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As you may or may not know, tomorrow (Saturday 11th Feb) it is exactly 200 days to go until the opening ceremony or the London 2012 Paralympic Games!  To mark this milestone ParalympicsGB (the British Paralympic Association) made an exciting announcement for all of Britain's retired Paralympians!

Each retired Paralympian will be given the opportunity to apply for two free Paralympic tickets, Courtesy of ParalympicsGB.  It remains unclear how many retired British Paralympians there are at the moment as current records only go back to 1989. However, I will wait with interest to see how rare we are!

This is a fantastic offer from the BPA.  The spirit of a Paralympic Games never leaves a Paralympian.  Indeed, as a retired athlete, I now watch Paralympic sports with fascination and admiration as I know just how much work the athletes put in to compete at such high levels.  Therefore, to be given the opportunity, courtesy of the BPA, to watch some of the finest sports people in the world, is both an honour and a privilege.  It is also great that even retired athletes will be recognised for the work they did to represent their country.

I am very excited that we only have 200 days to wait!

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_This is somewhat of an extension of my last blog, but I suppose it will be more focused on this years Paralympic games - an event that about 400 athletes across Britain will spend most of the next 9 months thinking about!
Until five months ago, I too was going to be one of the athletes I describe above. However, we all know I chose to leave that life behind. I've woken up on the first morning of a Paralympic year twice before, hoping my name would be on that all important 'selected athletes' list. So, I am all too aware of how these athletes will be feeling.
At the end of a games/four year paralympic cycle, everyone thinks the next games will take an age to come around - four years does sound like a long time. However, time flies, training cycles come and go, and before we know it the opening ceremony is about to commence in all it's glory!!
The de-brief of each Games always (for us swimmers anyway) includes the words "its only x# of days until the start of the next games…".  Given that these words hit the athletes merely 12 hours after they have laid down their tools and are preparing to celebrate their recent achievements, you can clearly hear the internal groan coming from each athlete in the room.  In that precise moment, all these athletes are thinking is "job done" and "i'm ready to go home" - and rightly so after being away working, without a day off, for about 25 days.  I'll admit, when I first heard those dreaded words, I was most displeased - we hadn't even got through the Athens 2004 Closing Ceremony yet!  But, within a blink of an eye, I was stood at the blocks preparing to qualify for Beijing 2008.

The truth is, from my experience, when an athlete hears how many days are left until the next Games, they tend to think two conflicting thoughts at the same time.  The first is "ahhh thats over 1000 (or whatever the number is at the time) days, thats plenty of time to get everything right".  Of course, that first thought is a relaxing thought, and should not be pushed aside as I think it could be the only thing keeping an athlete sane and grounded.  however, speaking from experience, it should also not be over used as everyday is vital for any athlete.
The second thought that runs through an athlete's mind at this point is this: "agggh ok, so much can happen in that time! I need a plan; what can I do to make sure I'm definitely in this room in four years time!?".  This may seem like a stressful thought but its also positively realistic.
In essence, athletes who are most likely to make their respective selections will adopt both these thought processes simultaneously - to remain realistic yet not so stressed that everything falls apart at the last hurdle.  The last hurdle, incidentally, being between now and July/August.

I'm not an athlete now, so I can sit here feeling excited about watching the final product of all the hard work come August/September.  However, I am very aware, that despite many misconceptions of Paralympic athletes, these people (along with Olympic athletes) will work harder than most other people in the world.  After taking a maximum of three days off over the Christmas and New year period, their next lot of time off will not be granted until the very end of September - thats over 9 months of continuous training and competing.

If you are reading this and still have any misconceptions of Paralympic Athletes, current or future, regarding their purpose, dedication or how hard they work, I urge you to shake them off.  For the majority of athletes, certainly for me and those I've worked with over the years, their sport is their job and their life!! Athletes don't get second chances - once London 2012 starts they will give it everything they have.  And when I say everything, I really do mean it.

Get behind the Paralympics!  By the time we settle down to watch the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, our athletes will have done approximately 1460 days of mental and physical work to be there!

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_I realise I’ve not updated the site recently. So, I have been meaning to do a video blog since just
before Christmas (like the queen) but time has
flown by and I've not got round to it. So I figured,
whilst watching Love Actually and eating rubbish, I'd knock up a quick new years day blog post. 

This year has been an odd one. On one hand, its flown by… probably because I wrote off the first 3 or 4 months. But on the other hand… well, its been very loooong!

Aside from not being well, a lot has happened this year and it feels like I’ve been busier than ever. I’ve definitely done a lot of miles in the car, that’s for sure!  So what have I done?

I went to the European Championships and won two bronze medals – I thought I better get that achievement in first. I'm proud of these medals, despite the meet being hard going and not going quite to plan, it was a rather apt end to my swimming career - finishing exactly how it all started.

After the European champs, I came home and did A LOT of thinking.  This ended in me making the decision to retire.,. I am pleased I did so as I did not wake up in a panic this morning, thinking “oh my god its Paralympic year!!”. Mind you, I am very excited about this fact. I have tickets for all 12 days of the Paralympic games and I cannot wait!

I’ve spent the year working with Chris, and various others, trying to make good things happen – most of which are still to come and exciting.

 I’ve established an excellent relationship with Whizzkidz, and have had so much fun working with them – not to mention the fact that my work with them has allowed me to meet some amazing kids and has taken me to television centre, City Hall and inside 10 Downing Street!

 

As well as working with Whizzkidz, I became a Champion of VoiceAbility – who I very much hope to work with in the new year, I’ve reconnected with Disability Huntingtonshire and opened their new building as their patron, and I was also announced as the UK ambassador for the Rotary Global Swimathon – please watch the video on the "Videos" page for information on this.

