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Four years ago, Missy Franklin made a big splash at the London Olympics, winning four gold medals and winning over fans with her infectious smile, bubbly personality and ability to touch the wall before anyone else. Her mom and dad, DA and Dick, were lauded for their low-key approach and for letting Missy remain a normal teen. Rather than turn pro and cash in on her golden moment, she returned to Colorado to swim with her high school team and longtime coach, then went on to win an NCAA title -- and study psychology -- at the University of California, Berkeley.Missy did eventually turn pro after two seasons at Cal, and the 21-year-old brought a bevy of sponsorships and enormous expectations to the Rio Games. I spoke with DA, who has written a book with her daughter that will come out in December, a few weeks before the U.S. trials about the joys and stresses of sports parenting. Watching Missy weather what she called the hardest week of her life -- during which she did not medal in an individual event -- with remarkable grace, I thought back to that conversation. And I wondered: What can the Franklins example teach the rest of us about raising resilient kids who can bounce back from devastating disappointment?Here are a few of DA Franklins hard-won words of wisdom -- as well as some sage sports parenting advice Ive received from the moms of other superstars -- about how to successfully support your daughters and sons from the sidelines.Failure is an optionWhile its heartbreaking to see your child feel like shes failed, its an experience no one can escape, says DA. So you need to prepare your kids, however prodigious their talents, to cope with coming up short at some point.After Missys triumph in London she suffered a crippling bout of back spasms at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, left her longtime coach to head off to college, and struggled to balance the demands of both sponsors and school. Those life lessons inspired her to write a poignant letter to her parents, thanking her best friends in the entire world for letting me make my own mistakes.When Missy hurt her back -- the pain was so, so severe that she couldnt move for 45 minutes -- it was a teachable moment for her, says DA. She realized then that not everything will go perfectly for her. So she decided, I need to focus on the things that I can control.Letting your child experience the sadness of not measuring up can help him assess what hell have to do differently next time to succeed, says Diana Benedict, mom of Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts.When Betts, now a frontrunner for American League MVP honors, started playing sports, he was the smallest kid on the court. A few minutes into his first basketball game, another boy stole the ball from him.Mookie sat there and bawled, says Benedict. You would have thought that somebody had just hit him in the face. I told him, I want you to make this an opportunity to better yourself and be stronger next time. Youre gonna go out there, play hard and get the ball back. He didnt do it that game, but when he did, I could tell that something had clicked for him.Dont let others define themHouston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the NFLs reigning defensive player of the year, is recovering from back surgery. But its hardly the first challenge hes faced in Houston. When the Texans took Watt 11th overall in the 2011 draft, fans didnt exactly roll out the welcome mat.The entire draft party in Texas booed him, says his mom, Connie Watt. That was hard. I told him that it didnt have anything to do with him or what hed done in college. It was because they wanted the team to take someone who was better known. They didnt know J.J. or his work ethic.Let your kids see you struggleIf they see you stumble and survive, writes Jessica Lahey in her book, The Gift of Failure, they will realize that failing at a task is not the same as failing as a person.Kevin Durant credits his mother, Wanda -- who raised Kevin and his brother, Tony, as a single parent in Washington, D.C., on a postal workers salary -- for showing him how to rebound from setbacks. He saluted her as the real MVP during his moving 2014 NBA MVP acceptance speech.At one point, when I was working overnight shifts, Kevin asked me, How long are you going to keep working like this? says Wanda Durant. It was hard on him and his brother, too. But I told him, Its what I have to do to make sure were OK. He understood.After the game, talk about anything but the gameWin or lose, dont rehash your childs performance right after a match or meet, says DA Franklin.After Missy swam as a kid, the only things I would ask were: Did you do your best? and Did you have fun? she says. When Missy would say, Yep, I had a blast, that was the end of the discussion. Her father and I would respond, Fantastic! Now lets go get some dinner.I still tell her, Have fun! before every competition.When your kid is ready to talk about the game -- or anything else -- dont lecture, just listen, says Wanda Durant.Kevin knew he could talk to me about anything, says Durant, who counseled her son as he agonized over where to sign this summer. There are still times when he will call and well just kind of talk things through.Let their teammates tag alongDont just listen to your own kid -- get to know her teammates, too. You never know what you might overhear during the carpool chatter.Even at those stages when your kids dont want to talk to you, per se, about whats going on, invite their friends over, says Connie Watt, who