INDI DIFFERENT BY DESIGN. POWERFUL BY NATURE. AUSTRALIAN SPORTS FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING STORY.

Bullying first brought Indi to the BJJ mats. What happened next changed the way I understood my daughter. Indi and I are both neurodivergent, and traditional classroom learning has not always shown what she can do. But on the mats, I saw something completely different. Pattern recognition. Spatial thinking. Timing. Sequencing. Strategy. Reading movement. Predicting what comes next. Changing course in real time - all while looking as though she is wondering whether tonight is wash-hair night.

And there she was. Not a different Indi. The Indi who had been there all along. The mats did not unlock her intelligence. They revealed the limits of where we had been looking for it.

Perhaps some of that determination is in her blood. Indi's grandmother was a champion and a pioneer for Australian women in sport. In her generation, women were denied the same protection as men and were forced to improvise, using women's sanitary products to pad their gloves and socks. They competed anyway. They made room.

Combat sport, however, is entirely Indi's.

Getting Indi onto the mats in the first place took nine months. Because of the sensory impact of her neurodivergence, every buzzer and sudden burst of noise could overwhelm her. She would run from the mats screaming, and we would have to go home. But we kept returning, at her pace, until she was able to stay.

Competition came much later. Indi has now trained for almost five years. She asked me for two years to let her compete, and I kept saying no because I needed to be certain she was ready. Only recently did I finally agree.

Her first competition was a round-robin inter-gym event at Leverage Jiu-Jitsu Academy. There were not enough children in her belt division, so competitors were matched by weight. Indi was a solid-grey belt facing two yellow belts. In her first-ever match, she defeated a yellow-belt girl in under 30 seconds. Her next match, against a yellow-belt boy, became an intense contest lasting approximately six minutes. Indi won gold.

At her second event, the Grappler's Haven Championship, Indi completed both three-minute matches in approximately 20 seconds, using her takedowns and submissions - including a takedown into an armbar - to reach the gold medal.

At her third event, the G-Force Melbourne Championships inter-gym, coaching was not part of the competition format. Competing without the mat-side guidance she was accustomed to was emotionally difficult. Even so, across two divisions, she earned a gold and a silver.

Across her first three events, Indi earned three gold medals and one silver. Those results showed genuine competitive promise. Just as importantly, they taught us what she needs to compete safely and confidently: preparation, consistency and trusted support beside the mat.

Her character matters as much as the medals. At her first competition, after winning her opening round, Indi raised her opponent's hand alongside her own. "Mum, you told me you're a winner just for stepping on the mat. I wanted her to know that too."

Until recently, Indi had access to exceptional competitive gyms whose coaches and communities played an enormous part in her development. In one integrated environment, she could access BJJ, Judo, gymnastics and competition preparation, while experienced coaches helped organise events and supported athletes on competition day. We remain deeply grateful for everything they gave her. Then circumstances outside our control required us to relocate.

Indi lost regular access to that competition network, but she did not lose her determination. Today, we travel between four different gyms to rebuild the combination of training she previously had in one place. I coordinate the gyms, disciplines, entries, travel and competition planning myself.

THE TEAM IS COMING TOGETHER We have now found a dedicated competition coach who is an exceptional fit for Indi: an experienced female competitor, a full-time fighter, a nutritionist, an advocate for women in sport and neurodivergent herself. She understands both the demands of high-level competition and the kind of communication and trust Indi needs beside the mat. This is a paid coaching role, with competition travel and related expenses covered. Indi now has the drive, the coach and a clear competition pathway. Funding is the remaining piece that will allow the team to prepare properly and attend the events that matter.

Nobody pushes her. She has decided. At home, I have always called Indi Ox or Oxy. The name fits her: grounded, patient and immensely powerful. The Ox represents quiet strength, discipline and the kind of determination that keeps moving forward, one deliberate step at a time. Alongside it is a little dragon - me, her mum - fierce, protective and always beside her, without ever taking her fight away from her.

Now, at 12, Indi trains in BJJ and Judo for around 23 hours each week, alongside 5:30 am yoga, gym work, stretching and studying fights. She wants to compete at the highest level she can reach. One day, she hopes to coach and give other neurodivergent children a safe place on the mats to show what they are capable of too.

It has only ever been Indi and me. I will keep backing her with everything I have, but I cannot fund an entire competition pathway alone. She is doing the work. The team is coming together. Now I am asking our community to stand beside her.

WHAT YOUR SUPPORT CAN MAKE POSSIBLE Every amount helps build a safe, supported competition pathway for Indi. $25 $50 helps cover training and competition preparation contributes toward a competition entry fee $100 $250 helps cover entry fees and competition-day costs helps fund a competition weekend: entry, fuel or travel and preparation $500 $1,000 helps get Indi and her coach to an interstate competition helps fund the competition campaign: coaching, registrations, travel, accommodation and associated competition expenses makes a major contribution toward coaching, interstate travel and accommodation $2,500 $5,000 helps fund a significant part of Indi's competition season funds roughly half of the pathway we are trying to build $10,000 EVERY CONTRIBUTION MATTERS You do not have to fund an entire competition to make a difference. Ten people giving $50 gets Indi $500 closer to the next mat. These amounts show what a donation can help make possible. Actual registration, coaching, travel and accommodation costs may vary between competitions. Donations through Indi's approved Australian Sports Foundation campaign will support eligible coaching, competition registration, training, travel and equipment costs. Let's go, Legends! Stand beside our girl, the little dragon with the heart of an Ox. Different by design.Powerful by nature.