Rising Stars: Jordyn Minor

Sponsored by The Spine Center

There’s not much that Jordyn Minor can’t do.

She had been a strong gymnast since she was four years old but decided just a few months ago to give up her childhood sport for a new challenge out on the track.

With less than half a year of experience under her belt, Minor managed to win the state championship in the 100-meter dash and finish third—less than 0.3 seconds off the leader—in the 200 in her first-ever state meet.

“It’s very surprising; super surreal,” Minor says, reminiscing on her immediate successes. “I went from gymnastics and knowing everything about it and growing in it, but I just really wanted to try something new. And for me, anytime I try something new, I know I’m going to put 100 percent effort into it. So I definitely wasn’t going into track just thinking this is going to be something I do on the side. I wanted this (to be) all or nothing for me.”

That same fierce, go-getter attitude doesn’t come as any surprise the more you learn about Minor. At the age of nine, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia—a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells. Her family moved to Memphis, Tenn., to receive treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Her full treatment plan was about two and a half years long, but they were able to move back home after just two months in Memphis. Minor tested cancer-free after 15 days.

“I feel like after going to St. Jude and battling (cancer) … your perspective changes,” Minor says. “You don’t want to approach this sickness with a calm being. No, you have to be aggressive and you have to believe that you’re going to come out and succeed. That definitely transfers into track because you can’t go out on the track and look at all these girls and think that you’re going to get beat. You can’t walk in there already defeated. You have to go in there, willing to win, ready to win and knowing that you are going to win.”

On top of all that, Minor currently boasts a 4.08 GPA, a 26 on the ACT and is earning college credit for some of her honors courses.

Good luck finding something Minor can’t do.

Read more Rising Stars profiles here.