Meet Ashlee Knight
Ashlee (17) started playing bowls five years ago to join her family, as they were playing bowls “all the time, so I wanted to give it a go”.
“I ended up loving the sport,” she said.
She plays bowls for 10-12 hours each week and also enjoys switching greens from bowls to golf whenever she can.
Ashlee has to travel to Brisbane from Mackay sometimes, which is a long way to go but worth it.
Ashlee is most proud of winning the 2019 State Schools Cup with her friend, Maddison Andreassen, and also being selected for the Queensland team.
When asked about her goals for playing bowls, she wants to “do the best I can and keep improving to one day play for Australia”.
She admires Karen Murphy and her mentors, Robyn Beale and her dad Joe Taylor.
Playing bowls has been a positive experience for Ashlee as the whole family plays, although she has found that some older people aren’t always supportive of her successes.
She encourages any beginner bowlers to “practice hard and listen to your coaches, because it will all pay off at the end”.