The class of 2012, held some very talented athletes all around. Two of those athletes Shayla Sanders and Kyri Tabor, were on top of their game in high school leading the competition, but going to college was a whole different ball game. Both suffered freshman season ending injuries that forced them to reevaluate many things.
Sanders and Tabor made a real appearance in middle school when running against each other. Shayla ran for Crystal Lake Middle School and Kyri ran for Pompano Beach Middle school, both running the same events such as the 100m and 200m. The two young stars went back and forth always. Besides running with Regine Williams at times, the girls were their own competition when they got to the line. People were impressed that these two Pompano Beach girls could push themselves to such great heights. 
Since Kyri and Shayla had such an amazing showing in their middle school years every coach was wondering where these girls would go to high school. Would they go to the same school? Rival schools? Would they even continue to run? Kyri left middle school with personal besst from the 2008 Middle School State Meet: 25.78, 12.71 and :60.05. Shayla on the other hand left middle school with PR's of 12.5 and 25.87. Leaving middle school behind them Sanders went to Boyd Anderson and Tabor went to Hallandale, to different ends of the spectrum, and two different coaching styles.
As high school moved along Kyri became a 400m and 200m monster in 2A and Shayla dominated the 100m and 200m with ease in 4A. In 2011 Kyri won her first state championship in the 400m with a time of 55.69 and came back the following year after to win again with a time of 54.26. Shayla had some major sprint competition all four years of high school, but she didn't back down even at the bigger stages. Her senior year was all around one of her bests as she carried her team to their first state championship in school history! Shayla in the leading years to her senior year majority progressed to not even making the 100m finals her freshman year, to getting second her junior year. She stole the 100m with a time of 11.63 and came back to win the 200m with a time of 23.64. In her last senior state championship she anchored her 4x1 to second consecutive 4A win! Shayla and Kyri did some meets during the summer such as Golden South, AAU Club Championships and others. Shayla is known for her selection in the Brooks PR Indoor Meet where she won the 60m dash, and the Dream 100m as well as making the USA World Junior Team.
On signing day Kyri made the decision to go to the University of Alabama and Shayla chose the University of Florida. I don't think either one of them would expect to have had the season ending injuries they did. But, I believe it’s how they worked to comeback from those injuries is what makes the story. Sanders season ended due to a back injury. It was a stress fracture to her spine, her L5.
"As I pushed myself for the last 50, my back literally popped and I fell down hard to the ground at the 40 meter mark. The pain was horrific and all I could do was cry,” described Shayla, “I was to sit out for 4 months and during those months, I was in a hard, plastic back brace which I hated to wear. Though it healed my back and I thank God for the people who were able to create the brace, it really got annoying at times because I always wore jackets.”
As Shayla injured her back, Kyri’s injury was at the other end of the spectrum, her ankle. Kyri previously injured this ankle her sophomore year by long jumping.
“The doctors only told me it was a stress fracture and if I rest I would surely be fine.”
What was happening now was that a bone was fractured on her Navicular bone, where a piece was chipped and another layer of bone was trying to form over it. Kyri had to get season ending surgery to her ankle to try and repair it for her sophomore season.
Being teammates of both of these young ladies, I knew these injuries hit them hard, as they eat, sleep and breathe track and field. As indoor season is already underway for the college level, Kyri will not be running as she is sitting out just to get stronger.
Kyri explains, “It’s not a normal feeling being back on the track since there is two screws in my foot but it’s all coming together. It’s really mental in my case because I can only do what I tell myself I can do.”
Shayla is running this indoor season, and from what I’ve seen she is dominating no different from when she was in high school.
Her season best this indoor season in the 60m dash is 7.32, and I have no doubt that it will get faster. This outdoor season Shayla is looking forward to the 100m and the 200m.
“I'm looking forward to running the 100 meter dash. That is my favorite event to run and not being able to run it last year at all kind of makes me worry but I let the worrying go, and I'm just going to leave it in God's Hands and just run my heart out. Long as God is there with me, I have no worries,” Shayla said.
For some who go to college, they don’t know how vigorous a Division I sport can be. Kyri explained that college athletics is really what you make it, at first it somewhat scared her and took its toll, but you make the experience. She loves to work hard, so I know the experience now is something I know she loves. If these two could give any advice to the upcoming collegiate athletes it would go something like this…
“Please, stay focus and ALWAYS remember, Student first, and Athlete Second. Stay on top of your work and then get on grind and go as hard as you can. "You Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens You."- Philippians 4:13,” tells Shayla. Kyri explains, “Yes a degree would be awesome but you need to be educated. Things happen, you’re away from home, don’t know too many people, freedom, culturally shocked, deaths, unable to manage your time, etc. You have to know that you’re at somebody’s school to compete but you won’t compete if you are not academically stable. I am a living witness, it hit me in the face and every day I remind myself that I was given an opportunity billions of people only dream of. Take advantage now to set yourself up for greatness.”
I asked the girls about what their goals are for the rest of their college careers and if they changed since they were freshman. Kyri’s’ goals haven’t changed; she says she won’t allow herself any breathing room not even after she meets her goals. Shayla on the other hand, you can say her goals have changed as she wanted to build more confidence in herself and as of right now she’s more confident then she was entering college. Shayla of course wants to be a successful athlete so there have been many changes in her goals since then and changes from her injury as well.
"Being out of high school for a solid two years now, the girls obviously miss it. “There is one thing I can truly say I miss about high school track and that’s having my family and friends at every meet yelling for me and supporting me,” said Kyri.
“There is one thing I can truly say I miss about high school track and that’s having my family and friends at every meet yelling for me and supporting me.”
Shayla misses her old teammates, being a team leader, her coaches, she goes on saying, “Being a team leader really showed me the qualities that I have and that I never knew of and being a part of the team I was on really helped me to succeed to where I am today. I miss my coaches, also. If it wasn't for them taking each day, every hour and minute out their day to coach me and to coach our team, I wouldn't, we wouldn't be where we are now and I thank God for placing each and every one of them in my life.”
As indoor season is approaching its end with SEC’s coming up, outdoor season is approaching. As this time does come, don’t forget these two young ladies as they are the Comeback Kids. I know they are working ten times harder than they were in high school in some of the best collegiate track programs in the nation. This is their comeback season, don’t sleep on them as they will be major contributors to the SEC this year.
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