Golden performance has Frotten dreaming big
Jessica Frotten turned in a golden performance on the wheelchair track last weekend, the latest achievement in her battle back from major injuries she sustained in a 2009 car crash.
By Marcel Vander Wier on May 17, 2013
Jessica Frotten turned in a golden performance on the wheelchair track last weekend, the latest achievement in her battle back from major injuries she sustained in a 2009 car crash.
The 25-year-old blazed her way to five gold medals at the Dogwood Track and Field Meet, held last Saturday and Sunday in Victoria, B.C.
The event was an emotional one for Frotten, as it marked her first major competition since she began training in January following the sudden death of her mother, Shelagh Boyle-Frotten.
The Yukoner won every race she entered, from the 100-metre dash to the 1,500-metre run.
"I surprised myself, actually,鈥 Frotten told the Star. "I entered every race just to see what I could do. I just don't know what to say. I'm blown away.鈥
Her official times were clocked as follows: 100-metre dash (21.58), 200-metre dash (39.71), 400-metre dash (1:19.87), 800-metre run (2:44.90), and 1,500-metre run (5:27.69).
Frotten competed in the T53 category, which encompasses wheelchair athletes with normal use of their arms and hands, but little to no trunk function and no leg function.
The 1,500-metre win surprised Frotten the most. She describes herself as a sprinter, who likes "to go fast for a controlled amount of time.鈥
"It almost killed her doing it,鈥 said proud father, Howard Frotten, of the 1,500.
He was one of a small but strong troupe of supporters who travelled from Whitehorse to watch Frotten perform in the two-day event.
Sunday's races were extra emotional for Frotten, as it marked her first Mother's Day without her mom at her side.
"On Sunday, Mother's Day, there wasn't anyone that was going to touch her,鈥 said Howard Frotten. "She was just amazing. She flew around that track like somebody else was pushing.
"She cried all day, but nobody got near her. You couldn't look at her without tears. All of these other racers would've been better off just to sit and watch. She was all by herself.鈥
"It was a tough day,鈥 the wheelchair athlete admitted of Sunday's competition. "I went through pretty much every emotion I have. I do feel my mom with me 鈥 She was my biggest fan.鈥
Frotten has been in a wheelchair since a horrific crash in December 2009 derailed her life. She was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on the Alaska Highway, near the Takhini River Bridge.
Frotten and another passenger were ejected from the car, resulting in a plethora of injuries including a broken back that left her paralyzed. She spent several weeks in a medically-induced coma. The Whitehorse native has been working towards walking again ever since.
Still, Frotten hopes last weekend's meet is the start of a great career. Her winning times qualified for the Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Que. this August, and she will attempt to achieve national standards at a wheelchair meet in Port Coquitlam next month.
"I'm just going to set my sights on Rio 2016,鈥 she said. "I just want to go as far as I can.鈥
Summer Olympic dreams aside, Frotten is also working towards her pursuit to one day walk again.
Two years ago, Frotten moved to Regina, where she became one of the first patients of the First Steps Wellness Centre 鈥 the first and only facility of its kind in Canada.
The unique centre focuses on the health and independence of people living with spinal cord injuries. It encourages recovery via intense and consistent exercise-based methods. Frotten said the centre has allowed her to attempt walking again with the help of leg braces.
Frotten has been overwhelmed by the encouragement she has received from the community of Whitehorse in the last four years.
"I am so humbled by the incredible love and support I've received since the accident,鈥 she said. "You don't find that kind of community anywhere else.鈥
Comments (1)
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Hoby Irwin on May 21, 2013 at 11:40 am
Congratulations Jessica