Missy Franklin didn’t expect a thing.
In fact, last Friday, she almost didn’t come to school.
“It was the assembly for the senior gift giveaway,” Franklin said. “I had absolutely no idea that anything was going to happen. I was even thinking about not going to school that day — so my best friend and my mom had devised this whole plan to make sure that I was at school.”
But the Olympic hopeful was in for quite a surprise.
First, she was called up to the front of the assembly, bringing raucous cheers from her classmates.
Then came the big one — Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker entered the room to wish the swimmer luck.
“I had to be here,” Decker told the crowd. “On behalf of the Denver Broncos, I came here to wish her the best of luck this summer, and you better bring back that gold for us. Good luck!”
If the cheers were loud before, they were deafening when Decker arrived.
“I was so shocked,” Franklin said, mentioning that she had met Decker once before at the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet. “As soon as they said his name, all of the girls just went crazy. Eric Decker in a room with 1,000 teenage girls? It just doesn’t get louder than that. I was so excited to see him. I was so happy he was there. And that was honestly one of the nicest things that anyone has done for me. For him to come and take his time right before he had a flight, to come and just say a few words, it meant the world to me.”
Franklin, who is a “huge Broncos fan,” said Decker’s presence even caused a few classmates to bend school rules a bit.
“It’s really funny, my mom was laughing because technically at school our phones are supposed to be in our lockers,” she said. “But she said as soon as he walked in, 500 phones just snapped up to take pictures and video.
“It was great.”
MORE FROM MISSY
Franklin first set her sights on the Olympics when she was just 12 years old.
“I qualified for Olympic trials when I was 12 years old, and I swam there when I was 13,” she explained. “That was for the 2008 Olympic trials. I knew I wasn’t going to make it then because I was so young, but it was still so exciting for me and I loved it so much. I remember I was driving home from Omaha just thinking, ‘Four years from now I want to be back here and I really want to have a good chance at making this team.’ So to come back four years later and have that happen would just be incredible.”
Trials for the 2012 games run from June 25 to July 2 in Omaha, Neb.
But she said her dream truly became a realistic goal either last summer or the summer before.
“The summer before I had nationals and I competed at the Pan Pacific Championships,” Franklin said. “That was a huge eye-opener for me. Then last summer with World Championships really got me on the international scene, I saw how much I loved it and how much fun we had. I think that’s when I really realized that, you know what, London could be really realistic for me, and it’s something that if I keep working really hard for it’s something that I could possibly achieve.”
Franklin said she tries not to think too far ahead, so she hasn’t gotten nervous about potentially swimming in the Olympics quite yet.
She said she tries to live one day at a time, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting excited about London.
“My goal is honestly just to keep the pressure off of myself, go out there and have fun and know that I’m ready.”
In the meantime, the lifelong Broncos fan said Decker’s surprise visit got the swimmer even more excited about Denver’s upcoming season.
“I’ve always been a Broncos fan, but I’ve always been a Colts fan, too,” Franklin said. “So right now I kind of have the best of both worlds. I absolutely love Peyton (Manning). I think he’s incredible, and the fact that he’s playing for us is so exciting.”
Franklin, who has a Broncos jersey, baseball hats and a handful of T-shirts, said football is a big deal in her family.
“My dad was actually drafted for Canadian football, so he’s a huge football fan,” she said. “Always growing up with him loving football and having Sundays, it’s just a big football day, which is great. It makes it a really special day and brings the whole family together — it’s exciting. I remember growing up with that, so now it’s fun because I get into it as much as he does. I’m trying to learn as much as I can from him. I’ve definitely grown as a fan the past few seasons.”
So will the Olympic hopeful head to Sports Authority Field at Mile High any time in 2012?
“I love going to games,” she smiled. “I love the whole atmosphere of it. I’m really excited for this season.”
-Gray Caldwell
Tags: Eric Decker, Missy Franklin
Wow. Ok, BT, you are living on a different planet, but you have your man crush on TB, I’m good with it.
Giants Pass Rush > Brady…
(hmmmm… maybe we shoulda signed Mario Williams)
LB, you agree that Eli is better than Peyton?
and eli > peyton? really? now your just stirring the pot for the fun of it. no one believes that. not gonna fall for it.
Ok, I just wanted to make sure you were with me, LB
watching another episode of as the THUNDER rolls
It’s usually the same few people LBF….but yeah, it’s kinda weird.
no cat but thats what it looks like, dangit!! i was responding to his 940 post and he snuck that little tidbit in right before i posted the response to his 940 post. so that was an optical illusion!!
Yeah, Eli doesn’t even believe that. Moving on.
Yeah, just like the size of the moon when it rises, I got it! (-;
Durant > kobe
oh ya cat. i’m right with ya, always have been. love your posts!
Yes, I agree Skillz! This game is awesome!
