How Perry's Bella Taylor took on tennis, golf, 'American Idol' with underdeveloped arm
Perry High School's Bella Taylor possesses multiple talents cultivated by overcoming a major challenge in her life.
The junior was born with an undeveloped left arm below the elbow, but that hasn't stopped her from pursuing a variety of activities, including tennis. She's a top player on the Pumas' varsity girls' tennis team this spring.
But not to be stopped there, Taylor also made the golf team. And, her musical talents — she plays guitar and piano while also singing — led her to a recent audition on the hit show ''American Idol.''
“I had to start believing in myself at a really young age and believing I could just do whatever I loved, and I had a passion for,” Taylor said.
As of March 26, Taylor had a 7-1 overall record for the tennis team i AIA competition — 4-0 in singles, 3-1 in doubles paired with junior teammate Mira Johns, according to the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Taylor and Johns are the Pumas' No. 1 doubles tandem.
She made varsity as a freshman and was the team's No. 3 singles player. She was named varsity MVP her sophomore year.
For Taylor, learning how to execute a legal serve with only her right hand was a challenge. She credited her first coach, Tony Simonelli, for helping her adjust to serving with one hand, which involves tossing the ball up off the face of the racket.
"(Simonelli) he researched various techniques and watched videos of players who served one-handed. He helped me, and we tried different methods until we found the one that worked best for me,'' Taylor said.
"It was a challenge that was very individual to me. It required a lot of patience and practice, but I'm proud of the progress I've made."
Among the challenges Taylor recalls growing up were rude comments by some classmates. She found ways to ignore them.
She drew inspiration from Jessica Smith, a Paralympic swimming champion she got to know after Taylor's mom connected them.
“I was looking up to these people with limb differences, and it was really, like, great perspective looking through their lens and comparing it to mine and seeing how I could make my situation better,” Taylor said.
Bella's parents have been her biggest supporters and encouraged her to keep going and challenge herself in everything you do.
“They actually push me to challenge myself and growing up like that has been really convenient because now I love taking challenges and pursuing everything,” said Taylor.
Taylor kept the same energy when it came to playing sports, including soccer, but was drawn to tennis when she was 10.
She began to play in Saturday clinics and continued to improve. Taylor later signed up with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and participated in tournaments from 2019 to 2022 to prepare for the Perry tryouts her freshman year.
Along the way, Taylor also picked up golf, which she said really tested her mentally.
"When you're playing golf, you have to coach yourself through whatever you're stuck on and it's just really like building a trust between your body and your mind," said Taylor.
She eventually made the Perry varsity girls' golf team.
“She is incredible and good at everything she does. She just started playing golf over the summer (2024) and is better than many girls on teams we play from around the state,” said Nathan Harder, Perry girls golf coach.
"A challenge I faced playing was learning to have patience for myself since it's so new to me and learning to adapt to the sport with one hand," Taylor said
When Taylor is not on the tennis court, she is pursuing her dream in music. Bella plays guitar and sings and taught herself how to play the piano during her freshman year.
“I still love teaching myself music and how to play. I would just sit down on the piano and figure out chords and figure out,” Taylor said.
Her love for music just continues to grow, Taylor was on this season of American Idol and released her first single called 'Star Crossed' under her name Isabella Juliet Taylor and is excited to release that should be coming soon.
“I want people to see me, and realize that with God, anything is possible. I have always loved a challenge, and I hope to inspire others to take chances, set aside their fears, and pursue their own dreams,” Taylor said.
Taylor plans on playing for the Pumas next season in both sports but is not playing either sports at the next level.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Perry's Isabella Taylor excels in sports, American Idol with one hand
