part 1
Olympic star building a bright business career
By Jill Lieber, USA TODAY
Ask seven-time Olympic medalist swimmer Amanda Beard to list the most amazing opportunities she has had since last summer's Athens Games, and she's stumped.
Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard has turned gold won at the 2004 Summer Games into golden opportunities in the business world. Here, she models clothing made by Speedo.
Speedo
"Wow, I feel like there have been so many," she says, letting out a sigh. "Where do I begin?" (Related item: Beard's busy calendar)
Well, for starters, she's the face of Speedo's new active wear line, Axcelerate, and she'll be featured in more than $1 million of print advertising this year.
She's launching a line of Amanda Beard signature products, including skin care, hair care, fragrance, sunscreen and body wash. She'll co-own the company and be its primary decision maker, with a goal of grossing $100 million by 2010.
She's posing in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue — sprawled on the Puerto Rican sand in a bikini in a three-page foldout.
And she's signing long-term endorsement deals with Oroweat bread, Red Bull, Penta water and Mutual of Omaha; developing a series of book projects; investigating TV show hosting possibilities; and designing a licensed 2006 Amanda Beard calendar.
"I've always been very focused and determined," Beard says. "The things I've wanted to do haven't changed drastically over the years. I really want to do everything."
Seven months after winning the Olympic gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, plus silvers in the 200 individual medley and the 400 medley relay, Beard, 23, is doing just that while her Olympic teammates are preparing for the world championships trials.
To teenage girls, she's living proof to never give up. To women, she's the embodiment of a healthy active lifestyle. And to men, she's one of the sexiest athletes alive.
She's one of the most downloaded female athletes on the Internet. She was voted ESPN.com's Page 2 Hottest Female Athlete of 2005. In the past year, her Web site (www.amandabeard.net) has registered 650,000 hits.
She's got a full-time modeling, endorsement, corporate speaking and personal appearance schedule that will take her away from her Tucson home on 2 acres at the edge of the Sonoran desert; her beloved dogs, Jerry, 10, a sheltie, and Harlee, 5, a border collie and German shepherd mix; and her classes and swimming training at the University of Arizona as many as 150 days this year.
And, oh yes. She's commanding $15,000 an appearance.
"Amanda's doing something that has never been done: She's become more popular after the Olympics," says Craig Brommers, Speedo's vice president of marketing. "She represents the fusion of fashion, sports and entertainment. In the past, the rap against other female athletes who've stepped outside their arena, like Anna Kournikova, has been: What have they won? But Amanda has won seven Olympic medals and is a world recordholder. She's very much an authentic sportswoman."
Adds Diane Smith, Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue editor: "Amanda's pretty unique. She has that unique beauty, along with that unique athletic ability, which hasn't been seen before. She's an amazing athlete with a gorgeous body and beautiful eyes. She has it all."
Her agent, Evan Morgenstein of Premier Management Group, fields dozens of phone calls a week from corporations, TV production companies, entrepreneurs, charities and event organizers inquiring about Beard's availability.
He's turning down infomercials, reality TV shows, speaking engagements and endorsement opportunities left and right because many of the companies and projects just don't meet the high standards that Beard has set.
"The poster boy for the 2004 Olympics was (swimmer) Michael Phelps," Morgenstein says. "The irony is that someone in his own sport has eclipsed his stardom."
More than an athlete
Now Beard is attempting to transcend her sport and solidify herself as a brand.
By Eileen Blass, USA TODAY
Amanda Beard helped the U.S. earn a silver medal in the 4x100 medley at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
She doesn't want to be known only as an Olympic gold medalist, a world recordholding swimmer or a bikini model.
She wants to be known as the CEO of her own empire.
"I'm not afraid to put myself out there," says Beard, who is majoring in retail and consumer sciences at Arizona. Although she began college in 1999, she's a junior in standing because she has taken time to train for two Olympics and to fulfill her endorsement responsibilities, as well as to start her own company.
"I go for what I want," Beard continues. "I don't take no for an answer. If you have your mind set on big things and going big, and you're working that way, hey, hopefully you'll have staying power."
She and Morgenstein talk on the phone at all hours of the day, brainstorming her big dreams and his big ideas. The phone starts ringing in his Cary, N.C., office at 7 a.m., and many nights, it doesn't end until well after midnight.
Their vision of the business?
"Think Victoria Principal with a swimsuit, Kathy Ireland with goggles, Suzanne Somers with a gold medal," Morgenstein says. "No athlete that I can think of has created the vision and foundation for longevity and massive public acceptance as an innovator and spokesperson as Amanda has and will. We are creating a platform for her to use her sensibilities and life experiences to help women all over the world.
