The scene above was described in the NYTimes article “Catching a Champion Swimmer on Film” by stalwart reporter and feature writer Karen Crouse.  The moment, Franklin picking up the trash, was captured by Grant Barbeito, one half of the “Touch The Wall” team. Christo Brock and Grant Barbeito are the producers and filmmakers behind this ground-breaking documentary film starring Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin and Kara Lynn Joyce, and Olympic coaches Todd Schmitz and David Marsh.Â
At the end of a long day shooting The 2012 Colorado High School State Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado, I was putting away gear in a small room off the pool deck when my partner Grant came came in. He was flushed with emotion and shaking his head. He couldn’t speak. Grant had lingered with Missy to watch her sign autographs and do a small press conference on the pool deck, then followed her back to the locker room.
When he finally did speak, he told me of the scene he had managed to grab. This scene is edited from that footage. Thanks to John Kuhrt of KUSA for his additional footage.
You can help make this film by supporting our Kickstarter campaign here.
So far they have 458 backers and they’ve raised $52,646, however, with 15 days to go they need to meet their $110,000 goal. Â
At SwimSwam, we’ve rubbed shoulders with Christo and Grant  on the road at every major swim meet. While they’re veteran pros at their craft, they’ve also become emotionally invested in swimming. They love the sport. With 400 hours of footage captured, they have the best possible story, but the expense of editing in post production is enormous. The $110,000 goal is crucial to deliver the narrative.
More about the Touch The Wall Kickstarter Campaign:
I spy Missy Franklin wearing Arena….
she’s picking up trash. what a headline.
Sorry to say, but it looks more like “Olympic Swimming Champion, Missy Franklin, Picks Up Recyclables And Puts Them In The Trash”. What’s up America?
will missy be at Mesa grand prix? I am going to mesa grand prix as a spectator and i can’t find the psych sheet. could swimswam please either post the psych sheet or do a what to watch for article? thank you.
She’s of course in Arizona this week. Here’s the psych sheet.
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/44ee8dce-28c5-4e7e-9d5a-92eab8ae182b/mesa%20grand%20prix%20psych%20sheet%20april%204.pdf
…after spending the better part of two years watching Franklin, this moment nails what 99% of swimmers are about. They’re good kids. Franklin’s a good kid. Picking up trash is small, subtle, but the NY Times understood what it meant to the wider audience beyond our sport, and they pointed it out in their piece…
OK, i like Franklin. She is fresh and fun and fast. But why the big deal over her picking up trash. Probably has done it all her swim career. Our clubs coaches always makes sure the kids pick up after themselves. Probably just auto pilot for her.
Now, if you ever catch Phelps on film doing something like that…then you have a story!
Oh right. Girls cleaning up is normal and for a guy it would be a really big deal, a story even!
You can’t help but love Franklin, such an amazing talent but above all, a really good person.
That Missy is such a selfish diva! How dare she picked up trash after the meet, thereby depriving more deserving Cherry Creek swimmers from that honor.
agreed! 😉