Joanne Jackson

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  Joanne Jackson 9:33 am on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Jo announces retirement from Swimming 

  Olympic bronze medallist and former 400m Freestyle World Record holder Joanne Jackson has retired from competitive swimming.

  Jackson, who won the bronze medal in the 400m Freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, broke the World Record en route to the qualifying for the 2009 World Championships where she won the silver medal. She also picked up the silver in the 800m and the bronze in the 4 x 200m Relay.

  The Loughborough ITC swimmer made her Olympic debut in Athens as a 17-year-old before making her international breakthrough in 2006 winning silver medals at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

  She remains the British Record holder in the 200m and 400m Freestyle.

  Michael Scott, British Swimming National Performance Director praised the swimmer for her achievements and dedication to the sport.

  “To be a three-time Olympian, an Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth medallist, and to have set a World Record over 400m Freestyle in 2009 are all outstanding achievements.

  “On behalf of all at British Swimming, I would like to wish Jo all the best in her new endeavours.”

  Jo commented, “I feel so lucky to have been able to compete to an international for so many years and to have been to three Olympic Games. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way.”

  “I have been fortunate to have some great sponsors who stuck with me through all the ups and downs. And British Swimming, coaches and the support team have been awesome. I’m now looking at new opportunities to start a Swim Academy and begin a brand new career in Events.”

   

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  Joanne Jackson 9:18 am on September 6, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  450km Charity Bike ride across Zambia for Just giving! 

  So after all the massive buzz and excitement of the Olympic Games, I am throwing myself into yet another challenge! Along with myself; fellow athletes, Mel Marshall, Becky Adlington and Ross Davenport have all decided that we are going to cycle 450km in 4days across Zambia for charity!

  The aim of the cycle is to raise 50,000 to help support ‘ Sport in Action ‘ which is a non-government funded organisation that inspires change within impoverished communities through the medium of sport. One of the projects that the money would go towards would be the building of a Physiotherapy wing on the side of an AIDS hospital. This would be used to provide rehab for AIDS victims whose limbs have started to condense and restrict, and would also be able to be used for sport physio. While not only are we able to assist the AIDS/HIV victims directly but we also hope to reduce the stigma attached to aids which will be helped by having sports physio running out of the same building! Should we raise enough money, we would like to build a second orphanage to help look after more of the street kids who live in terrible conditions. Overall our main aim is to assist the existing charity with providing help and support to the Zambians.

  I am extremely excited to be a part of this, it’s something I never thought I would get to be involved with and I feel so privileged to of been asked and will be forever thankful. As an athlete, I love sinking my teeth into new challenges and being able to overcome obstacles. This trip is a huge challenge but I think one of the most rewarding. I also can’t think of a better group of people to do it with, I have known these guys since I was a teenager and they are like family to me. Sure this trip will be tough but I know are going to have a great time together as well as being able to help those in need. However, I am not sure we are going to appreciate each other’s body odours after not showering for 4days, which will maybe be a test of our friendships!!!!! The padded shorts will definitely be coming out too; we don’t want too many sore bums out there!!!

  I really hope we can raise the money we want and not only that put some smiles on the people’s faces out there. It would be so nice coming away from the project knowing we have made a difference to these people’s lives and inspired them. I know it’s going to be mentally tough seeing all these children who are affected but even if we can change a few small things out there it’s a start.

  If people would like to sponsor us we would really appreciate it and so would all the families living out in Zambia. There are a few ways to do this. You can log onto our just giving page, which is http://www.justgiving.com/zambiacycle or you can text 70070 TPDF50 £5 or the amount you would like to donate max £10.

  I will be taking lots of pictures out there which on my return will be posted on my website, so keep a look out!

   
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  Joanne Jackson 12:59 pm on June 12, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Good House Keeping 

  I am excited to be in July’s edition of Good House Keeping!

  

  Good House Keeping July 2012

  I wrote about about going to the shoot in London back in March which seems ages ago now. I really enjoyed getting dressed up in this bright yellow dress and heels on the day!

