FEW of the more than 300 people in Warrnambool for Australian indoor bias bowls championships this week have as unique a back story as Melbourne teen Tiffany Brodie.
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She’s 17, immerses herself in a sport traditionally the domain of those decades older and grew up playing football.
And she’s deaf, having been diagnosed at age three.
“I just remember what Mum tells me,” Brodie said on Tuesday.
“I got pneumonia three times in one year and I was going up to the TV and putting my ear to it, turning the volume up.
“I went to the doctor and they said it was just wax. We went back and forth to the doctor then Mum finally put her foot down and said ‘it’s something serious’. They did a full test and diagnosed it.”
The condition has been part of her life, but Brodie does not let it define her. On the contrary, she is keen to prove what she’s capable of.
“Being deaf, some people might judge but it makes me more determined and makes me want to work harder to get where I am,” she said.
“Sometimes it gets frustrating and annoying but at the same time there’s nothing I can do about it so I may as well make the most of it.”
Her sporting pursuits started with football when she was eight. But she soon excelled at indoor bowls, having followed her mother Karen into the sport.
Brodie is representing Victoria at Australian championships for the sixth time and is vying for a third-consecutive win in the junior girls’ section.
Her talent also extends to the outdoor setting – she placed second at the Junior Golden Nugget at Tweed Heads earlier this month, an invitation-only tournament for the best 16 boys and 16 girls in the country.
A quarter-final appearance in the Australian Open women’s singles on the Gold Coast in June also features high on her bowls resume.
“A lot of people are surprised at how long I’ve been playing and how well I’m doing,” she said.
“It does surprise me a little bit when you see all these others who have been playing for 20 years and they’re only starting to be up there.”
Brodie is in Warrnambool with her mother Karen and sisters Rebecca and Cindy, who are also taking part in the championships.
Karen is representing Victoria in the women’s fours, Rebecca is an emergency for Victoria and Cindy has swapped allegiances to line up with New South Wales in the junior girls.
The championships got under way on Monday and wrap up on Saturday. Victoria had 41 points late on day one, ahead of Tasmania and South Australia on 40.
