Source: USA TODAY

Missy Franklin was out all night. She slammed into a few cars. She didn’t get to bed until 7 a.m. She woke up with a tattoo. Has America’s Olympic sweetheart turned all Reese Witherspoon and gone bad?

Not exactly. It was prom night. She and her date (her “best guy friend”) went with the rest of his senior class to the after-prom event at a place called the “Family Sports Center.”

“It was so fun. It was a blast,” said Franklin, still gushing after just two hours of sleep. After a night of bumper cars and dancing to the music video game DDR, she and her best girlfriend got air brush tattoos … of dolphins.

After four gold medals at the London Olympics, Franklin still is waiting for someone to shake her awake from what she calls a Hannah Montana life. Normal high school kid during the week, perhaps a Hollywood red carpet on the weekend.

Franklin, 17, finishes classes at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo. this week then graduates May 20. Ten days later, Franklin will be on the big screen when the official film of the London Games debuts in U.S. movie theaters. FIRST: The Story of the London 2012 Olympic Games features the journeys of 12 first-time Olympians from all over the globe as they prepare for and compete in the London Games.

Though crazy busy, Franklin has been able to catch a little bit of another documentary of sorts — Ryan Lochte’s E! reality show, What Would Ryan Lochte Do?

“It’s so Ryan. He’s such an incredible, incredible guy,” Franklin said. “He loves to relax and have fun. It’s so him to be so laid back and not have a care in the world. I love that about him. Some of the things they do on the show are absolutely hilarious. I always get a kick out of when his sisters are giving him dating advice.

“I love Ryan to death. From what I’ve seen, the show shows him as someone who likes to have fun but someone who is an incredibly hard worker once they get in the pool.”

Just like Franklin, though the type of fun she likes to have is much more G-rated.

Her hard work in the pool continues with a busy summer schedule: the final Grand Prix event of the season in Santa Clara the end of May, followed by nationals in Indianapolis the end of June, then the world championships in Barcelona a month later. On Aug. 23, she leaves for California-Berkeley where she will swim the next two seasons before likely going pro in advance of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I’m so excited,” Franklin said about college. “It’s scary because it’s such a big unknown. I just found out who my roommate is. I literally can’t wait because I’m so excited.”

And so perfectly Missy Franklin.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

Sochi officials Wednesday announced plans to kill more than 2,000 stray cats and dogs before the 2014 Olympics, according to RBC Daily, a Russian business newspaper and the official Russian website for “public tenders.”

The stray animals will be exterminated to ensure the safety of visitors and improve the city’s image, Sergei Krivonosov, a government official from Sochi, said in an interview with RBC.

“It’s obvious that there should be no animals on the streets. We have responsibilities to the international community,” the lawmaker said. “Killing (the animals) is just a faster way to solve this task.” he said

Krivonosov added that he did not agree with the decision, but shelters would be a strain on city finances. Sochi is budgeting about $54,000 for “work to catch and dispose of” the strays.

Animal rights activists have begun to mobilize. Olga Noskovets, who organized a rally, said killing animals is an ineffective way to control its population.

“For some time, there will visually be fewer of them, but it won’t solve the problem,” she said. “Moreover, if you kill dogs and cats, the rat population starts to increase rapidly.”

Before the 2004 Athens Olympics, animal activists were outraged about rumors that the government planned to exterminate thousands of stray dogs roaming the city’s streets. Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis said the rumors were “absolutely untrue.” She said at the time the city of Athens “does not have, never had and never will have plans to kill our dogs.”

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

NEW ORLEANS — When it was Breanna Stewart’s turn to take a snip of the net after Connecticut won its eighth national title, she probably could have done it without a ladder. Given the impressive heights she’s reached as a freshman, it’s clear Connecticut’s dynasty isn’t in danger of ending anytime soon.

John Wooden’s legendary run at UCLA, in which he won 10 national titles, has always seemed like one of those records that would stand for basketball eternity.

Then along came Geno Auriemma, who has never lost an NCAA championship game. The Huskies (35-4) won their eighth national title, tying Tennessee’s record, by routing Louisville 93-60 on Tuesday. It was the most lopsided victory in a title game.

