Brooke Miller doesn't let her hearing loss stop her from being a multi-sport athlete
Some students with disabilities see their ailment as a barrier to play high school sports.
But not Veritas Christian volleyball, basketball and soccer player Brooke Miller.
She excels in all three sports despite being deaf. Miller plays each of them alongside her older twin sister Kaitlyn.
Miller said she gradually lost hearing in both ears and wasn’t born with the impairment.
She first wore hearing aids, but her hearing deficit continued to worsen. She started to wear cochlear implants and received her first one at 5 and her second one at 6.
In volleyball, she is Veritas Christian’s starting setter as a sophomore while her sister is a bumper and a spiker.
Miller and her sister helped lead her team’s offense to a 3-0 match victory vs. Reynolds Mountain Christian Academy on Aug. 23 and to an undefeated 4-0 start this season.
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Coach Donna Russell wanted to immediately bring the Miller twins up to varsity when she met them in eighth grade after becoming the volleyball coach at Veritas Christian. However, she couldn’t and had to wait a year until they were freshmen.
“Great athletes,” she said. “They’re great kids. I enjoy coaching them very much.”
Besides using her cochlear implants, Miller said she communicates through lip reading. The COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for her to read people’s lips because everyone had a mask covering their mouth.
Teachers and friends at Veritas Christian then switched to a clear shield that allowed her to lip read again.
However, it can be difficult to communicate with a coach during the intense moment of any sports competition.
Miller said she glances at her coach from time to time and can understand signals they are making with their hands or facial expressions.
Russell also tries to get Miller’s attention during a match by making eye contact with her.
“She knows when to look at me when she needs feedback,” Russell said, “and when she doesn’t.”
Nevertheless, Miller couldn’t do it without Kaitlyn. They play as a dynamic duo in all three sports.
The Millers have an inside joke in basketball. Kaitlyn calls herself Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Brooke is Bills’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Kaitlyn said she grabs a defensive rebound and throws the ball the length of the court to Brooke for a layup.
“No one else can catch her passes because she chucks it down court,” Miller said.
Russell notices their special connection on the volleyball court, too.
“They depend on each other,” she said. “When they get in a panic situation, they look for each other. That’s what twins and sisters should do.”
Outside of sports, the Millers are just as close.
“If she’s not coming, I’m not coming,” Miller said. “If she is going, I’m going. That’s how we work.”
You can reach Zachary Huber at zhuber@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Brooke Miller doesn't let hearing loss stop her from playing sports
