Kayla wasn’t limited to just tennis when it came to sports interests, and such activities were a good outlet for her.
“I was a fat, chubby kid growing up,” Racine said with a laugh. “I started playing volleyball when I was young, and that was my sport. I tried to get into basketball a little bit. I played on the JV team in high school, and then I started doing track in the ninth grade. I wanted to run, and I didn’t want to throw anything, but the coach said I should just come throw. I still had all that baby fat on me.”
She discovered she was pretty good at it, and it brought her some level of peace after having so much anger in seeing what everyone else had, and she did not.
“When I started throwing, it helped me relieve stress and anger,” Racine said. “I put that aggression into the shotput. I started getting better and better.”
That eventually led to an opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. Even with her new family, she wanted to get out of South Carolina for a fresh start and committed to Tennessee where the Rogers family helped her move and get settled. While she enjoyed Knoxville and being at Tennessee, it wasn’t the right fit and she looked to transfer after a couple of years.
“I was going through hard times in college,” Racine said. “I called a hotline to talk to somebody and they asked if I had any family, and I was embarrassed, so I hung up the phone and called my (new) mom and dad! I realized that I’m adopted now. I have a family that supports me. It’s different in knowing that people love you and will break their back to take care of you, even if it’s difficult for them. They didn’t know me, and they took the opportunity to have me and bring me into their household. They chose to love on me, give me basic necessities and help me get into college. The whole idea of going to college wasn’t in the cards for me before. I was planning on enlisting in the military.
“It was nice knowing that when there were breaks for Thanksgiving and things like that, I didn’t have to stay in my dorm room. I could go home and be with my family and share those times. It’s truly a blessing. I praise God every day for it.”
Racine soon came around to the idea of coming home to South Carolina and reached out to the Gamecock coaching staff.
“She contacted me and said I want to come home,” said assistant coach Mike Sergent, who coaches the throw events. “She was looking for a fresh start. Her…