Yukoners will be watching the 2020 Paralympics in Japan a little more closely this year.

Jessica Frotten, 33, formerly of Whitehorse and now living in Regina, Saskatchewan, will be competing in her first Paralympics this year. Frotten arrives in Japan on August 14. She’ll participate in a pre-camp in the Japanese city of Gifu, and then will be racing in her high-tech wheelchair on the track in Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium starting on August 29th (August 28th in Canada).

It’s been a long journey for Frotten from Whitehorse to the Paralympics.

“It has been a wild ride.” states Frotten. “I guess you never really know what’s going to happen to you, but I don’t think anyone ever expects something like having a spinal cord injury, or anything like that. You just don’t plan for that kind of stuff.

“I got hurt just before Christmas in 2009, and I was pretty banged up. Like they had to medivac me to Edmonton, put me back together, I spent months in the hospital, and then I finally came home and it was just amazing. The whole community threw a pretty big fundraiser for me to help with all the new expenses of my injury and therapy and stuff.

“I found a place. It was called the First Steps Wellness Centre, and it was Canada’s first spinal cord injury recovery centre, and it just happened to be in good old Regina Saskatchewan. So I came out here to try the program out, and my brother moved with me, because I was nowhere near independent. He pretty much took care of me, drove me everywhere, and then … the program really changed my life. I regained a lot of function I was told I would never have again, and sensation.

“But a big thing … what First Steps did for me was it introduced me to the wonderful world of adaptive sports, and I got the opportunity to try just about everything. I got to try racing, and I just fell in love with it. I fell in love with how technical the sport was, and I really enjoyed the fact that … it being an individual sport, so everything that I put in was kind of mine.

“I’m still making little tweaks and getting excited for new personal bests and improving. I love it so much.

“So I really started in like 2014-2015 … and my first major competition was the Pan-Am Games in Toronto, which was incredible. Competing for your country is such an honour and such an amazing experience, but to get to do that in front of the home crowd is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Frotten won bronze medals in the 400 and 100 at the Pan-Am games in Toronto.

“It really took off from there. 2015 was a pretty busy season. We also had world championships that year, in Doha, Qatar. My performances at the Pan-Am games got me a spot on the world championship team, so I got to go compete against the very best in the world in our sport.

“I didn’t do very well. I didn’t even … I can’t remember if I made a final, but it really showed me the caliber of athletes that were out there, and what I was gonna have to do to up my game,” related Frotten.

“2016 would have been the Rio Olympics and Paralympics and I didn’t make that team. But then I did make the next World Championships team in 2017, in London (England), and that was amazing. We got to compete at the Olympic stadium, it was a packed house every night, it was amazing. I had some really good races out there. I made all of the finals.”

Qualifying for these Paralympics was not an easy task for Frotten.

“This was a really tough team to make … The team is not very big. There is only 16 athletes going. In Rio I think they only had 25 or 30 athletes, so it’s a really small team. And it was a tough team to make.

“COVID really threw a wrench in everything, but they kind of changed the criteria. Usually you have Olympic and Paralympic trials, and if you win your event there, then you get an automatic golden ticket onto the team. But they took that piece out of the criteria this year, so it’s just solely on world ranking … and I was ranked high enough!”

Frotten is ranked 5th in the world in the 400 metres, 7th in the 800 metres, 5th in the 1500 metres, all in the T53 event class. There are currently no rankings for the 4 x 100 metre relay event.

She has competed in a competition recently at Laval University in Quebec City.

“I just had my first little series of races … before that I hadn’t raced since world championships in 2019. I remembered which way the track went, and I actually did have some pretty solid races out there. We didn’t have the best weather. There weren’t any crazy-fast times, but I was pretty proud of what I did.”

When asked how she did at the 2019 World Championships, Frotten replied, “they went well. I think I finished 7th in almost all of my events.

“There’s a new event in para-athletics. It’s called the universal relay. This was the first time we had it. And it’s a blind runner that runs into an amputee runner that runs into a coordination-impaired runner and the anchor is the wheelchair racer. It’s a mix of all those classifications and two men and two women. So a four by 100, and we actually finished 5th in that relay. So we’re going to race that in Tokyo as well.”

The universal relay sounds like a pretty amazing race.

“Yeah, it is pretty cool. And depending on how you have your teamed lined up, those classifications, that’s the way it’s ran. Where you put your men and your women, it changes the way the race goes, and the lead kind of changes all the time – it’s actually a very exciting event.”

So who’s Frotten’s inspiration?

“The list is endless. The whole community in the Yukon has been huge and really supporting me and getting me to where I am. I couldn’t have done it without them, and my family and friends. I have a pretty amazing coach here, and in Saskatoon as well. It takes a village.”

Frotten’s coach is Rick Reelee. He’s been her coach “since day one.”

“When I first went to try racing, I got together with the Cyclone’s track club, and he was the coach there, and he’s been my coach ever since.”

Does she consider herself an inspiration to others that have gone through similar hardships?

“I think I’m just kind of doing what I’m doing, and if inspiring someone is a byproduct of that, then awesome.”

Frotten is eagerly looking forward to the Games.

“It’s countin’ down now. Some of my team gear arrived the other day, and it’s really starting to sink in. I’m going to Tokyo!

“I’ve qualified for all those events, but I won’t race them all. We’re going for quality over quantity. I’m going to race the 400 and the 800. They’re my best events. I’m also gonna race the 1500, and I’ll be on the (universal) relay team as well.

“I’m feeling really good. I have put in so much work. Even in this crazy COVID year I’ve done a lot more work in the gym, and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.

“I’m a little sad that these are the most strange Olympics – no fans, and my family can’t be there, but I’m ready; I’m ready for the whole experience, and to just have some really great races.”

Frotten has mixed feelings about competing in a strange environment in Japan.

“Yeah I’m feeling a little mixed … I hope things get a little better in Japan … it doesn’t seem like the Japanese people are 100 percent on board with the Olympics, or the Paralympics, but I know I’m going to do everything I can to keep myself safe, and keep everyone else safe.”

As for how Frotten feels about her chances of medaling at the games, she’d rather not make any predictions.

“Well, I mean, I don’t want to jinx anything. I’m just focusing on having some really solid, technically sound races. I think if I do that, I will be very pleased with the results.

“All the hard work is done now. I’ve trained my butt off, I’m ready, and now it’s just time to show it off.”

Is there anything Frotten would like to take back with her, including medals of course?

“Just the experience. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will have memories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I guess memories. The experience. Medals.”

When asked if she has any message for her supporters, Frotten responded “just a huge thank you to everyone who’s supported me on this journey, and I can’t wait for the big show!”