Elgin Judo Club teenager Rylee Flynn overcomes ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) difficulties to become Scottish Open champion
A Moray teenager living with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has struck gold by making history in the sport of judo.
For almost nine months, Rylee Flynn attended sessions at Elgin Judo Club but would only sit on the corner of the mat and watch his younger brother Neeson training.
When his sibling begged him to take part, he finally gave in - now five years later he’s a Scottish champion.
The Judo Scotland governing body created a new adaptive judo category for people with disabilities ranging from visual impairment, learning difficulties and autism to compete in major competitions.
And at this year’s Scottish Open in Largs, Rylee became the first-ever gold medallist at the 55kg weight division in Scottish adaptive judo.
It signalled a major milestone in the sporting journey of the 17-year-old, who is coached by his father Keith at Elgin Judo Club.
Keith described how his son’s condition made him reluctant to compete in judo, and hopes his subsequent success will encourage others to persist in their pursuit of a sporting dream.
“When his younger brother started judo, Rylee didn’t want to do it,” Keith said. “But he loved watching, and he sat on the corner of the mat and just watched - for eight months.
“The only reason he came on is because Neeson begged him to come on the mat and give it a try.
“From sitting on that mat watching for eight months, to winning that gold medal is quite remarkable.”
Keith explained how both his sons were diagnosed with ADHD, and while Neeson, now 16, was able to compete in mainstream judo and win a succession of tournaments, Rylee’s sporting path hasn’t been quite as smooth.
ADHD affects behaviour, is often diagnosed before the age of 12 and has symptoms which include restlessness, difficulty in concentrating or a tendency to act on impulse.
Adaptive judo is broken down into four levels depending on athletes’ disabilities or conditions.
Rylee is able to compete in level 1, which means that like Neeson he is able to take part in mainstream competitions as well.
His father says he has benefitted from being involved in a sporting environment and the discipline and dedication involved in martial arts.
“Rylee has ADHD since he was very, very young, and obviously, it's got its ups and downs,” said Keith. “It's got its advantages and disadvantages, but you try to make the best of it as best you can.
“I think he knows sometimes he's feeling a little bit different, but obviously when he's at judo, he's just another judo player.
“He tries his best, he wins sometimes, he loses sometimes. At times, emotionally, because when he's at mainstream events, he finds it a little bit hard because he's maybe not able to get his frustrations out.
“But when you're fighting an adaptive competition, I think they've got a little bit more understanding. And he's around people who are the same as him as well.
“With adaptive judo, they do something called divisioning. The night before a competition, they'll have a bit of a training session to assess the athletes and someone might say ‘OK, I want to be in level one’ and they'll assess their ability.
“They will look into whether or not you are able to compete in that division without getting absolutely annihilated, I would imagine. And, obviously, try and match people up, make it as fair as possible and giving them a positive experience.”
Former Elgin High pupil Rylee is now a sports student at UHI Moray and also works part-time at Moray Sports Centre.
Keith said Rylee was thrilled to win his gold medal in Largs, and should be very proud of his achievement. There could be future opportunities
“The problem is, unless you do judo, I don't think people recognise just how difficult it can be to win at these events.
“At the club, we’ve got a lot of kids that have got autism and we are always trying to help them. Neeson and Riley are very, very good at helping the other kids at the club.
“As a coach, I can deal with it, because I've dealt with it all my life with Neeson and Riley. So, I'm very used to changing tactics and making them feel right. And to be honest with you, the boys, Riley and Neeson, when the kids are there, the younger ones and that, they're very, very good for them.”
Keith is happy to remind fellow parents about how Rylee’s judo career started in a watching capacity for a long time, and revealed how his Elgin club encourages people young or old to try out the sport, free of charge.
“I just wish some parents would not pull their kids out immediately or they don't like it because they're doing something that's hard,” he said. “Sometimes you need to keep them going, and that’s why we offer the first three months completely free.
“We're not a business. We offer this time for free to allow children or adults to try it whether they like it or not.
“Hopefully it's something they stick with forever.”
