FRENCHTOWN — Frenchtown football and volleyball were dealt big surprises last week when former Bronc and Montana Grizzly Adam Botkin showed up with a special gift ahead of homecoming.
Botkin has traveled the world as his social media brand has exploded. Currently, on Tik Tok he sports 1.2 million followers, as well as over 800,000 subscribers on YouTube and 570,000 on Instagram. He's worked with brands like Gatorade and NFL Sunday Ticket, as well as some of the largest college programs in the country.
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But his hometown of Frenchtown, with less than 2,000 people, still holds a special place in his heart. And last Thursday, he presented the football and volleyball programs with new jerseys he's donating to the school.
"This is really awesome for us," Frenchtown senior Rachel Walls said. "I think the last time we got new jerseys was my freshman year. Those were white ones. As far as I can remember, I don't think we've ever had full orange jerseys and cut offs at that. So it's kind of fun being in on the trend that everyone's doing and to match and have this opportunity. It's really exciting."
Botkin's brand Dreamer, which he runs with his team, is the sponsor of the new jerseys.
But making jerseys for the first time was an idea born exactly a year ago, when Botkin pitched Frenchtown athletic director Eli Field and football coach Seth Mason on making this happen.
"This is where I came from," Botkin said. "I played football here every Friday night. So being able to come back, give back, it's obviously a big thing that I've wanted to do. I've had making jerseys on the radar since we started the brand. So for the fact that it came to fruition now and seeing it on them is crazy."
"It was in June, and it's funny because we're sitting out at a softball tournament in a golf cart and he comes up and he shows us and he's got a little briefcase, like super secret, you know, and we're showing him and I was like, holy cow, these are the real deal," Mason added.
So through a lot of work, prep, learning, and mock-ups made on EA Team Builder, Botkin made his dream and vision a reality and provided the custom-made jerseys at no cost to the programs.
"That's very special. I think it's going to be really fun passing them down," Frenchtown senior Blake Hardy said. "I know these younger classmen are going to be really excited for this too. So those next few years I think are going to be very exciting for them as well."
Volleyball's jerseys are in the mail, but football got a fun showcase last Thursday.
Seniors Dawson Rodoni and Cooper Michaud, who are both out for the season with unfortunate injuries, got a fun opportunity to be part of the initial showing, and ultimate reveal to the team.
"No one else has worn it so we can build our story into it as a senior year and say, hey, we wore these jerseys," Rodoni said. "We were the first ones to wear these jerseys. So I think it's super cool and it sucks that we can't wear them, but it's super cool to see the other guys wear it and see how good they look and it's just cool to be a part of."
"Just thinking about when I was a kid, I'd come and I'd watch him playing football and basketball," Michaud said. "Or he'd come out and kick field goals when I was in middle school and we'd watch him at recess. And just to think that he still comes back and remembers kind of where he started is just awesome."
Botkin's social media following with sports brands, teams and more, have grown exponentially into the millions, as huge opportunities have been presented to him everywhere he goes.
So to showcase his dream and craft and give back to where it all started ranks among the top of his ever-growing list of life experiences.
"The brand is Dreamer, right? It's about dreaming and going big, right? And dreaming big and shooting for it. And that's what that guy did. And he's made his way," Mason said. "He's self-made. He's one of the hardest working guys. So just being a great role model for our kids and showing that you can go do things like this. You can go be somebody. But then you can still also remember your roots, remember where you came from and give back."
"What this town runs on is community," Botkin added. "I think the community speaks for itself. It's always loud. It's always family. You need something, they got you. And so it's always just good to come back and be able to see the community come together."