So, as I say, lots has happened – I told you you hadn’t seen the last of me! – but its been a tough year, so I am very much looking forward to  starting a fresh new year!

I have a feeling that 2012 will be a busy, exciting and fun year! There's lots of ideas and plans floating around my head, just a matter of working out a concrete plan of action and finding a bit of money to enable me to get cracking.  Of course, there may be hard work involved but I’m pretty sure it’ll be worth it.

 

Happy new year to you all – and good luck to all the athletes reading this, its 2012 … this is the time to give it everything and I'm very excited for you all!!   


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I very rarely take much notice of stuff on facebook to be honest.  But the following status caught my eye and keeps making me think:

"makes me mad, the neighbour is claiming disability allowance off the gov, coz she has a bad back, gets a brand new car off them for free ....yet shes been outside cleaning the car and hoovering it out for the last past hour!!! does she know what being disabled means lol"

Now, I do know or know of people who take the biscuit and get things they perhaps shouldn’t be entitled too.  I also know I have been guilty, myself, of judging others and their impairments in the past.  I’d like to meet someone who claims they never have, not even fleetingly.  However, aside from this person’s obvious, and public, judgement of her neighbour.  Something else wacked me in the face when reading this:

“does she know what being disabled means??”

Ok, so, I am disabled, have been from birth… and I’m pretty sure no body who meets me could question that fact.  In a way I’m lucky, because there is nothing hidden about my impairment. Well, aside from perhaps the pain I feel sometimes.  However, as we all know, my being disabled does not mean I sit at home all day taking it easy.  It does not mean I couldn’t clean my car if I wanted to (i really must do that soon).  If I wanted to I could walk round all day, but it would hurt too much and kill me for the next week.  Therefore, I use a wheelchair for longer distances because it saves time, energy and saves me being in so much pain afterwards.

I was getting my wheelchair out my car yesterday, and one of my lovely neighbours came up to me and said “you know Fran, you put a lot of people to shame with what you do everyday!”  I laughed and said something about just needing to get on with what you have.  He wasn’t judging me or being funny about my impairment, he was genuinely saying “yeah you are disabled but it doesn’t stop you”. 

So, what does being disabled mean? I know what it means to me, and, for the most part, I am unique because I see it as a positive attribute to my life.  But I am fascinated, what does being disabled mean to the person quoted above?  What does it mean to other disabled people? Or to the general public?

If people’s impairments are questioned (rightly or wrongly) because they spend an hour of their time cleaning the car,  what does this mean?
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Today I finish a book called 'Stairlift to Heaven' by Terry Ravescroft (2011). Put simply, its his journal from his 65th birthday to his 70th - it's ridiculous! He's a comedy writer, and you can tell.
Anyway, one of his entries made me laugh so much that I went  back and re-read it! Then I realised how un-PC it was and smiled at the thought of people refusing to laugh at it out of principle.  Well, as a Paralympian, I urge you to at least smile at this... he was 66 after all......

"April 27 2007. THE OLYMPIANS.
 
I’ve always believed that walking is the finest exercise you can have apart from sex, and like sex  can be perfectly free - unless you start buying special clothes and equipment for it and call it hiking or golf - and at the age of sixty-six I still walk five miles every day just for the sheer pleasure of it.
It was while I was out walking and passing through the local park on the way to the canal for one of my regular trips along its towpath that I chanced upon an abandoned Zimmer Frame at the of the path.
It immediately struck me what an unusual thing it was to abandon. I can understand people throwing away prams, their owners having no further use for them once their children have learned to walk, but I would have thought once you have found you need a Zimmer frame to help you get around you’d need one for life. It crossed my mind that maybe its former owner had been suddenly cured by a faith healer and having no further need of it had dramatically cast it away, a bit like the cripple who, on being cured by Jesus, had taken up his bed and walked. Or perhaps it had simply been thrown away by someone who had taken delivery of a new, lighter, faster, aluminium, tungsten-tipped , you-must-have-the-very-latest Zimmer Frame? I don’t know. Anyway it was there in the park and I found it.
You have to take your opportunities for a bit of fun when and where you find them so when I noticed a man of about my age approaching I picked up the Zimmer Frame, twirled it round my head a couple of times, and heaved it into the distance. It had not long since been announced that Britain had been granted the 2012 Olympic Games, and with it the Paralympics, and it was probably this, and the thought I’d just had about people taking up their bed and walking, that put the idea into my head.
 After I’d gone to recover the Zimmer and started to walk back the man had stopped to watch, and now looked on puzzled. I turned to him and said, a little self-critically, 'Not bad.'

His face was a picture of inquisitiveness. 'What are you doing?'

'Training for the Paralympics.'

'Paralympics?'

'Throwing the Zimmer Frame,' I explained. 'Apparently the host country can pick an entirely new event and Britain has chosen Throwing the Zimmer Frame'. It just nudged out the Hop, Hop and Hop for the One-legged? I believe.'

I returned with the Zimmer to the spot from which I'd thrown it. Two twirls round my head and I launched it again. This time it went about five yards farther.

'Better,' the man observed, encouragingly.

'Yes, must be close to my PB that one,' I said, sounding pleased with myself. 'That's Personal Best,' I explained.

'Yes I know, I'm a fan of athletics,' he said. He thought about it for a moment. 'Can anyone enter?'

I shrugged as though I didn't really know. 'Well I suppose. You'll need a Zimmer Frame of course'. I had a thought. 'It's possible you could qualify for a grant - you might be able to get funding for one if you show you any promise, I'm sure I've heard of pole-vaulters getting grants for fibre glass poles.'

I retrieved the Zimmer and made to throw it again........."

The story continues, but I'll leave it there for fear of people telling me off for encouraging this behaviour.
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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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