3 Sisters Go From Brooklyn Homeless Shelter To Junior Olympics

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Three sisters who live in a Brooklyn homeless shelter are headed to Houston, Texas this weekend to compete in the National Junior Olympic Games.

CBS2's Lou Young got the chance to speak with them, their coaches and their proud mother during a workout.

It was the final workout for the Jeuness Track Club before next week's competition. The girls have high hopes for the three members who are all from the same homeless shelter.

The sisters discovered track and field about the same time last year when they and their single mother fell on hard times.

"Every time they get on the track they amaze us," coach Jean Bell said.

"They never ran before. I knew they liked to jump around and rip about crazy like kids, but that's all they had room to do," mom Tonia Handy said.

Handy has a job answering phones at a car service in Brooklyn, but it doesn't pay much and she fell behind on the rent last year.

That's how they became homeless and that's how they ended up at the homeless shelter. The girls were sent to a track meet just to give them something to do and their talent was immediately recognized.

"It's easy to see raw talent," Bell said.

Brooke, 8, said being in the lead in a middle distance race is a form of liberation.

"I feel free because I don't have to chase anybody, like listening to anybody; I can just run freely," she said.

She's such a natural that coaches said she'll compete in the high jump even though she's unable to train for that event.

"She is able to compete at a high level without practicing," coach Karen Lancaster said.

Ten-year-old Rainn loves the solitude of long-distance running.

"It's better than being in the group. I'm like zoned, I'm thinking about that. It's just peaceful," she said.

Eleven-year-old Tai drills the hurdles. She dreams of when they'll all live in their own home again.

"When we get our own apartment, we get to use the blender again and I can make my favorite smoothies," she said.

And that'll come in handy for a trio of young athletes in training with bright futures ahead.

The girls' mother has managed to pay for the trip with a GoFundMe effort. She is not travelling because she can't afford to miss work.