Fuji Xerox Australia Sponsorships

Hello to you all

Since I wrote in April I have been so, so busy! On my return from China – everyone wanted a piece of me.

I was asked to be the Ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Readathon Fund-raiser and attended the Queensland Launch along with the Minister for Education and Arts and Senior Executives of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland. Also the MS Society asked me to be involved in their upcoming Brissy to the Bay Charity Bike Ride and it will be held on Sun 28 May. Although I won’t be riding any bikes, I will be there to hand out awards and sign autographs and anything else they want me to do.

I was asked to be the Ambassador for the Down Syndrome “Down Under” Swim Team and went up to Noosa to their orientation camp, to present the uniforms to the athletes who had made the Australian Team to compete in the Down Syndrome World Championships in Ireland in September this year.

I was asked to be the Ambassador for the Leukaemia “Shave for a Cure Event” and went into the Queen Street Mall and shaved a few heads.

I was asked by several swimming clubs to attend their trophy nights as their guest presenter and also to attend a couple of schools as well to show my Commonwealth Games medals and chat to the students.

I’ve had two trips to the specialist about my shoulder. I’m glad to report that he is happy with my progress so far and I have one more check up to go, just to make sure all is okay.

I’ve been back at training for three weeks now and boy it’s been tough – but I’m getting back into it. It’s getting really cold now at 3.45am and it’s hard to get out of my warm bed. :(

I went swimming with the dolphins at Seaworld this month too. It was so exciting! I was with “Gemma and Scooter”. They are beautiful and it was a great experience!

I’ve even had a swimming competition this month. It was the TELSTRA Grand Prix series 1. It was here in Brisbane at Chandler so that was a bonus – No interstate travelling. I swam in the 50, 100 & 200 butterfly. I was quite happy with my results seeing we are training so hard for the Pan Pacs in August.

I went straight from Chandler to the Radisson Resort on the Gold Coast for a Butterfly Events Camp for a week where I was busy butterflying all week – OUCH!!! I experienced all kinds of pain that week.

I have just come home from the camp and now have 11 weeks to go until we fly out to Seattle, USA for a staging camp before we head over to Victoria, Canada to compete in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Competition starts 16th August and the last day is the 20th August. I’m looking forward to that – I had a great and positive time in Montreal, Canada in 2005 and am hoping it will be similar at the Pan Pacs.

Then we fly straight down to Hobart to compete at the Australian Short Course Championships which start on the 25th August and go until the 28th August. So I won’t be home for almost the whole of August.

It will be horrible going from summer in Canada to winter in Hobart. HOBART! – could they have picked a colder place. What a challenge that is going to be – summer to winter – I don’t do cold very well – BBRRRRRR :(

Oh well – I think I’ve filled you in on all my news for this month…

Thanks for everything and bye for now

Jess :)