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
that is what they tell me cat i am bewildered
No issue, jut backing up Skillz comment with false information because I’m tired.
I thought this league was about W’s not completions/yards/looking cool… man you got me good you sneaky girl you!!!
kobe looks as if he doesn’t want any part of durantulas defense lol
It was two passes? Seriously? Was in 1940 the last time a QB only completed two passes and won the game? I can’t remember…
Hmm… Skillz, how many games has PM won? in his career?
Is it more than ten? I can’t remember….
3 maybe 4 ?
I was sure it was more than ten
Do you mean 30 or 40?
well now kobe can blame gasol for this game too
who is this guy you talk about cat?
Hahah! Or MWP.
kobe a leader
NOT
I was just wondering how many games Peyton Manning has won in his career because turtle was telling me that wins were more important than completions and I was just hoping that he’d won more than ten. I as really being sarcastic.
Manning With Pain?
I Know as was i would bet my bottom dollar he has won more than ten maybe 11 or so
Manning sure won a ton of games last year didn’t… Man you got me twice you trickster
who in the hell is manning ?
Pain? Manning is in pain? I couldn’t tell.. Could you? How bout he who must not be named in pain… Could he have played in the AFC Championship this year? nope.
Yeah, Skillz, who the hell is Manning anyway?
i have been trying to figure that out
Cat… I got nothing against Old Man’ing… so long as he does what he was brought here to do… Win us a Superbowl!!! He was a talented QB in his day… and hopefully he has another Day or Two left in him…
Who the hell is Elway? Did he win a SB when he was 36 or 37?
Cat… you wrote MWP… what does that mean… I assumed Manning With Pain…
a glimmer of hope from turtle we should feel honored
Metta world peace you dork! LOLOL
Save the post so we can share it with the world in the morning.
lol too funny cat
yes cat… Elway won a Superbowl at 37 and 38 right before he forgot to get his neck fused
gotta love turtle
Tell me about the Lakers game…please.
Oh… GM. Does that same Elway guy love Manning as much as me? Yep, pretty much!!! (-;
look at kobe dance around for ten seconds then shoot as if they had the time to spare numnuts lol
That was supposed to say Hmmmm. OKC winning 103 to 88 with 57 seconds left
where in the world are those stinking laker fans ?
They are staying away because they KNOW… LOL!!!!
roll call laker fans
That was the 4th win for Thunder correct? Lakers are done?
CRY KOBE CRY
Fakers… Where are you?
YEPPERS DB
Lakers lose series!!! thunder advance!!!!
lol cat they have gone fishing lol
show your faces boys
And the Thunder are about to strike some fire against those spurs… (-;
All hail DURANTULA!!!
I hate the Thunder, but not nearly as much as the Phakers
I think you and I win the night, Skillz. I gotta go to bed, but we lasted it out. Have a good evening. Chat sooN!
Spurs in 6!!! and Duncan gets a 5th Ring…
those old guys better be aware of the young thundering okc
I think BFE can’t get on the internet because of the Thunder!!! LOL