Franklin: I'm still a work in progress

Micah Franklin will hardly have time to hang out with family and friends this summer.

That’s because he will be too busy playing squash and pursuing his dream of turning pro.

Over the next three-months the teenaged athlete will represent Bermuda at the Island Games in the UK and also fly the island’s banner at both the Senior and Junior Caribbean Championships in Guyana and the Cayman Islands.

He is also due to compete at the World Team Championships — widely considered as the World Cup of squash — in Germany in late August.

Franklin began preparations for a hectic summer of competition during a three-month training stint with Holland’s men’s national team at the Frans Otten Stadium in Amsterdam earlier this year.

It was the first steps on a journey the promising squash player hopes will lead him all the way to the pro level.

“It was a great experience getting to meet all the professionals and getting to work with world-class coaches to see the level those guys train at and what it’s going to take for me to get there,” Franklin told the Bermuda Sun.

Improved

“I got to play against people better than me and I think I held my own. I took games off them to make it harder for them to beat me.

“Travelling there and learning was just awesome and overall I feel I improved during the three-months I was there.

“Holland is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly. Everyone spoke English and so I didn’t have to worry about the language barrier.”

Though satisfied with his performances in Holland, Franklin reckons there’s still room for growth.

“It’s like a work in progress and I know what I still need to improve on. But I feel like I’m hitting the ball okay and right now my strength is my fitness.

“I did a lot of cycling in Holland and that’s probably how I got so fit as well. I also ran the Bermuda Half Marathon Derby and improved my time from last year by 20 minutes. Every year I am getting fitter and stronger.”

Franklin came on in leaps and bounds last year, finishing runner up in his age group at the Junior Caribbean Championships.

He also went unbeaten in singles play during the Senior Caribbean Championships to help guide Bermuda to overall team honours.

Having established a firm platform to build upon, the 17-year-old squash player is determined to reach his full potential. And if all goes according to plan he could move up to the pro level by the end of the year.

Franklin said: “It all depends on how much I improve on the results I achieved last year. If I can see a significant improvement then I will definitely go for it. I will see if I can line up some professional tournaments and start playing abroad. I know it’s going to take a lot of effort, but I still want to see how far I can aspire.”