Jo-Jo Cranfield

  You will never believe this. I have been selected to be a first batch Prefect at Millfield School it is a very high honour, Millfield normally only offer first batch positions to existing Millfield pupils that have been there for a number of years. I am so excited I hope I live up to their expectations.

Here I am with one of my best friends, Gwen. You can just make out my Prefect brooch.

DSE (Disability Sports Events) Short Course Junior Nationals venue Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield. It was a short course event with two age groups 10 to 13 and 14 to 18. I fell in the 14 to 18 age group which was probably the hardest age group, most of the other competitors where Paralympic Medallists. I qualified for all the events on offer to my swimming classification, which is S9 SB8 SM9 but decided only to enter the events available to the Paralympics in 2012, which were 7 events.

  Here are my results

DSE (Disability Sports Events) Short Course Junior Nationals – 6th & 7th March 2010

4^th  100m Freestyle 

2^nd Silver  200m Individual Medley 

3^rd Bronze  400m Freestyle 

2^nd Silver  100m Breaststroke 

4^th  100m Backstroke 

4^th  100m butterfly

4^th  50m Freestyle   

Qualifications so far 

[View with PicLens]

It’s Official I am the s9 1500m Long Course British Record Holder

January 2010  

Here I am with my Millfield Swimming Coaches left to right Edward Sinclair, Jolyon Finck, me & Emma Collings shortly after I broke the S9 Long Course 1500m Freestyle British Record (subject to ratification) at Exeter City Long Course Open (Able Bodied) Meet which was held at Millfield School in Somerset. 

Here are my results

Exeter City Long Course Open Meet 22nd to 24th January 2010

 (subject to ratification) 1500m Freestyle S9 BRITISH RECORD

5th 100m Breaststroke  

 13th 50m Freestyle

8th 100m Backstroke

6th 200m Individual Medley

6th 100m Butterfly  

11th 100m Freestyle

December 2009   End of my first full term at Millfield I’ve had my ups and downs but overall it has been a great experience. Anyway packed up my room at Millfield and headed to Wales for the Welsh Disability Long Course Swimming Championships in Swansea. Sad to say it was the last time ever wearing the Speedo LZR full body,

It was a relaxing meet for me no pressure to make any times just had to swim and wind down. I think it was a nice way to end a very busy year.  

Here are my results:-

Welsh Long Course Championships 12th & 13th December 2009

100m Butterfly   S9 2nd

 50m Freestyle   S9 6th

200m  Individual Medley   S9 6th

200m Freestyle   S9 4th

  100m Freestyle   S9 4th

 100m Backstroke   S9 4th

 Looking forward to 2010 and the new Speedo LZR Racer Elite. bring it on!

November 21st & 22nd   I qualified and entered 7 Individual & 2 Team Relay events at the DSE’s (Disability Sport Events) National Short Course Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. I had a reasonably good meet, it was not fantastic.  I have been working on my strokes. Lets edit that, changing my strokes, everything I do now is so different. Technique, Gym, Nutrition, Studying everything. So my swimming coach Emma Collings and I were not expecting miracles. I did manage to get a few Medals and PB’s (Personal Bests)

 Here are my results:-

DSE Senior Open SC National’s – 21st & 22nd November 2009

100m Freestyle   S9 5th

  100m Backstroke   S9 2nd

400m Team Medley Relay   3rd  

100m Butterfly   S9 3rd  

400m Freestyle   S9 2nd

200m Individual Medley   S9 4th

100m Breaststroke   DQ

50m Freestyle   S9 6th

400m Freestyle Team Relay   1st 

The highlight of the weekend was when I got to meet Ralf Little  from Two Pints of Lager & a Packet of Crisps and The Royle Family.

Phew! Wednesday 21^st October home for half term glad to have a rest.

How wrong can one be?

In the afternoon of Thursday 22^nd I was Inspirational Guest Speaker at St Bernard’s High School for Girls in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. 

The same evening I attended the 2009 Rochford District Sports Awards with Dean Macey, I was nominated for two separate categories Young Sports Personality of the Year and Disability Sports Personality of the Year. I did’nt win, but I was nominated with distinction. It turned out to be a fun evening.

On Thursday 29^th I was a Motivational Guest Speaker at Garons Leisure Centre in Shoebury, Essex, for Southend Sports Partnership Gifted & Talented Academy.

As I am part of The Essex Legacy Team 2012 I was asked if I would support the very first SX Urban Games in King George Playing Field’s in Brentwood, Essex. It was brilliant full of exciting and somewhat dangerous stunts. I had a great time and looking forward to seeing some more in the near future.

Monday 7^th September 2009 was my first day at Millfield School in Somerset. It was o.k. a little nerve racking but all went well and I have chosen my A Level subjects – Psychology – Physical Education & Philosophy.

Hope I chose well because I will be studying them for the next two years.

The ASA have also invited me as an elite athlete to study for “AASE” Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence fantastic I hear you say, but 3 “A” levels and a Coaching Degree with all my Swimming, Land & Gym Training it will be tough going.

But I am sure I will be able to manage ~~~  ~~~

Made my room look a bit like home

 Cool! First weekend at Millfield and I am away to Skern Lodge Activity Centre in Bideford, Devon for a Swimming Team Bonding weekend. Sorry forgot to take a camera.

It’s only been a couple of weeks and I am missing home like crazy. I miss Rochford Swimming Club and my home coach Doug Drake with their 25m pool, my friends at home & RADS. Most of all I miss my best friend Bruce.

Never mind I keep telling myself I will be home at half term, so no time to be down, lots of studying and training to do. It is so different training in a 50m pool. Meeting new friends from all around the world, and trying to get to class on time in high heels is a Gym workout all of its own. I have got to have more self control, food here at Millfield is fantastic cream cakes as and when you want them is not always a good thing.

Talk about throwing you in at the deep end. Millfield entered me in for the Somerset Development Meet in Hutton Moor, Weston-Super-Mare. I swam o.k. It was an able body swimming meet and not all of Millfield’s Swimming Team had met me so some were a little surprised to see I only had one arm. 

I was Selected to compete for East of England in this years  UK School Games  in Wales at the National Pool Swansea. For 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle. It was my fourth and last UK Games because you have to be sixteen and under to compete. On the 5^th September I competed and came 2^nd with a Silver Medal for 100m Butterfly and 4^th for 100m Freestyle. Not bad when you think my mind was on starting Millfield on the 6^th September.