Ever since Tia LaBrecque first started playing soccer, she has thrived.
As a freshman at Bishop Feehan High School, she was the starting center midfielder — the player that creates opportunities for her teammates — on a Shamrock team that made it all the way to the Division 1 state finals.
Now 15 and a sophomore, she scored at a goal-a-game pace for Feehan this season.
On Nov. 8, Tia left to travel to Fukushima, Japan, for a 12-day camp and competition on a women’s team — the U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team. She will be the youngest player on the team, 20 years younger than the oldest.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for me.”
Born with a hearing loss, Tia has been wearing hearing aids most of her life. Although she and her family know American Sign Language, she is able to communicate with teammates, classmates, teachers and strangers.
“None of my teammates know sign language, but that’s OK,” she said. “It’s never been a problem.”
Since learning of their daughter’s hearing loss, Tia’s parents, Jeffrey and Kim LaBrecque of Raynham, have thrown themselves into the cause.
As a member of the Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition, Kim LaBrecque helped get legislation passed that requires insurers to provide hearing aids at no cost to young people up to age 21.
“It was basically seven moms who pushed this through,” she said. “It took three years and a lot of hard work, but we got it done.”
She also served for three years as the chairwoman of the annual Walk4Hearing in Boston.
“Both of these organizations have a special place in our hearts,” Kim said. “We help to erase the stigma associated with hearing loss.”
The decision to attend Feehan was “the best decision we ever made,” despite the long daily commute from Raynham to Attleboro, Tia’s mother said. Teachers were in daily contact with Tia during the entire trip to Japan, making sure she continues to excel academically, she said.
“The people at Bishop Feehan have been so amazing,” Kim LaBrecque said. “They’re working with her the whole time and will keep her up to date with her classes.”
That’s not to say her parents aren’t nervous. Tia traveled alone to Japan, meeting her 17 teammates and a staff of 16 on the way.
Last summer, she traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., for a similar camp, practicing and playing alongside the University of New Mexico women’s team.
“At 15 years old, what an amazing experience,” her mother said of the trip to Japan.
If she continues to be called to these camps, Tia hopes this will lead to a spot on the U.S. women’s team for the Deaf Olympics next November in Tokyo. After that, the goal is the Women’s World Cup in 2027.
“That’s for the women’s team, not the women’s deaf team” her mother said, adding that it’s “an honor to represent our country,” especially since her brother is a Marine veteran.
Tia is also hoping Division 1 college teams will soon be contacting her and she eventually turns pro.
“I love soccer so much,” Tia said. “I love how I can be the player at center midfield who can get the ball to my teammates. I’ve loved it since I started playing when I was 3.”
Mike Kirby, a retired editor-in-chief of The Sun Chronicle and member of the Bishop Feehan Class of 1975, is serving as an adviser to the school’s journalism club this year. This article was reprinted with permission from The Sun Chronicle.
