Canada Games Team Feature

Leading up to the 2022 Canada Games, we are sharing stories about some of the people representing Team Ontario in the pool this summer

Swimming may have started for Jaime (Katie) Cosgriffe when she was a youngster taking lessons but, within time, the appetite for success started to escalate.

So much so, that she became a National champion at the Canadian Trials held in April 2022 in Victoria, B.C. Check it out: a gold medal in the multi-class para 100-metre butterfly at the Canadian Trials this year. There was also a bronze in the multi-class para 400-metre freestyle.

Lots to brag about, but she’s not that kind of individual. Effort and performance remain paramount.

With a keen interest in sciences, it was while at Alexander's Public School that she became interested in the world of science. Having built a home-made lie detector, then testing it on her classmates, she went on to win a bronze medal at the 2019 Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair.

Now a 16-year-old, who loves animals, music, reading books, playing guitar, and watching movies, Cosgriffe’s fascination expanded to innovation, science, technology, and mathematics. Her scholastic grades also intensified, reaching the academic honor roll at Aldershot High School in Burlington.

Yet, several things occurred in her life that could have changed things.

At one time, Cosgriffe was a shy, quiet kid with anxiety. Her parents decided to introduce her to a competitive swim team – the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays - to help build up her confidence.

Brilliant move it was. In a matter of months, Cosgriffe had won her first race. While the victory ribbon has since disappeared, the memories are fresh and the urge to continue excelling in swimming is reaching peak levels.

Having won five gold medals at the Eastern Canadian championships in Pointe Claire, Que., Cosgriffe appears ready for the next big competition – and that happens this summer at the Canada Games in Ontario’s picturesque Niagara Region.

“I want to be an inspiration for others,” said Cosgriffe in a recent telephone conversation. “While there are lots of great swimmers, I’m certain there could be more, if they got the urge to go out and have fun like me.”

What’s missing here is an explanation that Cosgriffe has Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). It’s one of the most common inherited neurological disorders. While it is a progressive disease of the peripheral nerves, it causes sensations, and loss of normal functions, in the feet, arms, hands and legs.

For Cosgriffe, the problem may have started in March of 2021 after returning home from a swim club practice at the Burlington Centennial Pool. She felt numbness in her hands and periods of tingling sensations. She began a series of trips to her family doctor, then a pediatrician, neurologist, and visits to the McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton.

“At first, I thought it was all silly, but then I became worried on how it would affect me as I got older and whether my swimming could be affected,” said Cosgriffe. “The numbness in the hands had been progressing, and it was painful.”

Cosgriffe, because of the disability, would qualify in major meets as a para swimmer.

Then came an e-mail. It’s one that she’ll remember for the rest of her life. Swim Ontario, the largest provincial swim organization in the country, informed her that she was chosen to compete at the Canada Games. For her, it was new territory to conquer.

“My mom got the e-mail at work,” recalled Cosgriffe. “She was so excited and called me at school. Deep down, I had an idea that my chances looked good (to make the team), but it’s still quite a thrill when you’re told that you were selected.

“I am so unbelievably honoured to represent Ontario at the Canada Games. I have always felt lucky to live here. We have so much diversity and the people are special. I am going to do my best to make my province, hometown, swim team and family proud.”

With a personal goal of one day competing for Canada on the world stage at the Paralympic Games, Cosgriffe first needs to work on getting international classification. That, she hopes, will come sooner rather than later. For now, the focus is on the national showcase.

“I’m hoping to win medals in the butterfly, backstroke, freestyle and individual medley, but I am also aware that there are lots of great swimmers who plan to do the same,” she said. “If I don’t win, it won’t be the end of the world. The plan is to do my best and the experience will be great for the next competition.”

While there is currently no treatment or cure for CMT, Cosgriffe is not alone with almost three million people in the world dealing with similar issues. For her, a mark of distinction has been her desire to forge ahead despite having some challenges with fatigue and muscle weakness.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.