   
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  Joanne Jackson 4:55 pm on March 29, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  adidas- Take the Stage Team GB Kit Launch 

  As I said in my last post, it was my week off from full time training last week. The whole week was great fun and one of the best parts was going to the adidas Team GB kit launch in London.

  This was on Wednesday 21st March and took place in London Bridge.  I felt really lucky to be able to see the Stella McCartney designed range ahead of the Olympics and I actually got to meet Stella McCartney!

  The entire day and experience was awesome. Everyone there, especially the athletes were very excited. It was fantastic to see some of the kit I’ll be wearing in a few months’ time. I absolutely love it. I think adidas have done a fantastic job and I can’t wait to see the rest of the kit in June.

  It was a quite nerve racking walking down the runway as it felt like there were thousands of people watching. However, once I got out there I loved it. Thankfully I didn’t trip up either which I was relieved about!

  You can see the video of the runway show here on the Telegraph website.

  Look out for me on the left hand side of the screen!

  Stay in touch on twitter. My address is @joannejackson86

   
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  Joanne Jackson 4:39 pm on March 27, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  A busy week away from the pool 

  Last week my training programme was more relaxed with a week’s designated rest. However, I still had a busy week away from the pool!

  I viewed my week off full time training as the perfect opportunity to see my family and carry out some of my sponsor commitments.

  I had a great weekend at home for mother’s day. It was so lovely to be at home, chill out and see all my family.

  On the Monday I had a full day of media and sponsor activity. The first part of my day was a photo-shoot in London for a well-known glossy magazine. All the crew were lovely and I felt very spoilt getting my hair and makeup done. I was styled in gorgeous designer dresses, definitely one of the perks of the job! The feature will be coming out in June so watch this space!

  After the shoot I headed to a coffee shop for an interview with a national newspaper journalist. This was mainly in relation to my role with Boots and its work with the charity Macmillan. We squeezed in a super quick shoot in the park; thank goodness the weather was on our side that day (and my make up was already done from the shoot!).

  Once I was finished in London, I hopped back on the train home and then headed straight on to Nottingham to do some work with my sponsor Cirrus Health Care.

  I attended St Arnold swimming club where I gave a swimming lesson to a group of children on behalf of Cirrus Health Care. I enjoy giving lessons especially to children so this was a breeze!  Check out the photos in my gallery.

  The next stage of my week off was going to the adidas Take The stage Team GB kit launch in London but I will save that for my next post.

  I will also be giving daily updates via my twitter account here: @joannejackson86

   
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  Joanne Jackson 3:51 pm on March 23, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  London 2012: A dream turns into reality 

  Two weeks ago at the British Gas Swimming Championships which took place at the Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in London, I qualified for this year’s Olympic Games.

  I think the reality of this huge step has finally sunk in. I am so excited to represent my country at the Olympics for the third time. This is made even more thrilling because the Olympics are being held in London.

  When I was growing up it’s something I could not even imagine happening. I am so happy that I get to compete at an Olympic Games taking place in my own country; swimming in front of a home crowd is going to really inspire me.

  I was really pleased with the progress I made at the Olympic trials earlier this month. I think everything is now going in the right direction for me.  I cannot thank all the people who have supported me such as my coach, family and sponsors, enough. Cirrus Health Care have been a particularly hands on and supportive sponsor.

  The meet itself was run amazingly well and there was some very fast swimming. It’s great how everyone stepped up to make the GB team. There are also some new youngsters on the team, which is fantastic news for the future of British Swimming.

  In my training group of eight swimmers in Loughborough, five of us have qualified for the Games, which is amazing. I can’t wait to make the journey through this year with them. We all get on really well so it’s great to share this experience. There are another set of trials in June for people that just missed out so hopefully some more of our group will qualify then.

  In April I am going to our national squad camp which will be held in London. It’s going to be great spending a week with the rest of the Olympic squad.

  I will keep you all updated on my Olympic preparation and everything I get up to on the way.

  For daily updates follow me on twitter @joannejackson86

   
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  Joanne Jackson 9:59 am on February 28, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Taper down- preparation for the trials 

  The British Gas National Swimming Championships 2012 at the new Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in London start in less than a week.

