Desiree Ficker

So my top three female Triathletes have been Michellie Jones (awesome athlete), Desiree Ficker (smokin hot), and Emma Snowsmith (see Desiree).  Ironically all three were slated to do the RI 70.3 yesterday but Emma pulled out.
Anyways, I wake my 8 year old daughter up and head to the beach at 5:30, race is delayed 20 minutes or so due to rough water, finally the Pros are off, men then Women and my daughter says it would be neat to meet some of them.  I told her yes but not likely and when she asked why we had an odd conversation about pro's and important people.
After the pros came out of the water my daughter was freezing so we headed out to about mile 20 on the bike course (right at Dunkin Donuts where the climbs begin) and watched.  Saw the Pros go by and about 300 AG's before we decided to head downtown before the traffic started.
We parked and were walking towards T2 and we heard them announce that the first pro male was in transistion.  Mind you, there were maybe 5 other people on the street besides us.  We cheered the first 5 or so men by then the first female showed up, so we cheered Michellie by, followed shorly by someone else.  I had told my daughter who my favorite athletes were so she was giving them a little extra motivation.  About this time Desiree came out of T2.  My daughter reminded me that I liked her (like I needed the reminder) so I told her to cheer.  She started yelling "Go Miss Ficker" (mind you we were still two of like 5 people on the street).  As she ran by she threw her sunglasses across the street to us and asked if we would give them to her later.  I didn't think much of it due to the fact that it was overccast so my daughter grabbed them, we cleaned them and she walked around with them on her visor the rest of the morning. 
We tried to get them back to her at the race but Desiree was zoned.  We went to give them to her after the finish line.  She finished her interviews and did the Blaze Roll for some cameras and my daughter tried getting her attention.  She didn't hear her so I called her name, waved her glasses and she came over.  Now my daughter is flipping out because a "Pro" that only talks to "important people" (thanks dad) was talking to her.  My daughter was wearing her YMCA Kid's Tri shirt so Desiree said thank you and that she usually throws them to her husband/boyfriend/coach (or whatever he was) but he wasn't around.  She then asked if Maggie did Tri's and she very happily said yes.  Desiree then asked if the glasses (Oakley Radar's with Iridium lens) fit her, she said yes so Desiree told her she could keep them.  My daughter said thanks, jumped up and down, got a hug and put them on.  She now has a more expensive pair of sunglasses than I do and a memoory that will last forever.  We shook hands, congratulated her on her second place finish, and they were on their way.  My daughter called mywife and told anyone that would listen.

Long story yes, but as a father I hope that things like this will have a positive effect on my children in the future and help them attain their goals.  Maggies, current, goal is to be a Triathlete when she gets older.  Not a Pro, she just learned that difference yesterday, but a bonified Triathlete.  I advised her she already is at age 8 (and that it took me until 34), but she wants to continue.
We have her doing some school work to help through the summer and her assignment for today and tomorrow is to write a thank you/good luck letter to Miss Ficker so we can send it or post it to her site.  It was a really good day yesterday, even better because it was a Dad and Maggie day!