"If Mary Lou Retton had built her own brand instead of just being a spokesperson, she'd be a zillionaire right now. Amanda grew up at a time with a lot of strong women as role models. She says, 'I'm not going to be bought. I'm going to own.' We want to have an equity stake in areas we have an opportunity to build her out as a brand.
"Whether she ever swims another lap in the pool, her legacy in sports is set. Now we are going to exceed that legacy outside of the pool."
In fact, she's so busy flying around the country these days trying to become Amanda Beard Inc. that it's getting increasingly difficult for her to put together a string of quality swim workouts. On the road, she attempts to swim laps in hotel pools, and before she goes to bed, she'll do the dry land exercises (push-ups, sit-ups and core work) prescribed by Arizona coach Frank Busch.
Building a future
She's entered in three events at the world championship trials at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis on April 1-6, but she won't decide whether to compete until she dives into the pool a few days before the meet and sees how she feels in the water.
"We just try and swim whenever she's in town," Busch says. "It's difficult, but that's OK. This is a gift she has been given for her hard work and not something she has to justify. I've told her to strike while the iron is hot," Busch says. "And right now, the iron for Amanda Beard is very hot."
Beard's packed datebook
Thursday: Satellite media tour for USA Swimming to promote pool safety. Invited to Indiana Pacers game, courtside seats.
Friday: Swim.
Saturday: Appearance at the Fan Fest for women's NCAA basketball tournament.
Monday: Creative concept meeting with cosmetic industry executives Jim Morrison and Rob Wilcox and agent Evan Morgenstein to discuss signature hair and skin care lines.
April 5: Meeting with Speedo and Fresh Squeezed.
April 7: Fly to Long Beach for Toyota Grand Prix.
April 8: Media day for Toyota Grand Prix. Evening meeting with potential author of her health, fitness, style and beauty book.
April 9: Race day.
April 10-11: Speedo photo shoot in Los Angeles. Fly to Boston.
April 12: Personal appearance for Boston Scientific. Fly to Chicago.
April 13: Axcelerate launch at Marshall Field's department store. Redeye flight to Los Angeles.
April 14: Meeting with a TV production company about TV show hosting ideas. Fly home to Tucson.
April 15: Fly to Eugene, Ore.
April 16: Swim clinic for 400-plus kids with Olympic teammate Kaitlin Sandeno.
here's her interview
Take a victory lap with The World's Sexiest Athlete
“After my last FHM shoot during the 2004 games, people were like, ‘Wow, she’s grown up,’” says the now 24-year-old Amanda. “And it’s not only because I was in a sexy bikini but I also took on my own business ventures and I’m really in control of what is going on around me.”
That control has turned her into the Tiger Woods of swimming. Amanda gets a cool $15,000 per speaking engagement. She has signed a $1 million contract to advertise Speedo’s Axcelerate line. Throw in endorsement deals with Oroweat Bread, Red Bull and Penta water, and a signature line of fragrance products, and Amanda can earn up to $100 million by 2010. Is there anything she can’t do? “I can’t stop laughing every time I hear someone call me the World’s Sexiest Athlete,” she says. “I don’t look in the mirror and go, ‘Wow, I’m sexy.’” Amanda, perhaps you should take a look at these photos before you decide.
Do famous guys constantly ask for your phone number?
Sometimes, but it’s embarrassing anytime a guy asks for my number indirectly. That’s not cool. If you want to go out on a date with me, ask me. I’ve had famous guys try to go through my agent, but I’m stingy with my number.
Would you have been able to hang out in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit before winning an Olympic gold medal?
That sounds dirty. You shouldn’t say that since my ex-boyfriend Carl Edwards races against him. I’ve been in his pit a lot. Actually, I had liked NASCAR for a long time, but obviously while I was dating Carl I had more of an emotional attachment to it, more of a “please don’t crash and die” kind of attachment. Like, when I’m swimming and I’m competing, I don’t even care. I’m completely calm, but when I was with Carl, I was a nervous wreck every race. I don’t run the risk of dying while I’m swimming. So after the race, I was always like, “OK, it was a good race because you’re alive.”
You once said you wouldn’t date a guy shorter than 6-foot-4. Aren’t race-car drivers short?
He’s one of the taller drivers on the circuit, so it was OK. He’s like 6-foot-1, so he passed the height test. But as a general rule, race-car drivers are very short. I would never date a guy who was shorter than me.
