Above: Nicole and Victoria Buddie on the set of 22News.
By Troy Schwindt
Tune into 22News in Springfield, Massachusetts, on any given day or night and you might think your eyes are deceiving you.
Reporting live on the streets across western Massachusetts for the NBC affiliate station is 26-year-old Victoria Buddie.
“Let’s go to downtown Holyoke where Victoria Buddie is live for the annual St. Patrick’s Parade that’s about to begin,” the anchor shares with viewers.
Minutes later at the end of Victoria’s report, she sends it over to her identical twin sister Nicole Buddie, who is talking to people who have been waiting for hours on the sidewalks for this annual tradition.
Nicole, what’s it like out there right now?” Victoria asks.
After nearly a year at 22News, viewers are finally starting to figure out Victoria and Nicole, born one minute apart, are two different people.
Since June 2024 when they both started as on-air talent at the station, the Buddie sisters have parlayed their communication and journalism degrees with their love for synchronized skating as members of Hayden Select Elite 12 in Norwood, Massachusetts.
The Buddies cover local stories, from breaking news to tragic events to those individuals who overcome overwhelming adversity.
“We love being able to investigate and share the stories of people across the region,” Victoria said.
They also enjoy the reaction they receive as reporters at the same station and as teammates on the same synchronized skating team.
“It’s always interesting when we’re in the field to hear how or when they discovered we’re twins,” Nicole said. “A lot of their stories are hilarious. We enjoy getting to know them and being able to share who we are with them.”
Their co-workers and teammates also get stumped sometimes and can’t tell them apart.
“But that’s what makes it fun,” Victoria said.
As identical twins in the same career field, one might think there would be some competitive juices flowing when it comes to doing the same job.
But that’s not the case. They know the boundaries and are each other’s biggest fans, even when it comes to how they look on the air.
“We do not give advice on how we look and dress,” Victoria said. “Hair and make-up is usually what we use to express ourselves. We usually try to keep both professional and add our style to it. We both found that a lot of business casual clothes can be found at local thrift stores.
“… We both want the best for each other. We are most definitely our biggest critics but always look out for ways to share with each other how to improve or take our careers to the next level."
Managing their skating and reporter schedules, as one would guess, takes a lot of planning and effort.
“We both work 40 hours a week as full-time reporters, and on top of that, we teach Learn to Skate at rinks near our home,” Nicole said. “To stay healthy both physically and mentally, we do some of the following things: We are big fans of meal prepping. One day a week we will both prepare all our meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. This saves a lot of time, since we drive a lot and don't have time to make food. It also prioritizes our health and stops us from spending during long drives.
“Over the past year, we’ve also learned that rest and resetting your mind and body is so important. We are both still working on it but learning how to take a few hours to relax with no responsibilities on a day off is key to recovery.”
As they set out on their careers, both have TV journalists who they admire, including Savannah Guthrie, Trey Yingst and David Muir.
How it All Started
Nicole and Victoria were born and raised in San Diego. They began skating at age 3 and started synchronized skating at 7 years old at the former University Towne Centre mall in La Jolla, California.
The sisters moved their way up the ranks and decided to try out for Team Del Sol in San Diego. They skated for Del Sol for six seasons, including at the juvenile, intermediate and senior Team USA levels.
In 2016, the Buddies committed to Adrian College in Michigan, where they skated on the senior team, while majoring in Spanish and communications, with a minor in journalism. They then joined the Crystallettes in Dearborn, Michigan, from 2018–2020.
After graduating college amid a global pandemic, they entered their careers in media and began coaching the only developmental synchronized skating organization in San Diego, Shining Blades.
Nicole started working in local news in 2022 as an assignment editor at Fox 5 San Diego after transitioning from a role as a copywriter for a property tech startup. Victoria began working in local news in 2020 as a writer and producer at One America News Network. In 2022, she went to Fox 5 San Diego as a writer for its morning show.
During this time, the sisters kept up their personal training with hopes of returning to compete for Team USA. Last spring, they moved across the country and joined Hayden Select Elite 12, for the 2024–25 season.
Please Come to Boston For the Springtime
Like the words in the classic song “Please Come to Boston” by Dave Loggins, the Buddie sisters did their research in planning what teams they could try out for, while also getting jobs in their career field.
“We had both been working in local news for several years behind the scenes and knew in order to take our careers to the next level we needed to make the transition and move,” Nicole said. “During the application process, many employers were convinced they received the same application multiple times. It took some phone calls and emails to convince them we were two different people.”
Once settled in Boston, skating for Hayden Select and working at 22News, the Buddie sisters began sharing their passions with many of the same people they knew and coached while in San Diego.
“Our fellow students from San Diego and their families are always eager to hear what stories we are covering,” Victoria said. “As for skating, we love sharing experiences, drills or advice from our Hayden Select coaches with skaters back home, so they can continue to grow and challenge themselves. This past summer, a few of our former Shining Blades students attended the Hayden Select Camp, where they were able to learn and grow with us on the ice. We are so excited to welcome them back this summer. We are such advocates for growing synchronized skating in the Pacific Coast.”
Taking a Risk
Victoria and Nicole will never forget traveling cross-country to try out for one of the most renowned competitive programs in synchronized skating.
At 26 years old, they sought to earn a spot on Hayden Select. After tryouts, the wait was nearly unbearable.
“I’ll never forget how many times I checked my email after tryouts,” Nicole said. “But one day driving home from coaching, Victoria asked me to check my email. We both had made it.
“Though it didn’t feel real, we were eager to get to work and master the Hayden style.”
Both sisters credit coaches Lee Chandler and Taylor Stender for helping them and their teammates realize their potential.
“They continue to inspire us to push a little harder, dig a little deeper and be confident,” Nicole said. “… There have been so many skaters on this team who came before us, who put in a lot of work so that the team could be where it is today.”
They also are proud of being able to return to competitive synchronized skating at a relatively older age.
“Just like the sport of synchronized skating hasn’t reached its peak, neither have we, and that’s why being 26 is great,” Victoria said. “For my younger teammates who we skate with, it’s inspiring. I’m always thinking to myself, ‘If I only I was as talented as them when I was their age, but everyone has a different path. And the beautiful thing about Hayden Select is that this past season we had six out of 18 skaters who were post-grads; we actually had another teammate who was 26 and one who had just turned 30. Their commitment, discipline and balance with work-adult life is inspiring — you’re really not alone.”
Parents’ Support Means Everything
All along, Victoria and Nicole said their dreams wouldn’t be possible without the support from their parents.
“Because of our parents we have so much passion and drive for what we do,” Nicole said. “As small business owners, they have always encouraged us to work hard, be persistent and if you set your mind to something, you can achieve it.
“Their strength has truly rubbed off on us, and we are so grateful for them. They are so proud of the path we’re on, and want to make sure that we are happy, find time to rest and always look for room to grow. Throughout our skating and news paths, they have always been in our corner. They listen, advise and, most importantly, remind us that it’s not what you do it’s who you are, how you treat people on and off the ice. That’s how you make an impact.”
