FLORENCE, Ky. — A northern Kentucky woman is trying to overcome the obstacles life has thrown at her to reach the pinnacle of her sport. Her vision may be impaired, but she plans to see her goals through to the end.
Clara Allardyce has taken hits long before she ever started competing in judo. But when life has knocked her down, she’s always bounced right back up.
“I was trying to go get my learner’s permit. And I failed the eye exam. And I was told maybe you should go see a specialist,” Allardyce said.
Allardyce has retinitis pigmentosa.
“My left eye really does not work. And if you pay really close attention, it’s kind of lazy. I also have Nystagmus, which means that my eyes constantly move. They never stop moving, because they’re trying to focus on what I’m trying to do. And that’s very much a strain on my eyesight,” she said. “I do not have peripherals. I have night blindness, so once the lights go out, I cannot see. I am not completely blind yet. I’m pretty close.”
It was a devastating diagnosis for a 16-year-old.
“The more stress I have in my life, that’s when it kind of deteriorates more. So like, from 16 till about like 21, it was pretty steady. And then once I kind of got into my 20s, that’s kind of when it went a little rapid,” she said. “It has not been easy. 16, that’s when I was diagnosed. That’s like, that’s the time for any teenager, especially a female. So I feel like the world was kind of ending then.”
It turned out, though; the world wasn’t ending.
She graduated from both high school and college.
“I’ve done most things that people who are blind may not have the ability to do, which I’m grateful for. But it has been like a rollercoaster at times,” Allardyce said,
She earned a first degree black belt in Taekwondo, then started competing in judo six years ago.
Today, at 29 years old, Allardyce spends her days rolling around on a mat, practicing takedowns and giving her sparring partners all they can handle.
When asked what she loves about judo, she responded, “The adrenaline. When I first started… it was, ‘Hey you should do a competition.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t think so, no.’ And they’re like, ‘but you’ll really like it.’ and then I think just because I have a competitive drive, that really helps,” she said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster.”
She’s also had a significant amount of success.
“Right now I’m ranked 12th in the world. And I have to make it to seventh in order to place on the actual Paralympic team,” Allardyce said.
That’s been her dream now for a few years, but it’s far from given. It requires countless hours in the gym and a strong support system. Her mother, Alicia Lay, tries to make it to every competition.
“It’s very rewarding to watch her. But I’ve also seen her struggle. And in the struggle, judo has helped her become who she is,” Lay said. “Sometimes I’m afraid that she’s gonna get her neck broken. But she has really good coaches. Every little thing that she’s set out there in front of herself to accomplish, she has done. And I really have not had to do too much, because she’s very self motivated. And sometimes I would like to catch some of her contagion myself.”
Allardyce said, at any moment, her condition could get worse.
“I can lose my eyesight whenever the universe thinks, ‘Hey, okay, it’s time for it to go,’” she said.
In the meantime, she’s not taking her gift for granted.
“When I start to lose more eyesight, it’s, ‘okay, you have to regroup.’ You have to figure out what do I do now? What do I want to do in my life in order to feel successful? To not feel like, ‘oh man, I’m a poor blind girl, like what am I going to do with my life now?’” she said. “There’s some days where I just lay in my bed because I’m depressed. I think just persevering and trying to have a good spirit allows for you to move on in life, even if it’s hard.”
It also helps that she’s found something she loves and is great at.
“When I’m fighting, it’s almost like your brain stops working, if that makes any sense. It’s just like, ‘Okay, it’s game time. Let’s go,’” she said. “I would’ve never expected to be doing martial arts, to be honest… I never thought I would be beating people up. But that’s the thing, you just have to keep kind of rolling with the punches.”
Allardyce’s next competition is in Tokyo in December. She hopes to compete in the Paralympics in Paris next August.
Besides making rank, she faces some financial challenges getting there. Here’s a link to support her journey.