Meet Sophie Kiepe
Sophie (16) put down her first bowl at the age of nine with her brother Ryan, but took it up seriously 18 months ago. She plays bowls at least five hours a week. When she’s not playing bowls, she likes to socialise with friends and enjoys swimming.
Her proudest bowls moments were when she was selected for the U18 QLD team and the Helensvale Div 1 ladies pennants team, making the semi-finals with Matty Bell in the Gold Coast District mixed pairs and being selected and playing in the Gold Coast Tweed District team vs. the Darling Downs. “I was also proud of winning the Helensvale Open Ladies Fours with my mum and playing in the Q7s. I loved playing with my family, granddad, Allan Kiepe, his friend, Kay, and my mum, Tanya Kiepe, in the Toowoomba Carnivals,” Sophie said.
“One day, I’d like to represent Queensland and Australia like my three uncles and my granddad,” she said.
Sophie looks up to Lynsey Clarke, her granddad, Aron Sheriff and Ron Wallace. She says it’s “been interesting” to fit her bowls in with her education, her part time job and social life but she enjoys it. She’d like to practice more often but clubs are too far for her to walk to. She’d like to encourage young bowlers to “just do it as it’s not just for old people and it’s a great way of making new friends”. Sophie would like to see men and women treated as equals in all events and would like to find a way to introduce bowls into schools as a school sport to encourage more young people.