TEAM FRAN T-Shirts will be on sale – $10 for Members of Team Fran, $20 for non Members. All proceeds go directly to the FCEF. You’ll have several opportunities to pick them up -

Saturday, May 5th from 6 PM – 9 PM at Chestnut 7
Supporters can make donations, get their BRING IT ON Broad Street gear, hang out on the patio and ENJOY! There will be $3 craft beers, $4 select wines, $7 apps and a pasta special for the runners!

Sunday, May 6th from 6:30 – RACE START at the Army National Guard (intersection of W Sommerville Ave and Ogontz Ave)

TEAM FRAN will have a car (look for the TEAM FRAN banner). You can pick up a T-shirt and drop your stuff. We will shuttle it back down to McFadden’s and you can pick up your stuff after the race.

Sunday, May 6th, Post Race Party at McFadden’s Ballpark!.

When you are done running, Join the FCEF Sunday after the run! There will be plenty of water and supporters can make donations, get their BRING IT ON BROAD STREET gear, enjoy $3 domestics and $5 dollar Bloody Marys. Look for the crew in the FCEF t-shirts and join us for some post race fun!

If you have friends and family who are not running but want to cheer TEAM FRAN on, there will be a group gathered at Broad and Catherine. See you there!

The legendary Bill Rose, Coach of the Mission Viejo Natadores and 2008 US Olympic Team, sat down with FCEF last week to talk about the passion for sport found in elite athletes, how he motivates his swimmers, and what coaching Fran and Ashley has been like. Coach Rose is an impressive force in swimming, known for his tough, old school workouts that push athletes to reach their peak. Coach, thanks for your time. The Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation sincerely appreciates your work with us!

Fran’s long time training partner and fellow Open Water Allstar Emily Brunemann took a few minutes to talk with FCEF at the TYR Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions. She gave us some great insight as to what it was like training with Fran and her plans during the lead up to Olympic Trials. Emily is looking to make a big splash at Open Water Nationals and we are cheering her on. Work the Dream Emily!

2011-2012 Women’s Work the Dream Awardee Ashley Twichell spent some time with FCEF at the 2012 TYR Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, CA. Ashley has a big week next week as she is a strong contender to win the US Open Water Nationals in Fort Myers, FL. Ashley was able to make some time for us to tell us what training has been like under Coach Rose and how she sees herself competing leading up to Olympic Trials.

FCEF was lucky enough to catch up with Matt McLean at the 2012 TYR Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, California. Matt is our 2011-2012 Men’s Work the Dream Grant Awardee. Matt is training hard for 2012 Trials in the 200 and 400 free under Coach Jon Urbanchek at FAST. He gave us some time in the afternoon before his solid 1:48.99 finish in the 200 free finals. Good luck this spring, Matt! Team FCEF is in your corner!

The Mission Viejo Nadadores truly is a place where athletes go to WORK THE DREAM! From novice swimmers to Olympic hopefuls, the pool churns all day with people – young and old – committed to the sport of swimming, the community, and most importantly – each other.

Fran traveled to Mission Viejo in the spring of 2006 after graduating from the University of Virginia. He had made the decision to continue to swim and compete for a spot on the 2008 US Olympic team. Never having spent much time in Southern California he didn’t know what to expect outside of the knowledge that Coach Bill Rose was a top coach in the country and was known for giving swimmers hard workouts, much like Fran’s longtime coach, Dick Shoulberg. Coach Rose welcomed Fran with open arms and so began the next stage of Fran’s journey. During Fran’s two years with the Nadadores, Coach Rose was just the right mix of father, friend and coach, and Mission Viejo became Fran’s second home.

Each year Mission Viejo puts on a large meet called the Swim Meet of Champions (SMOC) that brings in some of the best teams and best athletes on the west coast. In 2011 the Natadores renamed this meet the Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions. This year Maddy and Claire went out to SMOC to see Coach Rose, and Fran’s long time friend and Mission Viejo Junior National Team Coach Tyler Fenwick. They also got a chance to check in with our Work the Dream recipients, Ashley Twichell and Matt McLean. Ashley swims for Coach Rose at Mission Viejo and competes in the 400 & 800 free in the pool, and 10K in the open water. Matt swims for Coach Jon Urbanchek at FAST and competes in the 200 & 400 free.

As we head towards Olympic Trials in June both Matt and Ashley are looking focused and ready to go. Thankfully we were able to get some interview time with them which we will post on our Youtube channel and on this blog. We were also lucky enough to see Fran’s longtime Open Water swimming partner Emily Brunemann. Emily was cheering on her teammates and getting ready to head to Florida for US Nationals in Fort Myers next weekend. We will post our interview with her this week too!

For those of you who knew Fran personally, you know he lived his life committed to three rules:

1. Work hard…all the time.

2. Dream big…all the time.

3. Have fun…all the time (and – whenever possible – do all three at once).

So on his birthday we take time to remember his life, his dreams and his constant pursuit of a good time. We are thankful for the 26 years we got to live and laugh together and remember – each day – to WORK THE DREAM!

Teresa Crippen – Working the Dream in and out of the pool!

Check out her story here! She talks about swimming at Florida, for Team USA, her brother Fran and her next adventure!