Amy Cotton: a judo woman

Judoka Amy Cotton will participate in her very first Olympic Games, in two weeks. With the incident that happened to her seven years ago, very few people could have predicted the judoka from Cape-Breton (Nova Scotia) would be so successful today.

Cotton became suddenly sick, and the test results revealed she was diagnosed with Still’s disease, which is a form of chronic juvenile arthritis. This particular disease mainly affects the articulations.

« I’ve always been a muscular girl, but my articulations are fragile. They can break at any time. For example, I was unable to move the morning of a competition if I was too stressed. It’s very frightening when you don’t know what’s happening to you, » the 24-year old Cotton said.

Despite of this, how could she carry on her career in judo? How come she was never told to hang her judogi uniform for good?

« Oh ! I’ve been asked often to retire, said Cotton. My mother asked me several times, but I never listened. I love my sport too much. My doctor also asked me if I was doing the right thing. I told him that if he could the disease under control with medication, I could carry on. One day, if I’m unable to perform the way I want because of the disease, I’ll quit. As long as it’s not serious like having trouble moving when I get out of bed, I can live with that. »

Taking medication is very common for her. She takes four different kinds, and each one of them has a specific function. « Some take the pain away, others prevent inflammations and so on, » she explained.

Is the health better nowadays? « Yes, and no. Yes, because I know my body better. I know what to do before competitions. I know I need more rest after competitions and some vacations now and then. However, I was told that it was going to get better with time, when the disease was discovered. Right now, I feel it is worst than ever, but I have to say that I’ve never practiced judo intensively as now, » Cotton explained.

This intensity paid off big time since last year. While securing an Olympic berth, Cotton won the gold medal at the Belgian Open, and took silver at the Swedish Open, the Finnish Open, and the Tre Torri tournament, in Italy. A few months before, she won the bronze at the Panamerican Games, in the Dominican Republic.

« I was doing quite well at the junior level in Nova Scotia. I had an excellent trainer in John Angus Campbell, I was winning medals on the international scene, I qualified for the World Junior Championships. But to reach a superior level like the Olympic Games and the World Championships, I had to move to Quebec, said Cotton, who trains at the Varennes national center since 1999.

« In Nova Scotia, teams weren’t as numerous as in Quebec. Back home, I was always on top but that wasn’t the case when I moved. I had to work very hard to reach the goals I wanted to achieve. »

A member of the national team since 1995, Cotton also admitted that adapting to a new province was far from being easy.

« It was very difficult at the beginning. Nobody was speaking English where I lived. Let’s just say I missed my family a lot. I’ve had difficulties to adjust to the style of judo in Quebec, and the high level training sessions as well. However, when I accepted the situation, I fully appreciated what was offered to me. At that point, I fell back in love with judo, » she said.

A very special day
Competing in the -78 kg category, Cotton is certainly the most timid of the six Canadian judokas qualified for the Olympic Games. And she might be the most unknown as well. On August 19th, she’ll be right in the middle of the most followed day of the judo competitions by the Canadian media. Why? She’ll be sharing the spotlight with double Olympic medalist Nicolas Gill, who might compete in his very last Summer Games.

« I know, she said after a long silence. It has been a little while since I saw that on the calendar. I hope this will transform into a positive aspect for me. If everybody could focus on Nicolas, that would be perfect for me. I could compete quietly, minding my own business. »