Why is a famous Nextel Cup driver an ex-boyfriend?
I’m a really laid-back, chilled-out person. I’m a surfer girl from Southern California, and when you date a race-car driver, there’s so much stress. Race-car drivers are too intense for me. There’s no way you could get me to jump in a car and go 200 mph around the track slamming into people. You have to be an intense person to handle those race cars, and I’m not.
What’s harder: winning a NASCAR Nextel Cup race or a gold medal?
Definitely winning a gold medal is harder. I think that’s way hard, because you get that opportunity only once every four years, so if you screw up for one race, you’re screwed for four more years. In racing, if you don’t do well in one race, oh well, there’s another one a week later.
Give us some of the stranger requests you’ve received since the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
I’ve been asked to do a couple of reality shows. I’m not really ready for that kind of stuff yet, because it cuts into my training, and I don’t want to be known as a “has-been.” The Surreal Life wanted me. I think it’s a hilarious show and I love watching it, but wait until I have some crazy meltdown at a race first.
Have you finally allowed yourself to skinny-dip in a pool?
I just got a pool in my backyard. It’s so private, why would you wear a swimsuit? Now it’s annoying to swim when I have to wear a bathing suit. I’d much rather be in the pool naked, but most of the time I’d get in trouble. I told people there’s a “no swimsuit” rule for my pool. I don’t know if people will go for it, but I’m having a bachelorette party this weekend, so we’ll find out. A bunch of naked girls in my pool. Isn’t that perfect for FHM? Maybe we’ll all have a pillow fight afterward.
Yes, yes it is. Do you walk around the house naked?
The thing that’s great about my house is that it’s very private. You could lie out with no clothes on. I can walk around the house naked anytime, and I definitely take advantage of that. Being naked is no big deal in my house.
Have you ever gotten it on in a swimming pool?
Not yet. Never gotten naughty in a pool.
A car?
Who doesn’t get naughty in a car? But I’m not giving you any stories. There are no G-rated stories when it comes to that stuff. I’ll just say this: It’s much easier in the back seat. There’s too much stuff to maneuver around in the front seat.
Let’s turn to swimming. With no free time, is the Beijing Olympics in 2008 a realistic goal?
Oh, I’ve still got skills. I’ve got mad skills! I’m still motivated to swim. I love it. I have fun when I’m in the pool competing. The one place I feel completely at home is in the water. Like, I feel weird when I’m out of the water because I’m really clumsy on land, but as soon as I jump in the pool, it’s so comforting. I might as well be a mermaid. I’ve been doing it for 20 years now, and it still feels good, so yeah, my goal is to definitely compete
at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
And it would be hard to leave any job that requires you to wear a bathing suit every day.
I feel very comfortable in a bathing suit, but I think people don’t understand. They’re like, “How can you pose in bikinis and little skimpy outfits?” I’m like, “I go to the office in a two-piece swimsuit.” It’s not weird for me at all to hang out in a bikini. As soon as you put clothes on me, I’m like, “What’s going on?” I feel awkward in clothes. So me in a swimsuit, swimming in a pool, I’m happy. I mean it. On land, I’m so clumsy. I’m all Three Stooges combined into one.
Finally, did you get a world of grief for telling us last time you wedge your swimsuit up your butt?
I get made fun of for that constantly, but I don’t care. I still wedge the swimsuit up my butt. That’s not going away until my butt is way too big and just doesn’t look good. That’s a problem I’ll have to deal with one day. When I stop swimming, then I’ll have to worry.
here's her interview
Take a victory lap with The World's Sexiest Athlete
“After my last FHM shoot during the 2004 games, people were like, ‘Wow, she’s grown up,’” says the now 24-year-old Amanda. “And it’s not only because I was in a sexy bikini but I also took on my own business ventures and I’m really in control of what is going on around me.”
That control has turned her into the Tiger Woods of swimming. Amanda gets a cool $15,000 per speaking engagement. She has signed a $1 million contract to advertise Speedo’s Axcelerate line. Throw in endorsement deals with Oroweat Bread, Red Bull and Penta water, and a signature line of fragrance products, and Amanda can earn up to $100 million by 2010. Is there anything she can’t do? “I can’t stop laughing every time I hear someone call me the World’s Sexiest Athlete,” she says. “I don’t look in the mirror and go, ‘Wow, I’m sexy.’” Amanda, perhaps you should take a look at these photos before you decide.
Do famous guys constantly ask for your phone number?
