn feels "the location is
really good for outdoor activities." Kelly likes the
small class sizes and "you can really get to know your
professors here." Joey notes the slower pace, which "allows
more time for recreation, working and getting your studies
done." The triplets spent their childhood in Englewood
and graduated from Cherry Creek High School.
One For All in the Business World
All three Kerchers are leaning toward a CISB major. They would
like to go into business together to draw upon each other's
strengths and to pitch in for one another when needed. Computers
have been a fascination for the trio ever since their older
brother Todd achieved successful employment in the computer
world in his late twenties. The trio built their own personal
computers from scratch and are networked together at their
home. Joey and Shawn both see themselves on the management
end. Kelly would focus on the financial side. Of course they
would all have to have the same pay.
Based upon the odds, the triplets have a good shot at making
it in the business world. For the last eight years the trio
has owned their own lawn mowing business tending to over 40
lawns. They attribute much of their success to being triplets.
Who wouldn't want to hire the triplets to mow their lawns
or provide computer solutions?
|
Interesting Triplet Facts
The odds of conceiving "spontaneous" triplets is about
1 in 8,100
In the early 80's triplets occurred 1 in every 6,400. Today,
odds are that 1 in every 1,300 are triplets. . Over the last
decade, increases in the number of triplet births averaged 11%
a year.
From a 1989 survey of 1250 triplets:
18% all male
21% all female
61% mixed
6% monozygotic (identical)
28% trizygotic (all fraternal)
66% mixed (identical and fraternal) |
