SUN CITY CENTER, Fla. — When the flags snap in and the gloves go on, Tampa Bay-native Sheneika Comice is ready to embarrass her competition.
Comice is a world-class flag football receiver. For a second time, she will represent Team USA next October at the 2021 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag World Championships in Palma, Spain.
She previously played for Team USA in 2018, winning gold in Panama.
“It’s a great feeling,” Comice said. “Just to know that you were picked amongst so many women they could have picked and they picked you to represent the country.”
Comice has about 12 years of experience playing flag football, but, a very minimal athletic background. She did not play sports in high school or college.
“I just played basketball as pick-up around town,” she said. “I guess I got good and athletic enough to play football.”
Then one day, a basketball teammate convinced her to just try flag football.
“He would say ‘hey, come play flag, come play flag.’ I don’t want to play flag football,” Comice said. “One day, okay, I’ll play. It opened up a world of opportunities for me. I’m thankful I started to play.”
Comice’s acrobatic catches have become a highlight staple on ESPN’s Top Plays and on the “You Got Mossed” segment presented by Randy Moss, one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.
She’s come a long way in the sport from making top plays featured on national television.
“It wasn’t like I knew football,” she said. “I was horrible at it. I just knew go-routes. They would tell me to run different routes. I’d run go-routes, just throw the ball, I’ll get it.
She’s ready to get a second gold medal for the Red, White and Blue.
