Clara Luneke - Assistant Kids Jiu Jitsu Coach

Clara Luneke was born in Milwaukie, Oregon and raised in West Linn, Oregon, and currently lives in Northeast Portland.  A true Pacific Northwest native, Clara has been involved in sports since childhood. Her competitive background is diverse, including eight years as a fencer (specializing in Epee and Sabre) and competing in snowboarding throughout high school. Before discovering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Clara practiced Aikido as a young child, which she credits with giving her the fundamental spatial awareness and falling skills necessary to thrive on the mats.

Clara’s BJJ journey began in the fall of 2016, and she is proud to have been training with Coach Hillary and a part of the Unicorn community since the very beginning in 2019.  While she might not have a long list of competition highlights (she laughs at the suggestion), her love for the sport is rooted in two core aspects:  1 - Continuous Improvement: BJJ constantly provides more interesting and challenging ways to improve and push one’s personal boundaries.  2 - The Community: The joy of sharing this messy, challenging sport with other humans is what truly keeps her coming back to the mats.  Clara is passionate about the constant pursuit of improving and refining passing techniques—always finding new angles to overcome an opponent's guard.

Clara’s professional background is in Software Product Management, having earned her engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. She currently works full-time managing products for various start-ups.