Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Too good to leave a comment
Is Phelps AMAZING or is he just a freak of nature? He has said that these 8 gold medals he has won are proof that you can do anything you set your mind too. In some instances I agree with him, but having the physical body features that he does contributes even more in my opinion.The guy is 6'4" has a wing span of 6'7" and has hands the size of hubcaps and his size 14 feet make even "Flipper" jealous. He is not your average joe off the street wanting to win some gold medals. God gave this man the physical features to be a great swimmer and Phelps has not squandered his talent. I can not get up earlier, lift more weights, or train longer to make my hands bigger or my arms longer. Don't get me wrong I still think Mr. Phelps is the best of the best but swimming is uniquely different from many of the other Olympic competitions. By having larger body features (hands, feet, wingspan) will give you a distinct advantage over the other competitors. The only other people I know who have similair physical traits as Phelps does are playing basketball. Will Phelps 8 Golds convince more young athletes to trade in their baggy shorts for a speedo? I seriously doubt it. As long as leagues are paying basketball players millions of dollars and Schools are offering scholarships for one year stints in college the local YMCA pools will only be filled with the daily elderly water aerobics class. -The Milkman
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I disagree - many young kids are being inspired by Michael Phelps for many reasons. Of course no one can disagree that his physical attributes aid him greatly just as most great basketball players have certain physical attributes as well - you don't see any short, fat folks running up and down the court on tv.
The main reason that Michael Phelps will inspire kids and bring more attention to the sport of swimming is by his very unassuming nature and his average guy personality. That is appealing to main stream americans who are begging to find a role model that looks, acts and talks like they do.
Kids can see themselves swimming like Michael Phelp and parents can easily identify with him, his mother and his sisters.
His 8 gold medals are something to be proud of - maybe you should visit a swim club or local Y this fall and taken in the environment. You might be pleasantly surprised.
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