Sometimes, but it’s embarrassing anytime a guy asks for my number indirectly. That’s not cool. If you want to go out on a date with me, ask me. I’ve had famous guys try to go through my agent, but I’m stingy with my number.
Would you have been able to hang out in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit before winning an Olympic gold medal?
That sounds dirty. You shouldn’t say that since my ex-boyfriend Carl Edwards races against him. I’ve been in his pit a lot. Actually, I had liked NASCAR for a long time, but obviously while I was dating Carl I had more of an emotional attachment to it, more of a “please don’t crash and die” kind of attachment. Like, when I’m swimming and I’m competing, I don’t even care. I’m completely calm, but when I was with Carl, I was a nervous wreck every race. I don’t run the risk of dying while I’m swimming. So after the race, I was always like, “OK, it was a good race because you’re alive.”
You once said you wouldn’t date a guy shorter than 6-foot-4. Aren’t race-car drivers short?
He’s one of the taller drivers on the circuit, so it was OK. He’s like 6-foot-1, so he passed the height test. But as a general rule, race-car drivers are very short. I would never date a guy who was shorter than me.
Why is a famous Nextel Cup driver an ex-boyfriend?
I’m a really laid-back, chilled-out person. I’m a surfer girl from Southern California, and when you date a race-car driver, there’s so much stress. Race-car drivers are too intense for me. There’s no way you could get me to jump in a car and go 200 mph around the track slamming into people. You have to be an intense person to handle those race cars, and I’m not.
What’s harder: winning a NASCAR Nextel Cup race or a gold medal?
Definitely winning a gold medal is harder. I think that’s way hard, because you get that opportunity only once every four years, so if you screw up for one race, you’re screwed for four more years. In racing, if you don’t do well in one race, oh well, there’s another one a week later.
Give us some of the stranger requests you’ve received since the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
I’ve been asked to do a couple of reality shows. I’m not really ready for that kind of stuff yet, because it cuts into my training, and I don’t want to be known as a “has-been.” The Surreal Life wanted me. I think it’s a hilarious show and I love watching it, but wait until I have some crazy meltdown at a race first.
Have you finally allowed yourself to skinny-dip in a pool?
I just got a pool in my backyard. It’s so private, why would you wear a swimsuit? Now it’s annoying to swim when I have to wear a bathing suit. I’d much rather be in the pool naked, but most of the time I’d get in trouble. I told people there’s a “no swimsuit” rule for my pool. I don’t know if people will go for it, but I’m having a bachelorette party this weekend, so we’ll find out. A bunch of naked girls in my pool. Isn’t that perfect for FHM? Maybe we’ll all have a pillow fight afterward.
Yes, yes it is. Do you walk around the house naked?
The thing that’s great about my house is that it’s very private. You could lie out with no clothes on. I can walk around the house naked anytime, and I definitely take advantage of that. Being naked is no big deal in my house.
Have you ever gotten it on in a swimming pool?
Not yet. Never gotten naughty in a pool.
A car?
Who doesn’t get naughty in a car? But I’m not giving you any stories. There are no G-rated stories when it comes to that stuff. I’ll just say this: It’s much easier in the back seat. There’s too much stuff to maneuver around in the front seat.
Let’s turn to swimming. With no free time, is the Beijing Olympics in 2008 a realistic goal?
Oh, I’ve still got skills. I’ve got mad skills! I’m still motivated to swim. I love it. I have fun when I’m in the pool competing. The one place I feel completely at home is in the water. Like, I feel weird when I’m out of the water because I’m really clumsy on land, but as soon as I jump in the pool, it’s so comforting. I might as well be a mermaid. I’ve been doing it for 20 years now, and it still feels good, so yeah, my goal is to definitely compete
at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
And it would be hard to leave any job that requires you to wear a bathing suit every day.
I feel very comfortable in a bathing suit, but I think people don’t understand. They’re like, “How can you pose in bikinis and little skimpy outfits?” I’m like, “I go to the office in a two-piece swimsuit.” It’s not weird for me at all to hang out in a bikini. As soon as you put clothes on me, I’m like, “What’s going on?” I feel awkward in clothes. So me in a swimsuit, swimming in a pool, I’m happy. I mean it. On land, I’m so clumsy. I’m all Three Stooges combined into one.
Finally, did you get a world of grief for telling us last time you wedge your swimsuit up your butt?
I get made fun of for that constantly, but I don’t care. I still wedge the swimsuit up my butt. That’s not going away until my butt is way too big and just doesn’t look good. That’s a problem I’ll have to deal with one day. When I stop swimming, then I’ll have to worry.
