To watch three young ladies deal with being in a situation where they don’t have a permanent home, but despite that, they are still smiling, still positive, and still out there slaying the track and bringing home medals, should be all the motivation one needs for a week!
Meet eleven-year-old Tai Sheppard, ten-year-old Rainn Sheppard, and nine-year-old Brooke Sheppard, the three siblings who have been named Sports Illustrated Sportskids of the Year for 2016. This track and field trio, who are not even teens yet, are young but they have enormous dreams and goals.
According to the Sports Illustrated article,Tai wants to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics every year. This year she placed second in the 80-meter hurdles; it was her second time competing in the Houston competition. Rainn stated that she wanted to compete in the Olympics one day. She brought the gold home from Houston after winning her 3,000 meter race. Brooke, the youngest says her goals are to get faster and jump higher, she also placed second in Houston, competing in the High Jump competition.
Their mom credits their track coaches with their confidence. In the sports illustrated issue, she discussed how their coaches have influenced her girls; “I think it’s given them a sense of security,” says Tonia Handy, the mother of three. Tonia Handy works hard to support her daughters and right now they are living in a two bedroom unit homeless shelter.
Despite challenging times, the girls have a level of grace and optimism that appears to be unmatched. Along with dominating kids track and field, they also maintain A’s and B’s in school. By the way, they have only been competing for two years. Something tells me these three will be walking in the footsteps similar to two very successful tennis players – Good luck ladies, your hard work is sure to pay off!
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
