Not Just Your Average Joe
by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips
That's the nickname attributed to Jordanna Cota by family and friends.
Nowhere, is it more apropos than on the running trails in Alberta where the Red Deer College Queens' student-athlete is at the top of her class in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) cross-country, having crossed the finish line first in the four ACAC Running Room Grand Prix events she has entered this fall.
Such wasn't the case for her rookie season in the ACAC when in her first competitive race September 14th, 2013 on home soil, she placed 6th with a clocking of 21:22.
She would conclude her first season with three sixth places and a ninth.
"It was definitely a huge learning opportunity coming from high school where I was used to being the top ranked," recalls Jordanna, now in her fifth-year of post-secondary education. "Coming to college, you now had girls that had been doing the sport for four or five years. Seeing them, I knew that it was possible to still improve."
A graduate of Hunting Hills High School, the 5-foot-2 dynamo would lace up the runners against some impressive talent during her first few ACAC seasons with the likes of Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves' Mirelle Martens and Jamie Wigmore or Lethbridge Kodiaks' Rachel McKenzie grabbing the headlines.
"Honestly, those first couple of years, I wasn't down on myself and I wasn't frustrated but I wanted to turn everything into a positive and made some new goals for myself," said Cota, who will return to Red Deer next year in the sole role of student in order to complete her Bachelor of Science Nursing. "I knew that in my fifth-year that it could be something that I could achieve."
With a silver medal at the 2016-2017 ACAC Cross Country Championships and back-to-back ACAC All Conference selections, Cota has also adapted to the new cross country distance as the ACAC moved up from five-kilometres to six-kilometres.
"Jumping to six (kilometer) in my final year I did not know what to expect," admitted Cota, who was a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All Canadian selection last year. "Honestly. It was intimidating. It may not seem like a lot to most people but it is an extra kilometer of pain.
"It definitely has increased our training, making workouts that much harder and longer. It has also made us stronger, much stronger, and now emphasizes the mental aspect of the sport. It really has shown me how strong you can be mentally and in this sport that is a huge aspect.
"But over the course of the season, I am now enjoying more than I expected."
Cota said her current goal is to, "Place first in the ACAC Championships (October 28, 2017 in Red Deer) and medal at the (2017 CCAA Cross-Country Running Nationals at Lionel-Groulx Blainville, Quebec, November 10-11 2017). This is my last chance at this whole process and I will go out there and give it my all."
To date she has attended the CCCA Cross-Country Championships for every year of her post-secondary education.
In 2013-2014 in Etobicoke, Ontario and hosted by the Humber Hawks she placed 28th (20:52.85); 2014-2015, Calgary, Alberta hosted by the SAIT Trojans, 39th (20:57); 2015-2016, Brockville, Ontario, Lawrence College, 18th (20:04.9) and last year 2016-2017 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario an impressive 6th (19:21), only five seconds behind Lethbridge Kodiaks' Rachel McKenzie.
Cota adds that "patience" has been a key to her cross-country career.
"(Patience) has been huge. I even talk to my teammates about it. They ask, "How can I get that fast?' and I tell them that running fast doesn't just happen overnight. It doesn't happen in just a year or a summer. It has taken a while for me to see what works for me and my training. You have to be patient with the weather, the training and the whole process."
Having stepped away from competitive softball at a young age and then basketball and volleyball in Grade 10 "to concentrate on running", Cota said she enjoys the loneliness of the long-distance runner.
"I think it helps me mentally with school and overall happiness, out there running on my own," concludes Cota, who wants to advance to 10 k, half marathons and marathons in the future. "I think I would not be the person I am today without running. It has showed me how to push myself and go that little extra in everything I do. You can always be better at something."