Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin settled her college-or-career decision this month by signing a national letter of intent to swim for the University of California, Berkley, but she’s now grappling with whether or not to swim for her high school team as a senior.
“If I had anyone who swims high school come up to me and tell me they don’t want me to swim, I would absolutely not swim,” Franklin recently told the Associated Press. “But everyone who I’ve talked to has been so supportive of it. So it’s so hard when I have so many people that are really wanting me to do it and so supportive, and I have other people who are saying it’s not fair. ‘Why would you do this to other girls?’ And I feel so bad thinking that they would think that.”
High school competition likely won’t be much of a match for the four-time Olympic gold medalist, who was named the Female Athlete of the Year this month by USA Swimming. Franklin captivated audiences with her performances at the 2012 London Olympics, setting world records in the 4x100-meter medley relay and 200-meter backstroke.
With the high school season already having started at Franklin’s Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo., she hopes to come to a decision quickly about whether to compete as a senior.
“I think I’m letting it get too stressful, and that’s not the point,” she said to the AP. “The point of high school to me is to have fun and enjoy it.”
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