Dara Torres-Amazing

Isn't the purpose of this forum to express opinions and share what we've learned with others? You are now learning if you say anything from a conservative slant, you are tarred and feathered as someone who is not educated or stuck in the dark ages. Typical liberal ways of disagreeing. Welcome to the USMS forums.

Beltran.....yeah he's naively confident, stupid, or maybe desperate. The EPO tests continue to advance so these riders are idiots. The positive tests usually result in a 2 year ban. What I don't understand is, surely the performance gain from EPO in a lengthy cycling race must be very large, perhaps over 10%? Assuming that many of the cyclists have similar clean performance, if the majority are clean I don't understand why those who fail drug tests aren't disappearing off into the distance ahead of all the clean athletes?

Isn't the purpose of this forum to express opinions and share what we've learned with others? I don't think much has been learned by many, most of the posts here are rumour and innuendo.

The article hardly demystified Dara. It raises doubt, a natural thing to do, but it provides no answers. I agree the title is misleading. It is a fairly short article so I would not expect too much, but what I liked is that there was at least an ATTEMPT at some research; so many articles out there are just simple opinion pieces. Did anyone click on the meridian stretching links? Last spring I bought a DVD demonstrating some of the exercises and was not that impressed but I am not sure I have given it a fair shot. I admit to being turned off by two aspects: one is the weirdness of Bob Cooley and his claims for some of the stretches (improving personality and the like). The other is the fact that it seems to get the most benefit, you need to do it with a partner, which can be impractical (to be sure, there are a number of stretches that can be done solo). My wife laughed so hard at some of Cooley's claims that I doubt I could ever get her to partner up with me on the stretches (at least, not without much snide commentary!). But I have heard some good things about the method (the physical aspects anyway) from some people I know and respect. Anyone else have any experience with it? (Those of you who are anti-stretching can save your breath. :) )

There is some folly, to be sure. There is a substantial difference between staying in shape and competing consistently on the international elite level. I'm not sure what TaeBo has to do with any of this. I'm not even really sure that TaeBo is, some kung-fu huckster video series I suspect, that made someone rich. You should really try it....it's a better workout then you might think.......

How many of the USA team members do you suspect of doping??? Is it 10 or 15??? I have seen a lot of outstanding swims. Does it require drug use to do these outstanding swims? Who do you suspect??? How many, they surely swam fast. It must be un/natural. How many have bad parenting skills??? How many are parents legally or otherwise??? How many were raised by parents who had bad parenting skills??? Please aswer the Questions.

Elise- Balance is exactly right. Balance is something you find for yourself and your family. Don't proclaim that the balance you have found is what others need to comply with or by judged by. Lighten up. Tree

It's called humility and I, myself, need to be more that way. Isn't humility all the more important in folks that have a chance like Dara to be among the best? What is she not being humble about? If you need more humility, go get it then but that doesn't mean Dara is wrong for doing what she feels and is capable of doing at this point in her life.

Come on Jim you know no one trying to discuss this topic is making this argument...you've purposely left out every single other key element ties to the skepticism some of us had...your far smarter than that so play fair. The accurate way to say what you said based on this long discussion would be; "It's questionable but possible that a 41 year old former elite female athlete after a 7 year layoff from swimming, an 18 month comeback, two surgeries, a completely redesigned physique can not only do a lifetime best but set 2 AR's and such an athlete in spite of undergoing testing should and is aware that people will question such accomplishments based on the drug culture that continues to grow in the world of sports" But y'all keep leaving out the other facts....yes she took time off from competing....but she worked out the whole time......did not take all that time off away from the pool...she swam all the way up to the day before giving birth....was competing very shortly after that birth.....and as far as her physique...I found pictures from back in 2001 where she is standing next to Gabby Reece and Tommy Lasorda....makes them both look pretty puny as far as the guns go......I just don't see this drastic transformation y'all are talking about.

I would add Katie Hoff to the list of spokeswomen. No eggs from me btw.