e: whoops, wrong thread
Heh. That’s a (no pun intended) dick move? I think I did that in my youth.
Seriously, that’s not that surprising. One swimmer comes along and dominates the Olympics and is the greatest Olympian since Carl Lewis, etc., and then another one comes along and does exactly the same thing, four years later.
I know I’m confused.
Thorpe and Phelps also overlap a lot in the events the swim/swam. And they’re both tall, rather awkward looking guys (with killer bodies). If you’re not a swimming fan, it’d be as hard to tell them apart as it is for me recognizing which beglittered and ponytailed gymnastics pixie is which.
I thought Spitz really wasn’t much for practice. He’d just show up at the events and win, he was that much better then everyone else.
Is this another one of those American celebrity cycles? Where a person who finds success is built up, only to have many people looking to find faults to rip that person down. Seems it’s almost the new American pasttime.
Pretty easy to tell Phelps and Thorpe apart . . . first of all Thorpe is Australian. He’s also ~3 inches taller, blonde*, and referred to most of the time as The Thorpedo.
*(until the most recent time I saw him - he dyed it some bronzish color with hints of purple)
Oh, that’s not a new American pastime. It’s a human pastime, if anything.
That wasn’t my intent with this thread. I didn’t know much at all about the guy and the first article about him I ran across (ran across, didn’t do research) made it seem a bit like he was bitter. I asked, got answered, it’s cool.
I think he’s adorable, and I’m proud of him. I finally saw a short post-swimming interview with him last night after his team obliterated the seven minute barrier in that relay event, and he sounded pretty nice.
I know there are a lot of younger 'dopers about, but keep in mind that he’s just a kid…and one that has lead a very focused and sheltered life. I mean, I saw the little special they ran on him, and this guy HAS no life outside of swimming (and eating…lord, he eats a LOT!). Considering his daily routine and what he puts himself through he’s remarkably stable and good natured.
Hell, I don’t know how any of those people adapt…or why in the hell any parent would ever put their kids through all that stuff. I’m actually sickened by the womans gymnastics, especially the Chinese team who take the little girls from their parents at 3 years of age…and only allow the parents to see them something like once a year from then on! I can’t imagine even letting my little girl do any of that dangerous stuff even without that.
Oh well, that’s another rant…sorry for the hijack.
-XT
They showed him chilling in the stands last night watching Phelps.
Yeah, there never could have been that immortal joke:
“How do they fill up the Olympic swimming pool?”
“Mark spits!”
Yup . . . broke my heart the other night when one of the diver girls said - with what sounded like a little bit of regret underneath the surface - “I didn’t go to high school.” And she was a diver for god’s sake. Not the most intense sport. I find it hard to imagine how some of these people will ever be able to have a life outside of their sport; they’re so far behind in education, general knowledge, people skills, etc, it’s got to be impossible for at least some of them to ever catch up. And only the tip-top best of the best of the best even get a medal to show for it all.
By the way, did the way the Chinese gymnasts are raised remind anyone else of the Jedi? 
yeah, it did. no lightsabers though.
it has to be heartwrenching though, with the one child rule. you have your one child and then they say, “your child will live here. and do this. don’t call, don’t see them. we will call you, thank you.”
NPR did a bit a month or two ago interviewing former Chinese Olympians, and she said that’s a real problem. The kids are not really trained for how to deal with the real world, and can get in a lot of trouble after they are no longer a commodity.
Some are trying to change that, but it’s not easy in a nation like China.
Nice pre-Olympics SI article that gives a little insight into what kind of guy Phelps is.
I’ve always thought he had a very nice personality. Phelps is basically a god among men and considering just how mind-blowingly awesome he is, he is remarkably humble. He credits his good friend Ryan Lochte for his improvement as a swimmer and takes genuine pleasure in the accomplishments of his teammates.
Also, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned ADHD. I seem to recall an NBC spot on him describing the way swimming really helped him cope with his ADHD. I grew up with a friend who had this, and I gotta tell you I’m impressed as hell how focused he has learned to become. Phelps is not just a great swimmer, he is a great strategist. He always knows exactly where he is in the pool and exactly what he needs to do – compare that to some of the other champions who upon interview blather that they didn’t even realize they were ahead. Phelps took the 3rd in one of the semis to save energy for the race he had later that day. He could have easily won the semi, but he held back – he isn’t just a physically powerful swimmer, he’s an intelligent one.
Completely ignoring the public persona that’s been created by the media, you can just sort of tell he’s something special. I’ve learned more just watching him race than any article or TV spot I’ve seen so far.
Example: when he finished the 200 m freestyle, the event in which he’d taken the bronze in Athens, you knew it was something he wanted badly. He has a penchant for focusing on his weaknesses and bettering himself at every opportunity. One would expect him to be overjoyed upon finishing the 200 m freestyle with a World Record, but he was not. You could see by his face he was disappointed with his time. He never mentioned that to the media, but it was right there on his face. He also didn’t bother mentioning that his eyes were full of chlorine and he’d just run what for him was a very shitty race. He didn’t talk about how exhausted he was by his demanding and unprecedented race schedule, none of that. He just talked about the next thing he wanted to do. He has lofty time aspirations which only he himself knows–not even his coach. He’s got a very private side which has nothing to do with all the hype-- he just wants to improve himself.
He has also demonstrated remarkable loyalty to his coach, unabashed love and respect for his mother and admiration for his teammates. He is by far my favorite athlete and appears to have a very internal locus of control – his motivation ultimately comes from within. Not to mention the sheer joy he experiences with every accomplishment. It is like watching a 10-year-old, the elation is so pure. Maybe he’s made some mistakes, maybe there are parts of him that are still immature (as with most 23-year-olds… ask me the difference between my 23-year-old self and my current, 25 year old self to illustrate my point), but at bottom he basically seems like a regular guy in all other ways except the one that makes him the greatest swimmer of all time.
olivesmarch4th and Michael, sittin’ in a tree . . .
How doest his contradict the OP? Oh, right …
I see Phelps as having a quiet confidence about him.
From my limited perspective, Ian Thorpe comes across as an ego-dick, ditto for Gary Hall.
Here is an example from Athens of non-dickishness. Phelps pulled out of a relay and allowed his team-mate to swim.