The Final Mile

Like Olympic medalist, Jazzy’s journey started far away from the spotlight

The photo of Jasmine “Jazzy” Jordan crossing the finish line at Times Square in New York City a few weeks ago and another taken with her holding flowers and smiling immediately afterward is reminiscent of another athlete who accomplished a remarkable achievement. It brings back images of U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Randy Grider is editor of Truckers News. He is the son of a career trucker and holds a CDL. He blogs regularly at www.truckersnews.com/truckwriters-blog. Write him at rgrider@rrpub.com.

The similarities are not drawn from their gender or age. Instead it’s because they both share a determined spirit to accomplish a goal despite the odds against their respective endeavors. And because they both finished in the public spotlight — accomplished only through many less glamorous hours, days and months of solitude.

Long before Jazzy began gaining widespread attention in the latter part of her 3,000-mile-plus, cross-country run, she and her dad, Lee Jordan, made their way across the American Southwest in relative obscurity. Of course, there were the sporadic interviews with local media and some attention on a Facebook page, but it was nothing like the momentum of the second half of the run.

Jazzy’s quest to run from California to New York began last year after Sheila Grothe, a family friend and employee of the Jordan family’s specialized hauling and pilot car businesses, died of cancer. The then-16-year-old decided to make the trek to honor Grothe and generate awareness of the plight of many truckers who suffer from a lack of insurance and quality medical care. Jordan chose the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund as the beneficiary of the project.

So began an almost yearlong odyssey that was a mix of triumph and hardships. With Jordan’s father, Lee, accompanying his daughter as the driver of one of the family pilot vehicles, they left Palm Springs, Calif., bound for the Big Apple with a hope to make a difference in the industry. Jazzy’s plan was to complete the run on April 17, the one-year anniversary of Grothe’s death. But an injury sidelined her for several weeks. Other setbacks included logistical delays in running along a couple of roadways — one (in Cookeville, Tenn.) requiring them to purchase a permit — and a scary accident in which their pilot car was totaled as they were rear-ended by another motorist.