Dara Torres-Amazing

You see, Paul, adding that "cool-aid" remark in there implies that anyone that disagrees with your opinion here is a non-thinking lunatic who blindly follows what others say about Dara. It could just as easily be characterized that your contrary opinion is the "cool-aid" drinking opinion, blindly following the naysayers about Dara without looking at what she has really done. I don't think that either side here is that extreme. I think that the people here have all looked at Dara's achievements and her reported workout regime, etc. and formed reasonable opinions. They are, however opposing opinions. I will not try to convince you or others, but my opinion is that Dara is and always has been clean. This opinion has been formed based on the following facts, plus some others that I'm probably forgetting as I type. It isn't like she sat around watching TV and smoking cigarettes in her "off" years from swimming. She has remained incredibly fit throughout the years with her tai bo stint and everything else. When she came back, she learned a new more efficient freestyle stroke and has taken up a new workout regime that is different than anyone else's. Her stroke efficiency was significantly better than anyone else in the pool at nationals last year. THAT is the real difference with Dara, and drugs don't give you that. I noticed the same thing with Kara Lynn Joyce's stroke at the Mizzou meet last week, so maybe her competition is starting to pick up on this. She is also concentrating on very short races, which is more plausible for her limited swimming workouts. Seeing her on the deck at Mizzou, her musculature was not out of proportion vs. any of the other women in the faster heats. I just don't see anything that points decisively to drug use. Jim I was VERY careful and specific in what I posted...I did not use the cool aid analogy in reference to believing what I or anyone else believes but rather to those who refuse to question things in life that in general should be questioned...that includes drug use in sports, politics, religion, etc. etc.....everything. People who blindly accept things at face value AND then criticize/threaten or otherwise tell those who don't are in my opinion cool aid drinkers....In this conversation there have been some great posts bringing up why/why not regarding whether there is something going on here...than there are those attack. You have an opinion, you expressed it and thats great. I accept that she has passed testing and is clean until proven otherwise and think that what she has achieved is groundbreaking in all sports...I still have some nagging doubts based on a number of things...most of which have been brought up on this forum but for now we go forward. But in your case I KNOW you drink cool aid so back off!! :banana:

You see, Paul, adding that "cool-aid" remark in there implies that anyone that disagrees with your opinion here is a non-thinking lunatic who blindly follows what others say about Dara. It could just as easily be characterized that your contrary opinion is the "cool-aid" drinking opinion, blindly following the naysayers about Dara without looking at what she has really done. I don't think that either side here is that extreme. I think that the people here have all looked at Dara's achievements and her reported workout regime, etc. and formed reasonable opinions. They are, however opposing opinions. I will not try to convince you or others, but my opinion is that Dara is and always has been clean. This opinion has been formed based on the following facts, plus some others that I'm probably forgetting as I type. It isn't like she sat around watching TV and smoking cigarettes in her "off" years from swimming. She has remained incredibly fit throughout the years with her tai bo stint and everything else. When she came back, she learned a new more efficient freestyle stroke and has taken up a new workout regime that is different than anyone else's. Her stroke efficiency was significantly better than anyone else in the pool at nationals last year. THAT is the real difference with Dara, and drugs don't give you that. I noticed the same thing with Kara Lynn Joyce's stroke at the Mizzou meet last week, so maybe her competition is starting to pick up on this. She is also concentrating on very short races, which is more plausible for her limited swimming workouts. Seeing her on the deck at Mizzou, her musculature was not out of proportion vs. any of the other women in the faster heats. I just don't see anything that points decisively to drug use. Jim I was VERY careful and specific in what I posted...I did not use the cool aid analogy in reference to believing what I or anyone else believes but rather to those who refuse to question things in life that in general should be questioned...that includes drug use in sports, politics, religion, etc. etc.....everything. People who blindly accept things at face value AND then criticize/threaten or otherwise tell those who don't are in my opinion cool aid drinkers....In this conversation there have been some great posts bringing up why/why not regarding whether there is something going on here...than there are those attack. You have an opinion, you expressed it and thats great. I accept that she has passed testing and is clean until proven otherwise and think that what she has achieved is groundbreaking in all sports...I still have some nagging doubts based on a number of things...most of which have been brought up on this forum but for now we go forward. But in your case I KNOW you drink cool aid so back off!! :banana: