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Hey everyone! I hope you’re all well, or at least as well as possible anyway!

I’ll warn you, this is a pretty long blog post but I hope you read it all… and there’s a poem, written by me, at the end!

Down to business. Some of you may have seen my recent announcement on Twitter, or elsewhere, so this is basically a fuller more detailed version of that.

So, with less than one year to go until London, I have made the very tough decision to retire. Some of you may think I’m chickening out – but trust me, after the difficult career I’ve had, I can safely say, I’m no chicken! J

It was definitely no easy decision to make but sometimes you know your time is up and its time to move on to new, and [hopefully] equally as exciting ventures. Of which there will hopefully be many.

It will be very strange to think I will not be with ‘my team’ in London next year.  However, I will be very excited to watch them all compete from ‘the other side’…. Well, as long as I get all the tickets I’ve applied for.

My final battle was at the European Champs in Berlin, and I think I knew it would be as soon as I got there.  As I say, I have had a pretty tough career on the whole, but I think the time between winning World championship gold, last August, and Berlin was the hardest to get through.  I wont go into detail, but I’ll be honest [best policy and possibly helpful to others]… during this last year I’ve been suffering with depression (my first public admission) and very nearly didn’t go to Berlin because of it.  This, it has to be said, is not the reason I’m retiring… but then maybe it is, suffering with something like that makes you realise that perhaps things need changing. I’ve never been very discreet, so here I am, not making small changes, but changing my ENTIRE life. And I am genuinely excited about it.

I am also retiring because even the most stubborn fighter has to acknowledge when its time to sit down.  I have always fought hard:

-       At the 2002 World Championships I won 5 medals despite suffering from Glandular Fever.

-       In Athens 2004 I won 4 Paralympic medals with, what I later discovered was, a hole the size of a fifty pence piece in an ankle tendon.

-       At the World Champs in 2006 I won 3 golds and 2 silvers with a severe shoulder injury that left me unable to move my arm for 2 months

-       In Beijing 2008 I stood up and won 2 Paralympic medals despite my shoulder injury returning and having to swim with local anaesthetic injected into my arm, that actually did nothing for my pain!

-       I returned from 14 months out of training to win a gold, silver and bronze at the World Champs in 2010.

From Berlin this year I came home with 2 bronze medals and a 4th.  From this I realised that the world has moved on and sped up in a very short space of time.  Sped up to a point that I cannot compete with. I am not ashamed to say this either… I have been in the top three in every race I’ve raced for 10 whole years, until this year.  I’m immensely proud of this and this is how I wish to end my career!

I am hanging up my goggles and bowing out as the current World Champion…. And proud!

BUT!! As one door closes, many many more open – and I cannot wait to get cracking.  Over the last year I have established some good working relationships with several people, companies and charities.  I’m looking forward to continuing this work and hope to make a positive difference with everything I do!

I’m looking to complete my Masters degree, using my knowledge of Paralympic sport to produce an amazing [says I] final dissertation.

I have also taken on a number of Diplomas to increase my knowledge in psychology and the like.  This will be used [hopefully] in conjunction with my experiences to eventually produce unique motivational tool-kits and possibly even a few books :D So I can positively help future athletes succeed!  I might even chuck in a few coaching courses along the way.

I was never ‘just a swimmer’.  Swimming was an amazing part of my life, but now its time for me to step up and shine in other areas of life.  Indeed, I’m leaving the pool but I’ll be making sure you haven’t seen the last of Fran Williamson yet! Lucky people.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you to all the lovely people who have supported me over the years. Mostly to my mum, who has had a massive impact on my career; To all my lovely friends and family, including my boyfriend Chris Whitaker; To the amazing Dr Derek Martin and Physio Paul Martin without whom nothing would’ve ever got fixed and I’d currently be armless, footless and headless (it possible that I hold the record for time spent getting treated on the physio bed); To all the coaches I’ve worked with over the years; thank you to the immensely talented and ever supportive GB Swim Team, its been fun and your cheering has been priceless!

And finally to you guys – the people who have followed my story on Twitter, Facebook, on my website, or just in the news, people who wish me luck or say well done – I may not always know who you are but I ALWAYS appreciate the effort and your interest :D

This is a little poem I wrote as soon as I realised I had made my decision… I hope you like it!

Swimming to the End

 

Waiting at the block for that big bang to sound.

There it is - go! Go! Go! - That was the gun!

You know you have everything to give;

As you kick off and let the water wash over you.

This may be your chance - they might stumble.

You push as if there is no tomorrow, perhaps there wont;

as you know this may be the final round.

Your body falters slightly, can you compete?

But your brain kicks in, hear the GB lion roar.

Must push to keep swimming to the end.

Everybody is watching, swim for your country.

You reach the finish, you know for sure;

The glory will not be yours to take.

Minutes tick by as you turn to see the scoreboard.

The goggles come off so you clearly see the light.

The scoreboard shines, your heart beats.

You’ve come forth! The World Champion has come forth!

A wave of sadness, but no shock, flows through you.

Swimming to the side, you hope beyond hope;

You will not be remembered as the one who lost the race;

Rather the one who fought the fight.

Climbing out the pool, you hold your head up high.

You knew it might have to end this way.

Standing on the side, looking across the disturbed water;

You offer a small bow and give a little wave.

People of import will know the significance of the tiny gestures.

Leaving the arena you offer your hand in congratulations;

You know now is the time to say goodbye.
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Hey

I know some of you will have seen a few of my tweets suggesting that I will be giving away prizes to my followers... Well, this is true :D
I don't really want to give away what my prizes will be, but I will say that you cannot buy them!!  I do want to give you details of how my followers will win though...

Every time I get 100 more followers (e.g. 800, 900, 1000... etc) I will now give two of my followers to win something.  First of all I will pick one follower at complete random to receive something.  Secondly, I will tweet a question, the answer to which will be able to found on this here website! The first follower to answer the question correctly will also receive something from me.

Followers will need to give me their address to receive their winnings, but the address will be completely discarded once the prize is sent.

Hopefully, a number of different people will gain something from this :)
I will continue with this until further notice!

ENJOY :D
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Hello!

If any of you follow me on twitter or, indeed, keep a close eye on this here blog, you will have noticed that I have been relatively quiet over the last month or so since the European championships at the beginning of July.
Not to worry (although I'm sure you were not that concerned really), a lot has been going on during this time. As you may or may not be aware, I didn't do quite as well as I would have hoped at the Euros. However, I take everything in my stride and always endeavour to review the situation thoroughly in order to establish ways in which I can take things forward.
There are several things I would love to discuss here, but unfortunately now is not the time to do so. Lots of possibly exciting things are developing; whether they are just ideas coming together in my head, or the opportunities to do some interesting work with interesting people arising.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and kicking, and I will give you more detail in the near future!
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Hi! Apologies for not updating very much recently, if you follow me on twitter then you will know that I have been pretty busy lately; I have been here, there and everywhere… what with training for the European championships, that start in just about two weeks time,  attending lots of cool things and meeting lots  of cool people!

Anyway enough of that, I will blog about other things separately: this blog is dedicated to one thing in particular.  And it is something that I found very exciting, indeed!

So, Whizzkidz gave me a very exciting birthday present on Friday (my birthday was on Thursday). To be fair, it wasn't actually for me, they wanted me to attend something with them; nevertheless it was an event that I was honoured and felt privileged to be invited to.

Whizzkidz have produced a report out lining the importance of providing disabled children with the right wheelchairs and equipment at the right time. For example, if school children with impairments have well fitting wheelchairs they are more likely to be able to take part in more activities with their peers, and therefore more likely to do better educationally wise than they are if they are given poor and inadequate equipment. The report in question is entitled “my wheelchair is my legs!", Which is a pretty apt and accurate statement for wheelchair users. Because without decent equipment to rely upon everything will take that little bit longer to get done. This includes having an impact on future decision-making, responsibilities, and employment opportunities… As well as the ability to maintain a sufficient level of self-confidence.

This report is due out today, I believe, and Friday was the day it was presented number 10 Downing Street for the government's acknowledgement.

Therefore, having met a couple of the guys that work for Whizzkidz and established that I was  a keen supporter of the charity I was invited along to 10 Downing Street to take part in a photo shoot to symbolise the delivery of the report. It was very exciting to go along and meet some of the young ambassadors and find out how Whizzkids had helped them acquire some fantastic wheelchairs that day felt had had a significant impact on their own lives. One of the ambassadors in particular told me that he had received some E-motion wheels (power assisted wheels) just one year ago and that they had changed his life completely and he was now able to do things he never thought possible. This, in itself was an excellent example of why we were all there on Friday! And it was a pleasure to listen to the stories of the kidz that joined me; I was particularly pleased to learn that one of them was keen swimmer at only the only eight years old… hopefully she will carry on with that! :-)

We were only supposed to have the photos taken outside number 10 so we were very surprised when we were invited into the door and taken down to the cabinet room… that was a great addition to a very humbling day. Unfortunately Mr Cameron et al were no where to be seen, however, I don't think anyone minded having just spent the afternoon at one of the most famous houses in the country :-)

Hopefully the report will make an impact on the future of the distribution of equipment for disabled children. At the very least it should raise awareness of this particular issue and what a difference a wheelchair can make to a child.
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I am aware that several people are bitterly disappointed at the moment, because they didn’t get the tickets they wanted for the 2012 Olympics.  I believe the statistics are something like one out of seventeen people got tickets [please don’t quote me on that].  I totally understand this disappointment. I didn’t bid for tickets because I want everything to be new to me when it gets to the Paralympics.  But if I had, I’d be gutted not to get tickets too.  However, I do have a few points to raise, which might make you see the positive side to all this.

If you did get tickets, congratulations – you’ll soon be attending one of the greatest events on earth.  If not…

The Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime-event for everyone, not just the Athletes, organisers and spectators too.  Getting tickets for any Olympics is not just like trying to get tickets for a local concert or football match, its special.  A bit like having to qualify as an athlete, its something not to be taken for granted!  The fact that Britain is the host country means we got first dibs on the tickets, which is great but, as we know, not everyone was going to get a chance to go.

So many people applying, and, sadly, so many people missing out, can be seen as a fantastic sign and, actually, says a great deal about the nature of Britain.  All too often we hear about broken links throughout the country, a lack of community cohesion and just the division of public interests. 

Well, you know what?  In my eyes, the scramble for Olympic tickets and major frustration when losing out, tells me just one thing.  People may not feel like they live in a united society, but when it comes to supporting our country, we possibly live in the most patriotic countries in the world.  Indeed, you may not have got tickets, but I guarantee that, wherever you are, you will not be far from the country’s excitement.  And I bet you’ll only be about five steps away from a Union Jack.  Furthermore, if GB wins a medal, of any colour, I doubt you’ll have to listen too carefully to hear a roar of cheers and celebration!  You haven’t missed out; the atmosphere will be just as electric outside the stadiums as it will be inside!

Moreover, what about Paralympic tickets which go on sale on the 9th September 2011?!  Many people forget about this.  In fact, I know that lots of people turn their noses up at this even being an option, because “its not the same”.  Well, all I can say is this: reconsider, it will open your eyes further than you could ever imagine – and I’m not just saying that!

As you know, I’ve been disabled my entire life and have been a part of Paralympic sport for 10 years – even now, I see things, see people racing and achieving things in ways that just amaze me!

Lots of people have come to watch me race over the years, and often they’ve never seen much, if any, disability sport before.  Their reactions are priceless.  I’m now going to tell you about a couple of examples to prove that people really are awestruck and open their eyes to the wonders of Paralympic sport.

My father works overseas a lot, so has only seen me race twice; once in Swansea and in Beijing at the 2008 Paralympics.  The Swansea event wasn’t a very good example as it was a small competition with very few people in attendance.  However, the following extract is from my father’s online blog just after watching some of the action in Beijing (no editing):

“The Beijing Paralympic Games is being hosted on a grand scale, the event locations are grand and superb: talk about photogenic. I have been over to the water cube (cube? Whoever named it the cube must have been away sick when they were supposed to be learning about shapes in maths at school. It’s a cuboid) twice. The aquatic centre, to give its proper name, is right next door to the bird’s nest stadium and together they make up a magnificent spectacle at night. Thousands of people throng there too to enjoy the sights and the music driven water fountains.

I have been to watch some swimming events then and they are brilliant. Can you imagine winning a man with no arms winning the backstroke event? It happened. Can you imagine someone who is a wheelchair user winning the 100 metres freestyle event? It happened. These athletes are serious people. Life has cut them a dashing blow from birth or as the result of an accident but that didn’t leave them rotting in bed and wondering what to do. They have taken life at the full and they are doing something positive.

I watched the men’s Boccia final last night: a game akin to crown green and flat green bowling. The two Portuguese gentlemen in the final were clearly severely disabled. There they were though, playing this game to a high standard and giving it there all. I have said it before and I will say it again: those lousy young people in the UK and the rest of the world who mope around with “nothing to do” need to watch these athletes and think again.”

And finally, my partner’s aunty and uncle came to watch me race in Sheffield this April.  Now, Graham (Chris’ uncle) is definitely one of the biggest sport enthusiasts I know: if its sporty, he’s there.  Yet, he came to this National competition completely without any previous knowledge.  He came away feeling humbled, excited, buzzing and full of questions so he could learn more.  And, as far as I’m aware, he’d watch Paralympic sport again and again, without question.
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In case you missed my piece in the CambridgeFirst paper yesterday [26/05/11], here it is [written by myself]:

The Olympic flame is coming to Cambridge! – If you’re not excited by this yet, you really ought to be; I know I am.  Having been to two Paralympic games, hoping to make London 2012 my third, I can safely say that when the torch is lit, indicating the true start of the games, the feeling of being part of something fantastic really sets in.  Yes, the buildings, venues, atmosphere and crowds are amazing, but the burning flame is a monumental, and historic, symbol of an extraordinary event: extraordinary sport, extraordinary athletes, extraordinary history in the making, but most of all extraordinary worldwide cohesion!

When I heard that the torch was coming to Cambridge I was over the moon.  As a resident of Cambridge, it is very easy to forget what an amazingly historic and beautiful city we live in.  The torch relay coming here will only add to our history, and will do so in a remarkable way, I am sure.  Moreover, the residents of Cambridge will be given the opportunity to take part or witness the flame moving through their city towards it’s final destination, London.  In this sense, by coming together for this event, the public will play a fundamental part in the final developing stages of one of the “greatest shows on earth”.   Everyone should know about the torch relay, and it will be an amazing thing to be a part of and experience.  The progress of the torch is something that will hopefully capture the hearts and imagination of the nation.

I, personally, have dreamt of being a part of the Torch Relay ever since seeing the final stages of it in Athens 2004.  I am praying that I can play some form of role and represent Cambridgeshire as the flame progresses through the city.  I am looking for nominations to be a torchbearer, details of which are on my website: www.fran-williamson.co.uk.  If I am not selected, however, I will still be watching with pride as the torch passes by!

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Woaah! Even more excitement – the Olympic Torch Relay is coming to Cambridge!

I’ll be honest (and no, I’m not just saying this now!), ever since I got into Paralympic sport; one of my dreams (other than to swim in front of a home crowd) has been to have something to do with the Olympic Torch Relay.  Now it’s coming to my home town and I am praying that I can get involved some how!

The progress of the torch in the build up to the Olympic/Paralympic games is an “iconic” part of the biggest sporting events in the world. Everyone knows about the torch relay, and it would be an amazing thing to be a part of and represent Cambridgeshire.  The progress of the torch is something that will capture the imagination of the nation.

I am not being pushy or diva-like when I say this, but I really hope people will nominate me – the support of the public is really vital in my quest to be part of the torch relay, and I’d be so grateful for all the nominations people make.

Nominations for the torch relay open today, Wednesday 18th May at 11am, and can be made online at http://www.london2012.com/games/olympic-torch-relay. 

I’d be extremely grateful for your support!
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Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever had so many exciting things going on (apart from Paralympic swimming, of course).

As you may have read over the weekend, I am now a Champion of VoiceAbility. This is something I am very excited about, and cannot wait to get stuck in with!  VoiceAbility are a charity that is “passionate about strengthening voice, championing rights and changing lives”, I was extremely excite about the prospect of working with people who believed in very similar visions and values as myself.

After talks with members of the VoiceAbility team, I was left in no doubt that this was a charity I had to work with!  With my new title of VoiceAbility Champion, I am extremely proud to be part of the work the charity undertakes and endorses.  Also, and most importantly, I very much look forward to seeing the work they do, first hand, and meet with some of the service users personally.

Over the weekend I also attended the Disability Arts and Sports Festival in Cambridge [15th May].  Whilst Cambridge has had similar days to this in the past, it was the first time the Council had combined arts and sports, it was also on a much larger scale than previous events. 

The festival invited disabled children and adults to try out various activities such as; tennis, rock climbing, football and trampolining, as well as music making and painting.  As a guest at the event, I was able to wander round and see the activities taking place.  It was great to see so many people getting involved, being active and having fun.

I was also able to speak with the Mayor of Cambridge, as well as several other councillors, about the importance of events like these. Such discussions were very positive as everyone was in total agreement and able to recognise the potential of taking things forward in this area.

There are other exciting things coming up [my diary is filling up] including a possible trip to Sunderland and the amazing black cats.  But, as always, I can’t say too much until things develop further – no need to  tempt fait is there!

Anyway, I must get back to my day job and head to training before a spot of shopping to stock up on all the smart clothes I need for all these meetings!
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Today marks the day of the big reveal of how much the public can expect to pay for Paralympic tickets in 2012.  With an astounding 20million+ Britons applying to buy Olympic tickets, we are now one step closer to knowing how popular the London 2012 Paralympics will be.  As the lesser known of the two amazing Games, I, personally, hoped that the prices would be very accessible in order to attract some massive crowds to support our home athletes.  Today we got a very welcome surprise!

The ticket prices announced today are relatively cheap – in comparison to Olympic tickets, for example.  For the Opening Ceremony (which is always incredible) the prices range from just £20.12 to £500.  And for sports tickets start at £10 up to £45.  The £45 tickets are the top prices for the Athletics and Swimming finals (see, swimming is clearly the best sport), however £20/30 tickets are still available for these sessions!  Also, concessions for under-16s, over-60s and disabled people are available throughout the programme – so hopefully the tickets really will be accessible to all!!  More information on tickets, pricing and the schedule of events is available on the London 2012 website.

In my eyes, the decision to make these tickets so affordable is an outstanding one. Yes, it could be argued that the “worth” of a Paralympic ticket is significantly lower than its Olympic counterpart. However, every athlete dreams of walking out in front of tens of thousands of home supporters.  If these prices mean that in 476 days this dream comes true, then I am beyond excited.

I sincerely hope that the public seize this opportunity, to witness some of the most amazing sport on earth, with both hands! I cannot wait to hear the cheers!
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This week the selected British European Championship team have been in Manchester for an orientation camp.  Here we were given a load of information about the upcoming champs in July and given the opportunity to meet and greet some of our new team members (of which there are a few!).  In addition, we had to be sized up and try on the potential suits for the opening ceremony and (I’m guessing) the tracksuits for the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic games.  This was both exciting and surreal as we still have a long way to go until we even attempt to qualify for the games!

From Manchester, the team has flown to Germany for the 2011 German international Open, which is being held in the same place as the Europeans will be in July.  Sadly, I am currently unwell with a few viruses floating around my body.  So, it was decided that I wouldn’t go on to Germany as it is important to get fit and well in order to train for July.  However, as always, I will be with my team in spirit and will be keeping a close eye on the results.

In other news, you may have notice (or you certainly will do in coming months) that Chris and I are attempting to: a) get people excited about the Paralympics; b) get people more involved in my journey to London 2012; and c) become more involved with local and national charities and businesses in order to achieve point A.

Whilst on my long journey home from Manchester yesterday, listening to my ipod, I realised how much I love music and how important it is to me when I race. As soon as I’ve warmed up and got my racing suit on, at a major competition, my ipod goes on and doesn’t go off again until I’m at the blocks and ready to race.  I always try and make a pre-race playlist, but often I forget until the last minute and don’t get to put as much thought in to it as I’d like.  My music library is pretty huge so I tend to get distracted by songs I love rather than songs that might get me going and pumped up to race.

So, I was thinking about how important London will be for me and that I needed the “Ultimate” pre-race playlist!! I am aware that you can buy motivational music albums these days, but I don’t think they’d do it for me.

Then I thought, how exciting would it be if, by the power of my website and twitter, I was able to get everyone involved in the making of this “ultimate pre-race playlist”? So that’s the plan, but I need YOUR help!

I’m giving you the opportunity to decide exactly what I listen to in the final moments before some of the biggest races of my life! Just think, I could well be walking out for a Paralympic final to YOUR song.

The only rules are: the songs have to be uplifting and/or motivational.

Take a look at my Fran’s Playlist page to see the list so far and for ways to send in your suggestions!
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