The Byron Center junior appreciates the encouragement. She just cannot hear it.

Born hearing-impaired, Toombs can hear the starters gun.

But because she cannot wear her hearing aid during competition -- sweat would fizzle out the battery -- those shouts of "Go, Kayleigh" go unheeded.

Of course, nothing seems to slow her down, not even on the basketball court.

Yes, Toombs is doubling up on sports for the first time this fall, competing on the Bulldogs basketball team and racing in cross country. It's a crazy double for anyone.

"It's not hard for me," Toombs said with a smile and a shrug. "I do strength training at school, too, and I have homework. I just don't get enough sleep, that's all."

Neither coach is complaining. They both would rather share Toombs, whose hearing is about 70-80 percent with her hearing aid, than not have her at all.

"It is no problem, the other girls all support her," cross country coach Todd Foster said. "They all know we need her. Everyone likes her. She's a natural runner. I wish I had 12 of her on a team. She is such an exceptional person and has a great outlook."

Toombs obviously can run. Before this season, the Byron Center girls school record was 20 minutes, 45 seconds, and she keeps bettering it. Her record now stands at 19:27.

Entering today's 4 p.m. race, Toombs was ranked 10th in the O-K

SEE BOS, E5

Gold, but finished seventh at last week's Gold Jamboree. If she can hold her top-10 spot, she will earn all-conference honors.

Then on Oct. 29 at the Division 2 regional at Grand Valley State University, she hopes to finish in the top 15 and qualify for state.

"If she works hard all summer like she does now, there is no reason she cannot get into the 18s," Foster said.

And if she keeps working hard at basketball, Byron Center coach Glenn Davis figures she can break into the starting lineup next season, too.

"Kayleigh is one of our most aggressive, gifted players," he said about his 5-foot-6 guard. "She is one of the few kids on the team who offer so much in practice. She is able to push kids. It is rare to find a kid so athletic that she can do so many things well in practice."

But during those Wednesday practices, when Toombs leaves early for her cross country meets, practice does suffer.

"It is a challenge," Davis said. "We have 10 kids, so when she is gone, our practices are shut down, in essence."

Toombs, the daughter of Jeff and Jill Toombs of Byron Center, has changed how Davis and the rest of the team do some things.

"She cannot really hear during basketball all the time, so we signal plays with our hands," said 5-10 junior center Brooke Carter, who did a fall double herself as a freshman, also competing on the swim team. "She does really well with that."

Davis admits that when he calls plays "on the fly" the other players make a concerted effort to help her out. And he is learning from them.

"They have developed their own system, and I am using it, too," he said. "We now have signs for plays. She does read lips really well, but as the season goes on and the gyms get fuller and nosier, we will be holding up colors for defenses and other things. Communication has not been an issue. It's been a fun thing for me.

"I always assume kids can hear me, now I cannot assume that any more."

But sometimes he thinks Toombs can hear more than she lets on.

"Sometimes, yeah, he's right," she said and laughed. "When he's yelling in the locker room, I sometimes act like I did not hear. He is pretty smart."

Toombs, who attended Shawnee Park's hearing- impaired program for eight years, is pretty smart and athletic herself. She gets good grades, and this spring, she is planning on trying another double duty.

As a sophomore, she played third base, shortstop and catcher for the Byron Center varsity softball team. But she is thinking about trying track, too, and competing in the 1,600-meter relay.

"It will only take five minutes anyway, right?" Toombs said. "I really like to run. I really like cross country."

Toombs, who likes to think she is just like everyone else, is not in the sense that she is such a gifted athlete. She is talented enough to do well at any sport she tries.

She is a role model for any athlete, regardless of her disability.

By Jane Bos, The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/preps/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1129733183122300.xml&coll=6