What You Might Not Know About Olympian Missy Franklin
Posted by Jim_Daly on Aug 1, 2012 11:31:49 AM
Missy Franklin has good timing – no pun intended.
At
a moment when the country is hungry for some good news, for a hero to
root for and an uplifting story about a star who will make you smile,
the 17-year-old Colorado native’s performance at the Summer Olympics
seems to be just what the doctor ordered.
Have you been watching the games?
The
family and I have been following the Olympics each night, especially
the swimming, and we’re really getting into it. It’s interesting how
instinctive patriotism can be, especially in a young child’s heart. The
boys are keeping track of the medal count. You can be sure they’re
rooting for the red, white and blue.
I’m
probably showing my age, but these days I enjoy watching the parents of
the Olympians almost as much as I do the Olympic games themselves.
Missy’s
mom and dad are D.A. and Dick Franklin. The cameras have captured them
doing what millions of parents do and have done for ages – cheering on
their child from the stands, but this time on the world’s largest stage.
What’s behind the smiles and the butterflies inside this particular mom and dad’s hearts?
Focus on the Family spoke with John Koslosky, the girl’s athletic director up at Regis Jesuit High School in
Aurora, Colorado. Missy will be starting her senior year there in the
fall and has been swimming for the school since her freshman year. John
knows the Franklins very well and lauds them for not only the way
they’re raising their daughter, but for the way they’ve handled her
extraordinary talent both in and out of the pool.
“They’re
an extremely close family,” John confirmed. “They’re dedicated and
committed to everything that goes into the Olympic experience, but this
is being driven by Missy, not by parents trying to live life through
their child’s adventures.”
After
Missy won her first gold medal on Monday night she expressed love for
her parents and appreciation for family, friends and fans via Twitter:
According
to John, Missy chose Regis Jesuit for four main reasons: their
faith-centric curriculum, their strong academic program, their
competitive and highly respected swimming program, and the school’s
willingness to help navigate a rather unorthodox schedule while
competing around the world. The family considered home school, but
ultimately decided on registering at Regis.
One
of the most refreshing aspects of the story, though, is that according
to friends and school officials, Missy Franklin doesn’t expect
preferential treatment. She just wants to be another kid in the school, a
happy face in the crowd and in her class.
This
past year, when her entire junior class was required to attend a
four-day spiritual retreat called “Kairos,” Missy found herself in
something of a quandary. The special trip fell right in the middle of
her Olympic preparations and the time away would mean four days out of
the pool, something she couldn’t afford.
What could she do? It never occurred to her to ask to be excused from the commitment.
Because
the retreat was held south of Denver, she decided to wake up extra
early and drive down to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs
to swim. She then high-tailed it north to the retreat in time to join
her classmates.
Citing
the personal nature of the retreat, Franklin has declined to discuss
the extended weekend in any detail. However, she did say that "It was one of the most incredible experiences" she had ever had.
Watching
Missy’s parents and the other moms and dads in the stands, I’ve been
thinking about what it would be like if one of our boys was representing
Team USA.
Would I want our child to be an Olympian, assuming they wanted to go for the gold? Would you?
I've
read in press accounts that Missy was introduced to the water at just
eight months of age by her mom. Her dad said it was love at first
splash. All through her childhood she and her mom swam together and soon
they were cheering her on as their growing girl began to chase her big
dream.
NBC
reported that this past Tuesday morning, after being separated from
each other for three weeks, D.A. and Dick Franklin got to spend a little
time with their daughter in London. She was still basking in the glow
of her golden moment from the night before.
With
four more races to go and four more medals on the line (she missed a
bronze medal last night by .01 second!), what advice did mom and dad
give their only daughter?
“Enjoy yourself,” they told her. “Do your best. We’ll always love you.”
I love the simplicity of those words. They didn’t try and play coach. They’re simply being mom and dad.
Taking
this one step further to what ultimately matters, as parents, we should
resonate with the apostle John’s keen observation in his third epistle:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
Are you making a concentrated effort to introduce the Lord of the universe to your son or daughter?
Are you spending as much time on your child’s spiritual health as their physical and athletic pursuits?
Follow me on Twitter @Dalyfocus
Follow me on Facebook
Keep up with Focus on the Family on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment