Five-time Olympic gold medalist and retired swimmer Missy Franklin chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about the 2021 “Make a Splash Virtual Tour,” being pregnant with her first child, and the app Swimmingly.
Franklin was the first woman to receive 11 world championship titles and she has won a total of six Olympic medals.
The “Make a Splash Virtual Tour” is presented by Phillips 66 and this marks the 48th year of their collaboration to prioritize swimming lessons for children and to educate parents about drowning prevention. “I get excited every year even when it looks a little different, I know it’s going to have that same incredible impact that we are striving for each year,” Franklin said. “This is a special time for all of us involved, we do what we can throughout the entire year to make sure this message is getting across.”
The virtual tour will continue through May 15 in a series of print and digital ads, interviews in local and national media outlets, as well as on the social media channels for USA Swimming and USA Swimming Foundation.
The tour is designed to educate the public about the importance of this lifesaving skill. As Americans adjust to post-pandemic life this summer, it is critically important to reeducate children on safety fundamentals while near pools and other open waters.
The USA Swimming Foundation has collaborated with Phillips 66 for nearly 50 years to promote swim safety and education. Drowning claims the lives of approximately 3,500 people per year, with nearly a quarter of these losses being children under the age of 14.
Formal swimming lessons can reduce that risk for children by 88 percent. With the summer months coming us, enrolling children in swim lessons should be a top priority as children and families head back to the water. “I want to emphasize the importance of preventing drowning. That’s why we are here,” she said. “Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four, and the second-leading cause of unintentional injury or death for children under the age of 14.”
USA Swimming and the USA Swimming Foundation are committed to making sure every child has the opportunity to learn how to swim. “I love passing on the message that swim lessons can and are being conducted safely now,” she said.
“The foundation has partnered with the U.S. Masters Swimming to help support adults to learn to swim, which I think is amazing because we need to teach everyone this life skill. The focus tends to be for younger children but the focus is for everyone,” she added.
For more information on USA Swimming and “Make a Splash,” check out their official website.
In the summer of 2019, Franklin’s world record in the 200 meter backstroke was broken by Regan Smith, who looked up to Franklin growing up. “Regan is so sweet,” she said. “That race was wonderful to watch. I could have not asked for that record to be broken by anyone better. I just adore Regan so much, and I think she is such an incredible role model and she has such a bright future ahead of her. I can’t wait to watch her this summer and see what she does.”
Franklin is looking forward to watching the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo. “I can’t wait for the athletes to have the opportunities that they have been working for this summer, it will be so fun to watch. The fun part of the sport is the unpredictability of it,” she said. “We are definitely not short of phenomenal female backstrokers in this country.”
On life during the quarantine, she said, “I have been doing really well. At this point, it’s really about counting your blessings and appreciating what you have. Knock on wood, my husband and I made it through without getting sick and without anyone we love getting sick, and without losing anyone. It definitely comes with its own challenges for everyone. We have our health and a lot of things to look forward to so we are feeling very grateful.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “Being Very Pregnant.” “I am in my third trimester, which is really hard to believe,” she said. “I feel so fortunate that I am still able to do so much of the work that I love and that I can do it safely, which is awesome.”
In her personal life, Franklin is expecting her first child with husband Hayes Johnson this summer.
Her husband is the president of Swimmingly, which continues to create and build software that will help increase participation in the sport of swimming, thus raising awareness. Swimmingly is an easy-to-use app that runs your entire swim meet. “Swimmingly has been good,” she said.
“Last year, was obviously a little bit tough, but the company as a whole did incredible in terms of pivoting and providing opportunities for teams to host virtual meets and providing a platform during the craziness of last year to allow teams to compete in a way that was safe. This summer, it looks like it will be really great for them. We are very grateful that we are busy. It is wonderful to see him doing something that is making such a big difference,” she elaborated.
On the greatest lesson that swimming has ever taught her, she said, “Hard work doesn’t pay off overnight. One of the tough things about our sport is that you need to learn patience and delayed gratification. That’s a beautiful skill that really carries with you.”
She also had great words about Olympian Josh Davis and his Breakout Swim Clinic. “Josh is wonderful. He is one of those very unique people that has had an incredible career and is an amazing athlete to this day, and is somehow an even better person. I can never say enough good things about Josh,” he said.
Franklin defined the word success as “continuing to be an inspiration.” “It is beautiful to see how that will change throughout my life but that has been so important to me,” she said. “Success is ultimately loving my family in the best way that I know how and fostering our family as it grows and as we welcome our little one in August.”
When asked what she would like her legacy to someday be, she responded, “I would prefer my legacy to not be made up of a list of accolades, awards or records, I prefer to be remembered how I made people feel. That’s one of the most important ways that we can be remembered and make this life as impactful as we can by how we treat each other when we are here.”
“Ultimately, I want to be remembered as somebody that made other people feel special, loved, appreciated, and acknowledged. If that is something that I can leave behind, I will be very happy,” she said.
“Thank you so much,” Frankin told her fans and supporters that have been with her on her journey. “The support that I have received over the years has been so mind-blowing through every single transition and phase in my life. To have the support of so many means the world to me.”
To learn more about Olympian Missy Franklin, follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
