When Tayla Bruce walked through the gates of Burnside Bowling Club, aged 13, she never expected to become a world champion in the very event that first inspired her. Now, at 30, she’s come to learn that there’s so much more to lawn bowls than the final score.

“It wasn't out of my character to kind of be swept into the environment and go, ‘Wow, this is really cool. I want to try it and be inspired.’ So I guess in that sense, it wasn't out of the blue,” she says of her sudden interest. “But I don't think my parents quite expected that I would be so passionate about wanting to know more about the game and the different players, and wanting to go down every single day.”

With her mum and dad’s support, Tayla was ready to hit the ground running – or rather, the green. “I just got really into it and went down with Dad for a few different casual roll ups, as we call it.” A mix of natural talent and undeniable keenness was an early sign of Tayla’s potential.

Tayla recalls the first time she dared to challenge the status quo at a club competition. “At the time, no one would typically enter both Junior and Open singles. Juniors do their thing, and the Open was for the senior players,” she explains. “I wanted to enter both for experience, and I ended up winning both.”

Given how uncommon it was to have a Junior and Open title at the same time, that was the spark for Tayla to see the jump from hobby to profession. “I think that that made it realistic for me, that there was a pathway for me to potentially take the sport quite far.”

Lawn bowls is stereotypically viewed as a sport for retired individuals, but Tayla is proud to have challenged that perception from early on. “The fact is, it is a traditional sport, and a lot of the people that play are older, however, it still is whatever you want it to be, for anyone” she insists. “If you want to play socially or casually, or if you're a competitive soul, or if you're someone that wants to make friendships, it's got it all there.”

When Tayla isn’t training or competing on the green, she works as a reliever, filling in for regular classroom teachers when they’re absent. It couldn’t be a more perfect job for someone who requires flexibility for her sporting schedule and values the role of guiding the dream-chasers of tomorrow.

“There’s something really refreshing about something like teaching, where you turn up in the morning and you're there till the end of the day. It's just you in that one place with that one focus, giving back to those kids. I think the simplicity and the routine of that… it keeps you fresh for going to training the next day or going to compete.”

Tayla's resilience as the high performance athlete she is today didn’t come overnight; it’s the result of years of reflection and a willingness to step outside her comfort zone. “I was not very independent,” she says candidly. “I was the kind of kid that wouldn’t go on school camp without a parent helper... and just to think, even recently, coming back from an indoor world event that was held in Scotland, I travelled back the whole way on my own. You learn and grow, and it just shows how far you can come if you put in the work on that mental side.”

Tayla’s growth mindset truly paid off when she came home with the top spot in the World Bowl Singles in 2023, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the very event that first captivated her as an eager 13-year-old. “It was such a full circle moment for me; that was the dream when walking through that gate, and to actually have that moment, standing on the podium, seeing the flag and having my family, partner, and teammates there,” Tayla recalls fondly. “I thought I would probably cry or get quite emotional about it, but it was just like pure joy, I just loved every moment, wanting to soak it all up.”

Now as Tayla sets her sights on selection for the Blackjacks squad at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, her focus remains steadfast. But over time she’s come to realise - win or lose - that lawn bowls, for her, is so much more than just a game.

“My biggest thing is self development. I just want to keep learning, I have a love for learning,” she says. “I want to continue to learn to be the best version of myself that I can be.”