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Omg!!! He did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 185635" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>I haven't double-checked, but from what I know of Ian Thorpe he wouldn't have meant anything mean. The guy is incredibly gentle. I suspect his comment was either meant as, "I really don't see how you could train for such a wide variety of events, to such a high standard, and not burn out" or deliberately meant to drive him to do it; or even both?</p><p></p><p>Thorpie would be thrilled for him. He's be sorry for Grant Hackett, they're good friends too. But as I said before - credit where credit is due. There has been some long-term good-natured rivalry between the US swimmers and the Aussies. They're always stirring each other but always in fun. Frankly, anything else interferes with your mind-set too much.</p><p></p><p>On the radio this morning I heard Shane Gould, the Aussie swimmer who scored a record number of medals at the Munich Olympics (when Mark Spitz scored his bagful). She expressed concern that the really hard training being done by Michael Phelps and others really pushing themselves hard, could be doing them damage that could come back to bite them further down the track. She wasn't just talking about Phelps, she was talking about all the male swimmers primarily, regardless of which country. Ours too. She used some of our swimmers as examples, the ones whose health is breaking down and forcing them to retire. </p><p></p><p>If anyone would know, she would.</p><p></p><p>I checked up on what I could find about any problem between Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps - I couldn't find any evidence that there is a problem. In fact, I found evidence of attempts by the media to cause problems and report on problems between them that are not there. Spitz WAS cheesed off to not be invited to go to the Olympic Games when others like him HAD been invited - and frankly, I think he has a point. But independent of anything I found on this tonight on Wikipedia, I heard that Mark Spitz said that he was sad to see his record broken, but it had stood for long enough. He wished Michael all the best but felt he didn't need the luck, he was sure he would do it.</p><p></p><p>From my observations of the world swimmers over the years, and from what I have read that has been written by swimmers, beginning with Dawn Fraser, I think there is a great deal of camaraderie between swimmers of different countries. More conflict from athletes within the same country but most conflict between officials and athletes from the same country. And the most of all - is beat-up by the media.</p><p></p><p>I think Mark Spitz was an amazing athlete, I remember he talked to Shane Gould about competition back then - she was a kid at her first Olympics. He had experience and shared what he could with a new kid who was struggling with a lot of new experiences but without a lot of the supports that are in place for athletes these days. I followed her career (and life) closely, because her older sister was my classmate. </p><p></p><p>I also like what I've seen of Michael Phelps and his mother - they seem really good people, very natural and down-to-earth. Good on him!</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 185635, member: 1991"] I haven't double-checked, but from what I know of Ian Thorpe he wouldn't have meant anything mean. The guy is incredibly gentle. I suspect his comment was either meant as, "I really don't see how you could train for such a wide variety of events, to such a high standard, and not burn out" or deliberately meant to drive him to do it; or even both? Thorpie would be thrilled for him. He's be sorry for Grant Hackett, they're good friends too. But as I said before - credit where credit is due. There has been some long-term good-natured rivalry between the US swimmers and the Aussies. They're always stirring each other but always in fun. Frankly, anything else interferes with your mind-set too much. On the radio this morning I heard Shane Gould, the Aussie swimmer who scored a record number of medals at the Munich Olympics (when Mark Spitz scored his bagful). She expressed concern that the really hard training being done by Michael Phelps and others really pushing themselves hard, could be doing them damage that could come back to bite them further down the track. She wasn't just talking about Phelps, she was talking about all the male swimmers primarily, regardless of which country. Ours too. She used some of our swimmers as examples, the ones whose health is breaking down and forcing them to retire. If anyone would know, she would. I checked up on what I could find about any problem between Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps - I couldn't find any evidence that there is a problem. In fact, I found evidence of attempts by the media to cause problems and report on problems between them that are not there. Spitz WAS cheesed off to not be invited to go to the Olympic Games when others like him HAD been invited - and frankly, I think he has a point. But independent of anything I found on this tonight on Wikipedia, I heard that Mark Spitz said that he was sad to see his record broken, but it had stood for long enough. He wished Michael all the best but felt he didn't need the luck, he was sure he would do it. From my observations of the world swimmers over the years, and from what I have read that has been written by swimmers, beginning with Dawn Fraser, I think there is a great deal of camaraderie between swimmers of different countries. More conflict from athletes within the same country but most conflict between officials and athletes from the same country. And the most of all - is beat-up by the media. I think Mark Spitz was an amazing athlete, I remember he talked to Shane Gould about competition back then - she was a kid at her first Olympics. He had experience and shared what he could with a new kid who was struggling with a lot of new experiences but without a lot of the supports that are in place for athletes these days. I followed her career (and life) closely, because her older sister was my classmate. I also like what I've seen of Michael Phelps and his mother - they seem really good people, very natural and down-to-earth. Good on him! Marg [/QUOTE]
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