Raphael Delacour is used to working with kids. Over the years, he's helped out his dad, his sister, former Liberty receiver Lennox Garnett, and even movie star turned basketball star turned movie star -- yes, you read that correctly -- Babatunde Warrington with their various youth-centric endeavours. This one was different.
"So I arrive for training and Sylvia, our reception manager, says they had a letter hand-delivered for me." Raphael explains. "Naturally, I'm a bit concerned by this and ask if there was some security issue or anything, and Sylvia laughs, like 'no, no, its all fine' but I'm confused. Then she hands me the envelope and it all makes sense."
Written on the envelope in bright red crayon is 'Mister Delacour', and a little picture of a jersey with number 15 on it. Turns out, it's a birthday invitation from a young fan in Boulder. "The kid, Gabrielle, was having her fifth birthday, and wanted me to come," Raphael chuckles. "Don't think I'd been to a fifth birthday party in almost twenty years at this point, but she did stress that she was my biggest fan which put me in a tough spot."
Team protocol didn't cover this scenario, and there was no game on the specified date, "so I figured why not?" Raphael shrugs. "I'd go to training, shower up, and head over to Boulder. Surprise this kid. Gave her parents a call first, and started thinking about gifts for a five year old girl. Not my area of expertise." He did get a warning from Sylvia, though. "Yeah, she pointed out that if I go, other parents might expect me to in future and so on, so I'd better have a good reason. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I come to it."
When Raphael pulled up to the house, signed jersey in hand -- "I went for a safe option, couldn't risk my biggest fan being disappointed with my choice of gift, could I?", he jokes -- and walked around to the back garden, where the party was taking place, he noticed a few shocked reactions from parents. "I had no idea Steven and Helen knew a professional athlete," one of the parents, Sharon, told us. "So it was all very surprising, but what a lovely day for Gabrielle."
Of course, the birthday girl was ecstatic. "Daddy said I can invite whoever I want to my party," she grins, when asked why she sent the invite. "So I asked Mister Delacour."
"Hey now, you can call me Raphael, we're friends aren't we?"
"So I arrive for training and Sylvia, our reception manager, says they had a letter hand-delivered for me." Raphael explains. "Naturally, I'm a bit concerned by this and ask if there was some security issue or anything, and Sylvia laughs, like 'no, no, its all fine' but I'm confused. Then she hands me the envelope and it all makes sense."
Written on the envelope in bright red crayon is 'Mister Delacour', and a little picture of a jersey with number 15 on it. Turns out, it's a birthday invitation from a young fan in Boulder. "The kid, Gabrielle, was having her fifth birthday, and wanted me to come," Raphael chuckles. "Don't think I'd been to a fifth birthday party in almost twenty years at this point, but she did stress that she was my biggest fan which put me in a tough spot."
Team protocol didn't cover this scenario, and there was no game on the specified date, "so I figured why not?" Raphael shrugs. "I'd go to training, shower up, and head over to Boulder. Surprise this kid. Gave her parents a call first, and started thinking about gifts for a five year old girl. Not my area of expertise." He did get a warning from Sylvia, though. "Yeah, she pointed out that if I go, other parents might expect me to in future and so on, so I'd better have a good reason. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I come to it."
When Raphael pulled up to the house, signed jersey in hand -- "I went for a safe option, couldn't risk my biggest fan being disappointed with my choice of gift, could I?", he jokes -- and walked around to the back garden, where the party was taking place, he noticed a few shocked reactions from parents. "I had no idea Steven and Helen knew a professional athlete," one of the parents, Sharon, told us. "So it was all very surprising, but what a lovely day for Gabrielle."
Of course, the birthday girl was ecstatic. "Daddy said I can invite whoever I want to my party," she grins, when asked why she sent the invite. "So I asked Mister Delacour."
"Hey now, you can call me Raphael, we're friends aren't we?"
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