runs her sons foundation, which funds after-school programs for teens. Theres a lot youll learn.Be the parent, and let the coach coachDick and I agreed -- lets let the coach handle the coaching and well do the parenting, says Franklin. Weve seen so many times that parents can affect how the child feels about the sport. We wanted to give Missy that space to develop that relationship and trust with her coach.Benedict was her sons first coach, but eventually realized that it was time move to the sidelines.Sometimes the parents can be the worst enemy, she says. Sometimes its best to step back and let a friend or a professional teach your child.Remind them that this too shall passAs Missy, who remained gracious and forthcoming with the media after each race, suffered through her public belly flops off the blocks, she did what any 21-year-old would: call her mom and have a good cry.?She just told me that its going to be OK, and thats all I needed to hear, Missy told reporters in Rio.Missy puts a positive twist on everything, DA told me back in June. She has a very optimistic, spiritual way of looking at things.?Indeed, it only took a day or so after her final race in Rio for Missy to regain her buoyancy outside the pool. Its all going to be OK. Im loved, Im supported, she said. If a disappointing swim meet is the worst thing that happens to me in my life, I have a pretty damn good life.Aimee Crawford (@AimeeJCrawford) is a senior editor for ESPN.com and a baseball, soccer, hockey and hoops mom/coach to two sports-obsessed kids. Under Armour Schuhe Online . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Under Armour Schweiz Outlet . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. http://www.schweizunderarmour.ch/ . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Günstig Under Armour Schuhe . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Under Armour Schweiz Kaufen . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said.MADRID, Spain -- Rafael Nadal reached his seventh consecutive final since returning from a knee injury by brushing aside wild card Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-4 at the Madrid Open on Saturday. Nadal had little trouble extending his winning streak in clay-court semifinals to 46 matches, polishing off his overmatched Spanish countryman after winning the first six games on the outdoor red clay. Nadal will now have a shot at his fifth title since coming back from a seven-month layoff healing his left knee. "I couldnt have asked for a better run of results," said Nadal, a two-time champion in the Spanish capital. "Five months ago I wouldnt have dreamed of this return. I want to thank all those who supported me through that time." He will play Stanislas Wawrinka after the 15th-ranked Swiss recovered late on to edge out Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will play for both the No. 1 ranking and the womens title after each won her semifinal in straight sets. Nadal outclassed Andujar at the start. The clay-court experts surgical groundstrokes were usually enough to force Andujar to make errors -- and if not, Nadal knew when to go for a winner or approach the net to finish off the point. The worst moment for the 113th-ranked Andujar came when he ceded his third straight service game with a double fault. But in the second set Andujar shook off his jitters and had three break points for a 4-2 lead, only for Nadal to dig out of the hole and hold his serve. "I played a very, very good first set, playing aggressively," Nadal said. "Pablo played more aggressively in the second set and had a chance at a break, but luckily it got away from him." The top-ranked Williams will have a chance to win her 50th career title after beating Sara Errani of Italy 7-5, 6-2, while No. 2 Sharapova recorded her 500tth career win at all levels after seeing off Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3.dddddddddddd Both Williams, the defending champion, and Sharapova arrive to their final in good form and with numbers to back up their bid for a title. Sharapova has won all 10 sets she has played at the tournament, while Williams boasts a 12-2 record against the Russian. "Of course its always tough against her," Sharapova said about Williams. "I havent had a win against her in a long time. But the great thing is that Im setting myself up in a position where I can try to change that around." After a skittish start, Williams rolled by Errani and broke her final service game in both sets. "I feel I played solid," Williams said. "In the second set more than in the first, I made a few less errors, which is something I needed to do." Williams said Sharapova would pose a different challenge from her previous opponents this week. "I feel this whole tournament I have only played clay-court opponents," said Williams. "All have been smaller than me. Tomorrow will be a different game, more power." On Sunday, Williams will play her first final on red clay since 2002. Last years trophy at the Caja Magica came on the experimental blue clay surface that was removed following players complaints it was too slippery. Sharapova said she was proud to have notched her 500th win. "That number is pretty significant," she said. "(And) no, (it) doesnt make me feel like a veteran." Berdych was on the brink of making his second straight final in Madrid after coming from behind to level with Wawrinka at a set apiece and then building a 4-2 lead in the third. But the Czech player squandered two break points at that stage and Wawrinka found a second wind to rally back. Wawrinka won the Portugal Open last Sunday. ' ' '