You blamed bringing him up on me but it was Strand who mentioned him and you who camped out there – not that I reread the post or anything – but I am happy to take full responsibility for the strife on the blog based on my own distaste for Manning.
not saying he isn’t a great QB
not saying he is evil
not saying he can’t throw
not saying the neck is not impressive! LOL
not saying he isn’t the smartest football player to ever play the game
not saying he isn’t better than Tebow ever will be at QB skills
I am saying I don’t like him – I don’t want him as our QB (tough luck Daddy)lol – I would prefer the lesser talented more exciting play of Tebow – and I am saying that the decision to bring in Manning was unwise
That’s what I thought, because I love yours too! Either BT is writing a novel, or…
i know mike, its the persistence and the delusional ‘points’ that are the most perplexing to me. turtle mostly just wants to get people going tho. i dont think he believes half the stuff he says.
See, this guy, DB, keeps saying that Manning isn’t exciting to watch. I don’t get it.
If I camped there it’s because that’s where the conversation was going.
RBF1:
repost, repost, repost!!
I would hope all Broncos Country would agree!!
Royalbroncofan1 says:
May 21, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Hi tlcat06 – I’ll have to back and read todays post but doesn’t surprise me. Don’t get me wrong, I liked TT when he was here, but it’s time to move in Broncos Country!! The past is the past.
OTA’s have started. No TT………..We loved him we supported him and we wish him luck in NY. But he does not where Blue and Orange any more so.Now he is someone we will have to beat. All respect due.
Its The Necks turn!!
Common get over it!!
TT he is gone! A Great player in or history but he done here! It’s NECK TIME!!!
FTR
DURANTULA SPINNING HIS WEBB AND THAT BUG KOBE IS IN IT
now how can you say manning is overpaid and then endorse the signing of a 100 million dollar d end? although getting williams woulda been pretty sweet had we been able to pull it off. cant have both tho, so i’m glad it was manning…
This game is literally ON FIRE!!!!!!!! OKC!
um reggie miller do you even watch the game of basketball?
KD has been clutch as all hell since coming into the league
LBF…I actually love Turtle! He is funny as hell….even for a TT lover!
I’m out. Started a new company a couple weeks ago and it’s about to kill me! So tired I can’t see.
I’ll check in in a couple weeks to see if we are still talking about “Voldemort”.
if this was nba jam the console would have exploded
LB I’m with you. It’s not like he won’t give back to the community either. It’s all good. Plus he put the neck clause in the 2nd year. He has full confidence in his own ability, even if he doesn’t say so in an interview. I’d rather hear him say he’s excited fifty times than anything else.
You think manning is exciting to watch? He is a machine. He gets by with what he does because of his no huddle offense. He runs the same stagnant plays over and over. No thank you very much. (too bad – stuck with it) LOL
um tebow ran like five plays daddy just saying lol
Well Lou… if you gotta spend 15% of your Cap on a ? i’d rather it be a 27 year old ? than a 36 year old Man’ing… I’m not for paying anyone that percentage of your Cap… but it’s proven over and over that an Elite Pass Rush trumps Elite QB play
Ok, You don’t like passing games. You like running games! I get it! Well, I’m sure we’ll do that too.
i better shh lol gonna get kicked outta the group lol
We already HAVE ELITE pass rush! What we didn’t have was a QB!!!!
had me there for a moment db. and later mike, a biz is tough so good luck with it. i, too am out guys, see you soon tho cat and company!! and believe it or not i like turtle too, nothing personal ever, just do not agree at all with him!!! night!!
Skillz not true – Tebow ran one play – they called it “broken” – lol
it is ovcer for you kobe and i wanna see you cry like the baby you are
Skillz, I agree with you… It’s okay to say what you said. He only completed 8 passes in the KC game.
lol touche daddy
Night, LB, chat soon!
Manning, Osweiler, Hanie, Weber are our QB’s. Any questions?
lol cat
Cat… we do have a good pass rush.. but FAR from Elite… Just because it is the ONE bright spot we are carrying over this season does not mean it is Elite
wtf u mean to tell me elway isn’t our qb holly hell
It’s true right? I love turtle… Promise! I just don’t agree.
*Kicking game… forgot the kicking game! Two Bright spots… my bad
Later Lou! Take care of that back…
Wow. Ok, I’ll let Von and Dum knw how you feel. But I was hoping Wolfe might help, but I’d rather pay 100 mil for the QB whose going to help make our D better and is prove to not be another Hainesworth.
peace lbf
Cat… he attempted 8 passes.. completed 2 (one was a 57 yard touchdown) and we won… where is the issue?
i love albert
Skillz, I might just faint! Are you sure he’s not our QB??? At 50 I’m sure he’s still our QB
Oh, yeah, it’s been so long, I’m having issues.