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It’s a Wednesday afternoon
at the British Judo Performance Institute in Dartford and as everyone
wilts in the summer sun, Lesley Reid grabs a momentary respite.
The judoka rehydrates
and returns to the mat to flawlessly execute some of the sport’s
more photogenic throws. As the burn of a morning training session
remains, the soon-to-be poster-woman performs throw after throw
on her uke who willingly absorbs the contact for close to an hour.
Lesley’s latest lung-bursting
effort is a photo op for her to front the British Judo Paralympic
Programme’s new Women’s VI Talent Search, an initiative which
steered the 48-year-old from club coach to World Championship
bronze medallist in eight months.
The veteran player reluctantly
applied to the VI talent search last year, after some gentle persuasion
from her family and friends, and took the sight test with the
assumption that her sight would not be bad enough to classify
her as visually impaired.
“In 2004 I had a problem
with one of my eyes, a condition called myopic macular degeneration,
and then in 2006 it started happening to my other eye as well
and it was at that point that I had to stop driving.
“I took the test and
then forgot all about it as I didn’t think I would be partially
sighted enough to qualify or good enough to be able to compete
in a Paralympic Games. But then I got an email from British Blind
Sport saying that I was measured as a B3, which is the least visually
impaired category and at that point, I knew I had to go for it!”
A month after applying
the Hertfordshire product joined the world-class programme which
features a squad replete with World medallists and champions and
trained at the British Judo Performance Institute in Dartford
on a part-time basis.
“At the beginning when
I was training at Dartford I did wonder what I was doing here,
with these names.
“But everyone has been
very friendly. I saw Euan Burton take time out of his schedule
to work with the cadets and take a session with them and that
really impressed me - that was a big thing for me.”
A respected 2nd Dan,
from Royston, Hertfordshire, Lesley was cultivating a reputation
as a renowned coach at Melbourn Judo Club until she returned to
competition this year.
In 2009 she won the
BJA Coach of the Year Award and fondly remembers how she made
a transition that shaped the rest of her life.
“My mum sent me to ballet
classes when I was 5-years-old and I hated it. The boy next door
wanted to do judo. That became my escape from ballet and I started
practising at the local club,” said the British international.
Now in the present time,
she has lost two stone since Christmas and was fast-tracked onto
the world stage after being selected to fight at Turkey’s 2010
International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) VI World Championships
in March.
“I wasn’t sure if I
was ready but the Paralympic Development Coach Jean-Paul Bell
thought I was and was picked to fight.”
Lesley negotiated
the step up in quality with remarkable results, capturing a much-heralded
bronze medal.
“I was really not expecting
to medal, the World Championships were just the beginning for
me so to win a medal was a real bonus.”
British Judo’s Performance
Director Margaret Hicks was quick to recognise Lesley’s achievement
and said, “This was a great result for Lesley in the lead up to
the 2012 Paralympic Games and she has a great chance to progress
her career.”
Her meteoric rise has
recently been punctuated by sponsorship from John Lewis and her
friends and family are gripped by her tilt at the 2012 Paralympics.
“My family and friends
are getting quite excited about it, they’re talking of ordering
mini buses and they’re desperate for tickets.
“It’s going to be a
very special occasion for all the athletes and it’s something
everyone wants to be a part of. I think I’ll be too old to do
Rio in 2016 but then I thought I’d be too old for London. I won’t
be doing a Steve Redgrave.”
Lesley believes the latest
talent search gives a great opportunity for other visually impaired
females to join her in the journey to the Paralympic Games in
2012.
“I’ve come through the
programme and I’d never have imagined how far I’d come in such
a short space of time.
“It’s a great opportunity
for any female VI player and I’d strongly urge players to apply
as 2012 will really be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I wasn’t aware that
I’d be classed as visually impaired until six years ago when I
stopped driving so I’d suggest women who are unsure about the
vision standards should still apply.”
The British Judo Association
is looking to hear from all female, visually impaired judoka,
18+, with a UK passport, or coaches who are aware of any female
VI players who have been through the early judo grades and are
looking to progress.
If you are not sure
of the sight classification, then do not worry as the BJA can
help you find this out. Please contact Ian Rose, VI Talent Development
Coordinator and former British international on ian.rose@britishjudo.org.uk
who will then discuss the next steps.
You can also watch
the British Judo vodcast episode three here,
which is all about the campaign.
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