Dara just one the national title in the 100M Freestyle in 54.4 at the ripe old age of 40. Simply Incredible. :applaud: :woot:
If that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
Former Member
Dictionary definition of a heroine:
1. A woman or girl admired for her bravery or great deeds
2. The most important female person in a story, play, motion picture.
3. Mythology and legend, a woman or girl having more than human qualities.
On the other hand, posts referring to those of us voicing our suspicions or skepticism as "Dara bashers", "Dara haters", "prosecutors", or even "persecutors" could be viewed as disrepectful, I suppose.
I am bad I will change my habits and not be disrepectful again. I hope this goes for everybody.
By the way, I live in the real world too. I can tell that by the pain in my shoulder. Implying that those who aren't jumping on the bash Dara bandwagon are living in a fantasy world is weak, but has been a primary argument on these forums. I'm not criticizing anyone else as being delusional because of what they believe or don't believe here. Please show everyone else the same respect.
That's the problem with this form of communication. I have read that 90% of the time our intent is misinterpreted. I was not trying to imply that those who believe in Dara are living in a fantasy world, nor to my knowledge have I been disrespectful toward them in my posts. On the other hand, posts referring to those of us voicing our suspicions or skepticism as "Dara bashers", "Dara haters", "prosecutors", or even "persecutors" could be viewed as disrepectful, I suppose.
That statement implies that she is cheating or hiding something from everyone, at least from your point of view. You seemed to have blocked out the possibility that we already know the full truth.
Jim, have you blocked out the possibility that we don't? Having turned 50 this year, I want to believe she is clean, that we don't understand the aging process as well as we think we do, that there are exceptions and ways to (legally) circumvent it. I really do. But I live in the real world, a world in which people age and athletes use performance enhancing drugs to achieve many of the headline-grabbing achievements we read about.
Our ever-controversial sports columnist, Jason Whitlock, wrote a column about Dara the other day:
Full column:
www.kansascity.com/.../693347.html
There’s something fishy about old swimmer
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
A white Jewish mother 12 days older than I is the star of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, and the American media are treating her like she’s Barry Bonds.
That’s progress.....
Today there were two letters to the editor in response to that column:
Is the “41-year-old mother of one” referred to in the news article (7/7, “Ageless Torres takes another race in record fashion”) the same person as the “white Jewish mother” referred to in Jason Whitlock’s opinion column (7/6, “Swim story sounds fishy”)? Yes, I am being sarcastic.
The headline on Whitlock’s column with the word “fishy” indicates immediately that there was something suspicious about the ability of this woman to perform this well. If this person had been any other race, color or faith, would Whitlock’s column have so indicated? If it did, it would have been wrong as well.
Yes, I am white, and I am Jewish. But I am sure people of other races and faiths are just as disgusted with Whitlock’s comments as I am.
Bill Kaiser
Overland Park
"White Jewish," "41-year-old mother of an infant child," "12 days older than I", two surgeries, a "late bloomer" (even), wins an Olympics trial because she’s "sucking down asthma medication," Jason Whitlock says.
Gee, Jason. Why do I doubt your take has anything to do with this beautiful lady Dara Torres being a winner? You might want to try racing Natalie Coughlin. We’ll give you a lap head start and a flotation device.
I’m thinking desire, dedication, talent, persistence, ability and an Olympic swimmer’s body might have something to do with it.
Bill Brewer
Kansas City
Would you put that garbage in your system knowing you would pass it directly on to your kid? Not many women would that I know.
There are news stories on a regular basis about druggies who use while pregnant and put their children's lives in danger to feed their habit. You could probably argue that competition is (on some small level) similar to drug addiction. I know that it is addictive for me. Who is to say that the allure of Olympic gold isn't strong enough to overpower the natural instincts of a mother to protect her child. All I am saying is that the argument that a mother couldn't possibly do that to her child is not really all that convincing in my mind.
I have used most of my posts to defend Dara. The bottom line for me is that she is, by all outward appearances, an affable person. That is enough for me, without any real evidence to the contrary, to like her and cheer her anomalous achievements. That's not to say that I won't be extremely disappointed if it turns out that she is a cheat. It's funny that Bonds was brought up. I can't help but think that if he had been more friendly and outgoing, that the public may have stood behind him a bit more when he was under fire.