“To be there in that spot with her means a lot to me,” Auriemma said about his long-time rival Pat Summitt, whose career was cut short after last season by early-onset Alzheimer’s. Still, he said he didn’t belong to be compared to anyone but Summitt, whom he called “the greatest women’s basketball coach that’s ever lived.”

“I never beat Coach K in a game, never coached against John Wooden,” he said.

With Stewart on campus for three more years, there likely will be more hardware in UConn’s immediate future. Stewart, the game’s most outstanding player, was unstoppable, with 23 points and nine rebounds. “If we didn’t have her, we wouldn’t be here,” UConn senior Kelly Faris said.

Stewart downplayed her achievement. “I appreciate it. It’s nice,” she said, adding that the national title, that little snippet of net, means much more. “That’s the best thing,” she said.

During the last stretch of the regular season, Stewart, the 2012 national high school player of the year, settled into a scoring slump she couldn’t shake.

The 6-4 Stewart plays the game with lightness and ease. When her smile went away, Auriemma said, “I was really really worried about her.”

In the Big East tournament, Stewart rediscovered her shot, her sense of self, and most importantly her smile. “She got it back and she got it back just in time and here we are,” Auriemma said.

In the NCAA tournament, Stewart had one of the most impressive freshman runs in history. She averaged almost 21 points, six rebounds, while blocking 21 shots in five games. (She missed the first round game against Idaho with a calf injury.) With the national title, she accomplished something that neither Diana Taurasi or Maya Moore achieved as freshman.

Many believe Stewart, who’s from Syracuse, N.Y., could be the greatest player in UConn history. Louisville probably wouldn’t argue.

“She’s a freak of nature. She’s got a wingspan that’s close to Brittney Griner’s, I think,” said Louisville’s Sara Hammond, who led the Cardinals with 15 points. Baylor’s Griner is 6-8.

Hammond said that because Stewart can hit jumpers from anywhere on the court, post you up, take you off the dribble and block your shot when you least expect it, she’s an impossible match-up.

The needling that takes place between star and coach is an Auriemma staple. Over the years, and the eight national championships, the mock exasperation and sarcasm go back and forth with easy banter. Stewart became Auriemma’s new foil.

In his postgame press conference, he began by effusively praising Faris. “She deserves this championship because she competes for a national championship every day in everything she does. I’m really, really happy for her,” Auriemma said. Then he looked over at his freshman. “Stewy,” he said. “Eh.”

Despite the ribbing, which goes back and forth, Stewart’s actions when she left the podium said it all. She hugged Auriemma tightly, then mussed his perfectly coiffed hair.

Given the rout, Griner, and many others, felt a Baylor-UConn final would have been a much better show. Baylor handed the Huskies one of their four losses this season. (Notre Dame beat UConn three times this season but lost to the Huskies in the national semifinals.)

During UConn’s 19-0 run in the first half, Griner tweeted: “It’s a wrap!! Show no mercy.” Griner became a Huskies fan after the Cardinals bumped Baylor out of the tournament in a regional final.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you that if Baylor had been in this game against us, we win by 30,” Auriemma said. “Things had to break right a little bit for us. But that’s just the way the tournament goes.”

Not even Louisville men’s coach Rick Pitino, who delivered a pregame pep talk, could lift the Cardinals. In January when these two teams last played, the Huskies (minus Stewart, who had an ankle injury) easily dispatched Louisville by 14 points. Since then, Stewart’s dominance has made the Huskies even better. Their relentless defensive pressure wore the Cardinals down. They also beat Louisville at their own game, hitting 13 three-pointers. The Cardinals’ storybook run was built on their long-range prowess.

Louisville’s only other trip to the championship game, in 2009, ended with a loss to UConn. Louisville (29-9) has beaten UConn only once — in 1993, the first game of their 14 meetings. Eight of UConn’s wins have been by 20 or more points, none more devastating than Tuesday night’s.

As soon as the nets were cut down, the dance party began. As the Huskies headed off the court, they lofted Auriemma on their shoulders. But, somehow he ended up horizontal, as if he was crowd surfing. Despite the awkward exit, it didn’t matter. With eight down, two more to go, history is in reach.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.