“Whatever you do, don’t join the swim team.” In my world, them’s fighting words.
I was enjoying my mid day swim in a lap lane at a country club when I heard a young boy say those words to his buddies. I couldn’t sit by idly while this kid talked other kids out of the sport I love, so I asked him why he would say such a thing. Apparently he didn’t like the idea of wearing “bikini bottoms,” and doing all those laps. As a true swim geek, I defended my sport with rational explanations that boiled down to the two words that end all of my arguments when explaining how cool swimming is… Michael Phelps.
Me: what about Michael Phelps? It doesn’t get any cooler than Michael Phelps.
The kids: Who?
Me: Come on. You’re either joking or you live under a rock. You know who Michael Phelps is.
The kids: Who?
I was shocked. Everyone knows who Michael Phelps is. Right? Apparently their mothers noticed my shock, or maybe how visibly upset this made me, because they came over to check if everything was ok. I said, “No. These boys don’t know who Michael Phelps is. Everything is not ok.”
Maybe these kids are the exception in the 7 to 11 year old demographic or maybe they are just too young to remember 2012, but the idea that every boy that age doesn’t know the story of the greatest Olympian of all time terrifies me. We’re talking about a once in a generation athlete. His story would make a swim fan out of anyone.
I remember the first time I saw Michael Phelps swim. I’ll never forget it. A weekend much like this, at the Santa Clara Inviational in 2003. He had just turned 18 and he was already an Olympian and world record holder. I knew who he was but he didn’t have the kind of following he does these days. He was able to sit up in the stands with everyone else and it was cool to see him in action. At the pool, he seemed to be all business. He was stretching, warming up, warming down, or racing. All weekend. After setting a bunch of meet records he had the 200 IM on the last day. I was watching the race but talking with a teammate until the announcer called out his 100 split under WR pace. At that point I stood up and watched the back half of the fastest 200 IM in history.
Swimming changed for me that day. He went on to break that record again at World Championships that summer and since then he’s become the most decorated Olympian of all time. I’ve been lucky enough to see him set a couple more world records, including his last one which is a story I’ll save for another time. The point is that swim in Santa Clara was a magical performance I’ll never forget. You aren’t supposed to set world records at this point in the season in an old pool like Santa Clara. His mid season best was faster than anyone else in history. Seeing that level of excellence lit a fiery passion for the sport that stays with me to this day.
How many swimmers will he affect like that this weekend in Santa Clara? For over a decade now the sport of swimming has enjoyed a boost in our numbers thanks to the Phelps effect. As a swim coach, I couldn’t be more grateful. It really scared me that those boys didn’t know about the GOAT (greatest of all time). Every kid needs to know that the most dominant athlete of this generation is a swimmer.
After thrashing through another set out of pure frustration I remembered, he’s at a pool this weekend making lifelong fans out of anyone who’s lucky enough to see him in action. Someday soon we’ll have to deal with life after Phelps, but today I was able to relax because he’s back to show at least one more generation how cool it is to be a swimmer.
The entire time you’re describing talking to a bunch of tweens and telling them what’s cool, I couldn’t help but keep picturing – “Hey everybody, an old man’s talking!” (Five minutes, ten seconds in.)
I agree with your message, but the method just kinda made me cringe a little bit.
I took my son to see Olympic Trials in Long Beach. The kids would stand at the back entrance to get autographs and the athletes would always sign items and take photos with them. One day Michael was coming in and he wouldn’t sign for anyone. Later that afternoon he was coming back out and stopped to sign autographs. Coach Bowman kept telling him he was late for the press conference. Michael said he wouldn’t leave until he signed everyone’s items because he didn’t have a chance to do it earlier in the day when he was focusing on his race. He stayed until every kid got signatures and photos! He didn’t rush and he was generous with his time… Read more »
I enjoyed this piece. Thanks for posting this anecdote because I’m sick of hearing negative comments about Michael! When you’re a big star, I’m sure everybody wants a little of your time/attention and it must be annoying. You could see the strain in 2012 and his relief to have his swimming career end. That’s what’s so great now; he’s smiling and enjoying himself and I feel like we’re finally getting to know the real Michael Phelps!
Being a swimmer is, in fact, a priceless experience. I’m a 24-year-old Brazilian boy and what we have seen these days at the pools is amazing. I wish I’d had more time to swim as much as I could and keep training. Our heroes are our inspiration.
Very good article 🙂
Enjoyed reading this!
I feel a lot of times swimmers in general don’t get the credit they deserve as athletes. Watching Phelps over the years has made me appreciate not only his talent but how driven he is as a competitor. His mental game is insane. What he was able to do in Beijing is legendary. It bothers me sometimes how some try to dismiss Phelps accomplishments & other swimmers accomplishments just because they are “swimmers”. Swimming as a sport is definately no joke.
Beautiful piece!