It has been a big year for the Cromwell competitor, who won all her New Zealand competitions and took her talents to the other side of the world.
She scored double silvers at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Championships in the United States in March.
Next year Shyla will start her competitions in February when she represents New Zealand in kickboxing for the first time at the Asia-Pacific Championships in Bali.
Then in October she will compete for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu titles in the US.
Shyla started martial arts when she was 6 and trained five days a week.
In Cromwell, where she trains, she has to go up against people triple her age in order to practise for international competitions.
Sometimes she had to go easy on them, her father Marcus Mulholland said.
Shyla did get nervous before big competitions but her father was always there with a pep talk.
Competing internationally this year was a "big step up" and cemented her passion for the sport.
"I’ve been doing it for so long now and there have been times when I thought I wasn’t good enough but ... now I know a couple bad days doesn’t predict my future."
Mr Mulholland said he was incredibly proud of what she had achieved and how hard she trained.
"She is only getting better and better, proving to be more focused as time goes on."
He remembered every medal and belt Shyla had won and could tell the story behind each one.
