There have been many new
developments in my life over the last few months and I am excited to finally
fill you all in!
First things first, I have
FINALLY graduated! As of the beginning of December, I officially have an MBA
from the University of Oregon in Sports Business! As you will hopefully read in
my blogs, I had a great experience and learned a lot that I believe will
be very helpful not only down the road when I am ready to hang my spikes up,
but also now, while I am still flying over water pits. (I plan to release
a blog series in the upcoming months at bridgetfranek.blogspot.com about
what I learned and how it can be applied to track and field. Please stay
tuned!)
Soooo, what’s next, you
ask???? School certainly opened my mind to many new opportunities
and paths and there were moments over the last few years that had me
questioning whether or not I should just walk away sooner rather than later.
However, I am still young in running years and potentially only now coming into
my running prime. It’s going to be a long road, out from the depths of academia
back to the Mondo surface of the beautiful oval office but I have decided to
recommit to the sport for a few more years to see what I have left in me! And
so begins…..same ol’ Olympic dreams, only different……
I have decided to remain
in Eugene, Oregon, or TrackTown U.S.A., however, I am now running with a
different post-collegiate team. This team is coached by an old OTC Elite teammate
and friend of mine, Ian Dobson, and is filled with tremendously positive,
talented individuals who I truly enjoy spending time with. This particular
groups mission goes beyond Elite athlete development and strives to use track
and field as a platform for positive change in the community through youth and
adult running. (To learn more, check out our website-www.teamruneugene.org.) Having lived and
trained here for four years, I have been welcomed into this community with open
arms. I have met incredible people of all ages who have become a family to me
in a foreign, far-away place. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for this
and truly want to give back in a meaningful way. This is a huge reason I am
still in the sport and largely why I chose to remain on this team and in
Eugene.
Two summers ago, having
completed the dream I had set out to achieve in the steeplechase, I gave myself
the opportunity to walk away from the sport. Their were a few reasons I was
considering leaving. (1) I had accomplished the thing I had been primarily
striving for (an Olympic team and final!) (2) there are so many things in life
that I still want to do and pursue that I have not been able to because of
my commitment to running and (3) as much as I love the sport,
training at this level always left me with a slight feeling of
selfishness- pursuing my personal potential with such passion and focus,
sometimes seemed to squelch out any hope of positively influencing the
community around me.
However, through this
soul searching moment of my life, I am very grateful
for the support of the community surrounding me (friends and family,
Eugene, Penn State, Ohio…), my teammates (OTC, TRE, Penn State, Crestwood…..),
God, and my Olympic experience. They helped me realize just how
powerful my time, energy, and experiences in the sport can actually be to
others around me.
Much like the
individuality of a runners training plan, our motivations and intentions can be
equally as personal. I believe I was pulled back into the sport
because this is where my God given gift is and where I can make the biggest
positive impact for good. Now in a new stage in my career, as I lace up my
shoes every morning, I am motivated by something different than
before…..Steeplechase, running to my potential, my athletic journey, is about
putting myself in the best position I can to make a positive difference in the
world around me.
In the spirit of allowing
this attitude to transcend athletics and permeate the entirety of my life, I
have been looking for meaningful and correlated ways to fill in my time without
classes and financially support myself.
For the next 7 weeks, I
will be in charge of 4 P.E. classes of elementary school students through a
program called Healthy Moves. Twice
a week, I am going to assist with a similar program through Kidsports in Eugene called the Physical Literacy Project which
is also geared towards getting kids moving and active. This program is also for
elementary aged students but is after school. This spring I will be an
assistant coach for aGirls on the Run Team
as well. I just recently went through the training and am very excited about
the curriculum and opportunity to help young girls learn about themselves and
the world around them through the lens of running!
The organization, In The Arena has recently accepted me
onto their team and has agreed to generously help financially supplement the
time and energy I am going to be putting into all of these programs! Their
mission is to give Olympic hopefuls the support they need to be able to
volunteer with kids in their communities and truly be recognized as the role
models that they are! I am so honored to become a part of this amazing and
inspiring group of athletes!
In my left over time, I
have been trying to use my sports marketing degree to explore the idea of
non-traditional track and field sponsorships (outside of just shoe and apparel
companies). Through my various conversations, I have been led to believe that
there may be local businesses or corporations that would be interested in being
part of my journey now that I am no longer being supported by Nike or the
Oregon Track Club. I would like to be able to prove to local corporations that
elite runners can positively contribute to their corporate mission and goals in
ways beyond a simple jersey logo. Many cycling teams and other sports survive
solely on local support and with Eugene being the icon of track and field that
it is, I believe that there is tremendous potential. It is definitely a big
project and the jury is still out about whether or not it will be successful,
but it is worth a shot now that I have an insider insight into business and a
real need for financial assistance. I will be going into more detail on the
specifics of what I've been up to in my blog if you are interested to hear more
of my thoughts on this topic. And, if any of you work for, or know of a company
in Ohio or elsewhere that might be willing to consider becoming an integral
part of my Olympic journey, I would love to chat!
As always, Thank you,
Thank you for all your support and encouragement in the past and now as I move
forward! You have no idea how much it really does mean to me. I am so excited
for this new chapter to begin! The year has started off on a great foot and I
know that bigger and better things await on the horizon!!
In the coming months I
will be excited to share my experiences in the community and on the track.
Please stay tuned.
Thank you for reading! I wish
you all the best for 2015!
As Winnie the Pooh so
elloquittly states it……T.T.F.N…..tata for now!
