It was her mother who encouraged her to do water polo instead of tennis, and Jamie-Lee amazes her teammates and opposition by her uncanny response to visual clues. "I look at the refs, I'm never tired, I just keep looking," she said.

She even loves the cold early-morning swim practices and hates being injured. "I can't stand having one day off from sport . . . I just want to be back," she said.

Her mother said: "She has wonderful, wonderful support, a network – friends, coaches, friends from other schools, friends from tours in New Zealand.

"When they're playing it's like war but they get out of the water and they kiss and cuddle each other after the game. If you get nothing else you get how gifted and talented and kind the kids are."

Jamie-Lee also coaches the Year 8 girls in touch and netball at her school, All Hallows, and would like to get into coaching, massage or sports medicine.

"I just want to be a good role model to deaf children. They can do sport. I want to teach them they can do anything at all," she said.

Jamie-Lee Lewis has been nominated in The Courier-Mail Pride of Australia Awards in the Courage and Young Aussie categories.

By Saskia Pickles
http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/story/0,20797,19168925-3102,00.html