Stay Forth Leadership Podcast 197 - Kiana Clay ”From heartbreak to pro adrenaline athlete”
On today's episode, Alan talks with pro snowboarder, surfer and motocross athlete Kiana Clay about tragedy, family, adrenaline and how Jesus holds it all together amidst the pain.
About Kiana
Southern California native, Kiana Clay, has always had the need for speed since she can remember. From the time she could walk, she's always wanted to go fast. Whether it was on her skateboard, snowboard, scooter, bicycle, or roller blades, you'd find Kiana zooming around somewhere. At the age of 7, her father, Roger Clay, purchased her first motorcycle which was a PW80. She rode it in trails, tracks, and in her front yard. The first time she rode, she was hooked. By the age 11, she was competing nation wide on her KX and YZ85. Little did she know, that the sport she loved would make her disabled.
On November 18, 2006, Kiana was racing at Freestone County Raceway in Wortham Texas. As it had rained the day before, the track was muddy and deep. It was during practice when she crashed on the back side of the finish line jump from her back tire sliding out and got landed on by another rider that was right behind her. The front part of the other riders bike landed right on her neck, which severed her nerves with a complex neck injury called brachial plexus. As she woke from being knocked out for about 4 minutes, she noticed that she could not move her arm whatsoever. After being sent to 3 different hospitals, she finally received her diagnoses which was full paralysis in her dominant right arm. About a month after her racing accident, her and her father got in a car wreck and flipped multiple times in their truck from a drunk driver. Because of that wreck, she lost all chances of her getting her arm back.
Today, Kiana has fully adapted to the one handed lifestyle. She's learned how to write and draw again, as well as play Xbox with her feet, put her hair up with a doorknob, and live everyday life as normal as anyone else would. After being off of the bike for 7 years, she started riding again in fall of 2013 and started competing just 3 months after being back on the bike. In 2015, she also got accepted to be on the Adaptive Action Sports Team for snowboarding where she is currently training to make the USA team for the Paralympics for 2022 in Beijing. She will be the first female upper limb competitor and will create a category for other future upper limb females. Kiana was also the first female to compete in the Moto Sport Adaptive Championship Series for motocross where she placed a 3rd overall in the upper limb category against men.
When the weather is warm, you will find Kiana wake surfing at your local lake, or training with the ISA in Newport CA where she will be competing in the adaptive world circuit. She also does motivational speaking and mentoring at her church, tracks, schools, as well as some major companies. She's very positive about her injury and is actually grateful she is disabled. She stated, "I wouldn't want my life any other way. I'm grateful for what my disability has shown me and has taught me. I wouldn't be who I am today without it. It's really humbled me to be grateful and thankful for the little things".
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