Competitive Spirit

The Olympics. To any average person, the idea of ever competing in the Olympics is out of their spectrum of possibilities.

Now, imagine having a disability that makes this goal even harder to achieve.

For Cortney Jordan, international competition is just another notch in her belt.

"My whole family swims," Cortney said. "My dad plays water polo, my grandpa was a lifeguard, and my sister swims too."

But, Cortney, 15, has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which inhibits her swimming ability, but not her spirit.

"I don't let it bother me," she said. "You just get used to it."

Not having control over her left side, Cortney is forced to compensate. In certain strokes, she must keep her arm at her side or risk disqualification.

She started swimming at age 3 and began competing at age 8, when her physical therapist recommended the sport to help her control her disability. She has been swimming ever since.

"The therapist really wanted to work on Cortney's fine motor skills with her left hand, and she thought that developing the gross motor skills in her body would cause the fine motor skills to improve," said Nancy Jordan, Cortney's mother, in an e-mail.

Cortney, a sophomore at Coronado High School, has competed in several world swimming tournaments, including the Paralympics last October where she won three bronze medals; one in each of the 400, 100 and 50 meter freestyle.

With all of her accomplishments at world competitions, Cortney is ranked third in the world for her division. She said she currently is part of the Elite Division, which includes the first-, second- and third-place swimmers in the world.

Cortney competes with people who have been diagnosed with an array of disabilities. In the competitions, she can compete with anyone from a quadriplegic to a blind person. "But they split us all up in the finals," she said.

Cortney competes annually with the world team and plans on continuing as long as she can.

"Through my whole life, as long as I love it, I will continue," she said.

Her current goal is to make it to the Beijing Paralympics next summer. But she has many plans for the future, including becoming a teacher, her mother said.

Sometimes, Cortney travels alone to meets, but important events, such as this year's trip to Vancouver with the team, "will turn into a family vacation," her mom said. For team training sessions, held in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cortney flies alone but makes frequent calls to her family.

Her family is an important source of support.

"No matter how hard our lives are, we have to get the courage and strength to persevere," Cortney's mom said. "They know that as a family we will overcome whatever obstacles that life throws our way."

At the next meet, Cortney is planning to swim in at least seven different strokes. "I compete in a lot of events, just to have more opportunities to win," she said.

This much competition requires a lot of practice, which Cortney gets. She is a part of three different swim teams. "I practice every day with BCH (Boulder City Heatwaves) and once a week for school."

On top of swimming, Cortney is also an honors student at Coronado. According to her mom, Cortney motivates herself.

"They love to swim, and it makes them feel so good physically," her mom said of Cortney and her sister, Mikaela, a 17-year-old senior at Coronado. "They both swim every day except Sunday, and they keep their grades up. We are extremely proud of them."

Cortney enjoys meeting different people and says that talking to people from all over the world is her favorite part about traveling with her team. She said she gets to meet people facing a multitude of different challenges. Out of the friends Cortney has made, one is a right arm amputee and another suffered from a spinal tumor that hindered her ability to move correctly.

Though she has made many friends, Cortney said her sister is her biggest supporter.

"She's always there for me, cheering, and I'm there for her," she said.

Mikaela echoed Cortney's sentiments.

"I like to hear my parents say good things about her, because when we were younger, it was all about me," Mikaela said. "I am so proud of what she has accomplished."

According to their mother, the girls are close because they are so different and yet share the same core values.

"They have always been each other's number one fan in swimming," their mom said. "Mikaela travels to the Paralympics' swim meets, so far to San Antonio, South Africa and Montreal."

The girls joke about household competition, but both agree that their competition is merely fun and that they do not compare themselves.

"We kid around, but it's never really a competition," said Cortney, as Mikaela agreed.

The girls' mom said Cortney doesn't judge people on their abilities or disabilities.

"She truly sees each individual as being a gift from God, and she never looks at someone differently because of the way they look, or walk, or act," their mom said.

But as much as others might judge her as being disadvantaged, Cortney thinks differently.

"(Competing) gives me a new perspective and makes me appreciate what I have."