Running has always come naturally for the Sheppard Sisters.
Sometimes it was motivated by sibling rivalry to be the fastest. Sometimes it was just about getting to the next block in their Brooklyn neighborhood.
But Tai, Rainn and Brooke's athletic talents have taken them on an unexpected journey.
This year they landed on the December edition of Sports Illustrated Kids and were dubbed the magazine's SportsKids of the Year in 2016.
“After we tried out (for track) we felt like it was an event that we could really focus on, that we could really enjoy. It gives us an idea that we are working hard for something,” said Brooke, 9, the youngest of the sisters.
The junior Olympians have faced numerous hurdles in their quest for gold.
Their half-brother was shot and killed three years ago. The family subsequently fell on hard times and were evicted from their home. They have been living in a two-bedroom unit in a homeless shelter with their mother Tonia Handy since last September.
Grief gave way to hope when the family ran into Jean Bell, the coach and founder of Jeuness Track Club.
“Everything happens for a reason I believe,” Handy said. “We joined Jeuness Track Team in January and we became homeless later that year. It was meant for us to have this support system through this time.”
The volunteer-based staff stresses education and treating others equally regardless of what their life looks like outside of practice, Bell said. The club also tries to make sure that every girl graduates from high school with at least one athletic scholarship offer.
“When I first saw my girls run, I went a little berserk because it was practice and you don’t cheer in practices but I was cheering like they were running in the Olympics and I was the only parent doing just that,” said Handy who says running is not in the genes.
The family sees Bell as a safe haven, mother, mentor and friend. The daughter of a NYPD police officer and educator, Bell said she saw that running could be a lifeline for the Sheppard sisters.
“I remember saying that this is a bad time to have girls stop running because they get into all sorts of problems, as you might imagine,” Bell said.
She founded the track club, Jeuness, in 1985 after track clubs in the area lost funding.
Back then the club had twelve girls on the team. Now it has 32.
Related: Three Sisters Go From Homeless Shelter to Junior Track Stardom
Bell said her mission for each girl is to be “responsible for not just their belongings but for themselves, for their education. Responsible for what they want to get out of running track and what they want to get out of life basically.”
The lesson stuck.
