Leah Clear has gotten used to the feeling of being first.
As a star for the Camden Catholic High School’s track and field team, Clear has made a habit of finishing well ahead of the pack in the 800-meter run. However, during Easter break this year, she became the first from her dance school to ever compete against the best of the best in the Cumann Rince Dea Mheasa Irish Dance World Championships in Dublin, Ireland.
“It’s everything to me,” said Clear, a Camden Catholic senior. “And the trip was great. We took a red eye there. Then I had my competition two days after I got there, so we took it pretty easy so I wouldn’t get injured or anything. To be able to finish my year at worlds was incredible.”
At the end of her whirlwind five-day trip to the Emerald Isle, Clear, one of only three Americans in her 17-year-old bracket, placed 16th, which was an incredible accomplishment and a nod to her decade-and-a-half of training at Peters School of Irish Dance in Mount Laurel.
“People ask me how I placed, and it was only 16th, but it was out of the whole world, so I guess that’s not too bad,” Clear said with a laugh.
Clear began her journey of dance in ballet, but quickly picked up Irish Dancing and fell in love with not only the competitive aspect, but the culture that surrounds it.
“I did ballet when I was little and by the end of the year, we had an Irish Dance teacher,” Clear recalled. “I said, ‘Why not, let’s try it.’ I wasn’t originally super competitive, but then I started to compete and it became everything. I loved it. All the dresses and makeup, and I love my team so much. They always keep me going. I’m going to be sad to leave it.”
Clear started dancing around age 2. She didn’t start running until she was already in high school. Originally a soccer player when she first arrived at Camden Catholic, Clear pivoted from cleats to running shoes after her first year.
“I played soccer up until freshman year and then switched to running,” she said. “Sophomore year was a difficult spot because of COVID. I ran cross country and didn’t do winter track. Then in the spring that year, I ran one meet. I decided, I like this. So I trained through summer for junior year and went back out for cross country.”
This winter, she broke the indoor school record in the 800 meter run, and she was closing in on the outdoor mark as well. She had a late start to her track season, as she was in Ireland for the first dual meet of the year. She easily placed first April 26 in the 800-meter race against Paul VI High School.
“I ended my indoor season at 2:18 and I just ran 2:20 so I’m basically where I left off,” Clear said after the race. “Obviously, my goal is just to win that race and get five points for my team, but it’s a good start.”
Her week got even better as Clear announced her commitment to the University of Delaware, where she will run track and study biomedical engineering.
“I started off by looking at computer science, but I knew I didn’t want to sit at a computer all day,” said Clear, who is a National Honors Society and honor roll student. “I’m really good at math, so I think I can handle it. I just didn’t want to go into the medical field although I love watching all the hospital shows. So, I was looking through different engineering fields and came across biomedical engineering, and my AP biology teacher recommended it.”
With a great future ahead of her, she also has wonderful memories to look back on from her senior year, which includes gazing at the beauty of the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin during her first time in Ireland.
“Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was amazing,” Clear said. “It was so beautiful, and we spent a lot of time there. I would love to go back.”
Maybe she’ll get that chance. Her sister Emily is a sophomore at Camden Catholic and also competes in Irish Dance. She’s creeping up on meeting the qualifications to compete in an upcoming world competition.
“There are a bunch of different tiers of levels that you have to get to, to go to worlds,” Leah said. “She’ll hopefully be hitting it soon so she can go, too.”
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