  I cannot quite believe how quickly this event has come around. I think time is flying at the moment because it is such a busy and exhilarating time for us. This is a really important event as it is a chance for us to qualify for this year’s Olympics.

  With only a week to go my training regime has radically changed. Right now I must rest my body and stay perfectly healthy. This period is called a ‘Taper down’. I have been ‘tapering’ for just over a week already now. This means reducing work in the pool and bringing the metres down. I also do less hard sessions.

  Prior to this I was in a really tough training period so it is nice to feel rested. Plus this type of regime brings on a good feeling; you start to feel really strong in the pool. When we start to taper down, the competition feels very real and I begin to mentally prepare for the race.

  There are going to be some very exciting races at the trials. I cannot wait to be part of the whole event, once I have finished racing I am looking forward to cheering on the rest of my GB teammates.

  I’ll let you know how it all goes and will be tweeting @joannejackson86 so please follow me to stay updated!

   
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  Joanne Jackson 2:31 pm on February 17, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Launch of Warwick school’s charity swimming event and a photo shoot for Cirrus Healthcare 

  I have recently done a photo shoot for my sponsor Cirrus Healthcare which I really enjoyed. Cirrus have been a great support to me over the past few years and it was nice to do something with them.

  First, I went to Warwick School to launch a charity swimming event on behalf of Cirrus. The event is called the Warwick School 2012 Olympic Challenge and involves two teams of boys, each team aims to swim 2012 kilometres. They are doing this event to raise money for the Heart Rhythm Charity. It was great to be there to start them off and give them a bit of advice, I am really impressed with what they are doing.

  After meeting the pupils I did the photo shoot by the pool. Cirrus Health Care can now update their earplug products with current pictures of me.

  The shoot was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the whole day!

  You can see the pictures now in my gallery but remember to keep an eye out for the earplugs with my new picture in Boots stores!

   
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  Joanne Jackson 5:56 pm on February 5, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Tenerife Training 

  I am writing this from Tenerife as I am out here on a three week training camp with the rest of the squad from Loughborough.

  I absolutely love being in the sun and training outdoors. Of course, I am also very happy training at Loughborough as the facilities are great. However, it is nice to get away from the cold weather and have the feeling of the sun on my back when I am training.

  There is now not long at all to go until the Olympic trials in March. These will take place in the new Aquatics Centre in London.

  This training camp in Tenerife is my last period of hard training before the trials. Once I return to the UK I will start to taper down and this means an altered training regime prior to racing.

  I cannot believe how quickly the Olympic trials have come around. It seems like the last Olympic trials were five minutes ago!

  I am really looking forward to getting to London and racing in the Olympic pool. It is such an exciting time for sport in Great Britain at the moment and it is wonderful to be part of it.

  The trials start on Saturday 3rd March and run until Friday 9th March. I will be updating my twitter account @joannejackson86 with the results, including mine.

  Please keep a look out and your good luck tweets are always welcomed!

   
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  Joanne Jackson 8:10 pm on January 23, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

  Twitter, Training and Reggie 

  Hi

  Happy New Year!

  Sorry it’s been a while since I have written on my blog page but I am back now and will be updating it as much as I can!

  I am also going to have a feed from Twitter so anything I write on there will be coming straight to my website as well. Don’t forget to check out my Twitter page; follow me or send me a tweet or two – @ JoanneJackson86.

  I will try to update Twitter quite a bit with how my training is going and also what I get up to away from the pool.

  You will notice that I write a lot about my puppy, Reggie, who is a French Bull Dog. I got him after the World’s last year and he is now about eight months old. He is the cutest dog ever and it’s great having him. He brings so much fun to the house and it also gets me out walking lots, which is great for extra training. It’s so nice to get out into the country and find different walks you can go on.

  Training is going really well at the moment and I’m enjoying loads of new challenges in the pool and also in the gym. It is great to have variety in training and really test yourself.

  Me and the squad were out in Florida for four weeks prior to Christmas. It was a great camp to be a part of and we got in some really good training. It was tough and really full on, but we all noticed progress while we were there.

  I will be updating my progress over the next few months and also leading into the Olympic trials.

  Not long to go!