Most of you probably don't know this, but my younger sister and I were competitive swimmers for pretty much the totality of our childhoods. I was *good* - my big achievement was winning MVP all four years in high school (don't get too excited...you would have to see the competition to understand why this only made me "good").
Amy? Was great. Broke her first state record at the age of 8, her first national record at the age of 13. Her 8 & U 25 yard freestyle record stood for so long in the state of Florida that they eventually retired it. Four years All American in high school, countless state championships to her credit, school and club records that still stand even today.
Qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988 - swam in 1988, and if it weren't for the fact that she dislocated her shoulder on the turn in the 100m backstroke, might have made the team.
Great.
Through Amy, I got to see legends of swimming up close. Tracy Caulkins, Mary Meaghr, Kim Linehan, Janet Evans, Nancy Hogshead, Carrie Steinseiffer, Matt Biondi, Dara Torres...heck, Amy had a personally autographed photo of Mark Spitz when we were growing up.
And I don't remember *any* of them capturing the country's interest like Michael Phelps has.
Okay, the washboard abs help, true, but he's hardly the first male swimmer to have such a gorgeous bod.
The medal race? Sure - it's a longstanding record he's going for, and if the past several nights are any indication he has the first real shot of anyone at breaking it.
More than that, though, I think he's captured our attention so thoroughly because he's genuinely having a good time with this. He's not all dour and focused and intense about it - he's open and smiling, supporting his team as enthusiastically as he goes after his own goals. He's happy when he wins, and you know when he's standing in that medal ceremony this truly is his dream realized.
There's a kind of magic to that people can't help responding to. It's why we took Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton into our hearts.
Which is partly my lame way of transitioning into the growing Women's Gymnastics controversy.
( This is getting long, I know... )
In the words of Dennis Miller: "That's just my opinion...I could be wrong."
Amy? Was great. Broke her first state record at the age of 8, her first national record at the age of 13. Her 8 & U 25 yard freestyle record stood for so long in the state of Florida that they eventually retired it. Four years All American in high school, countless state championships to her credit, school and club records that still stand even today.
Qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988 - swam in 1988, and if it weren't for the fact that she dislocated her shoulder on the turn in the 100m backstroke, might have made the team.
Great.
Through Amy, I got to see legends of swimming up close. Tracy Caulkins, Mary Meaghr, Kim Linehan, Janet Evans, Nancy Hogshead, Carrie Steinseiffer, Matt Biondi, Dara Torres...heck, Amy had a personally autographed photo of Mark Spitz when we were growing up.
And I don't remember *any* of them capturing the country's interest like Michael Phelps has.
Okay, the washboard abs help, true, but he's hardly the first male swimmer to have such a gorgeous bod.
The medal race? Sure - it's a longstanding record he's going for, and if the past several nights are any indication he has the first real shot of anyone at breaking it.
More than that, though, I think he's captured our attention so thoroughly because he's genuinely having a good time with this. He's not all dour and focused and intense about it - he's open and smiling, supporting his team as enthusiastically as he goes after his own goals. He's happy when he wins, and you know when he's standing in that medal ceremony this truly is his dream realized.
There's a kind of magic to that people can't help responding to. It's why we took Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton into our hearts.
Which is partly my lame way of transitioning into the growing Women's Gymnastics controversy.
( This is getting long, I know... )
In the words of Dennis Miller: "That's just my opinion...I could be wrong."
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