Dara Torres-Amazing

This thread is exhausting (although not so much as to drive me to a Tri forum)...possibly even exhausted. It will be interesting to look back on it though as time marches on, Olympic Trials come and go, and Beijing 2008 arrives. I can certainly see the reasons why one would question her performance at this age, but until there is some proof I am going to have to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she has been rather upfront about drug testing. If she is hiding something she is doing a very good job of it.

Geek- You do realize that flip turns are a no-no for Tri athletes, don't you?

Geek- You do realize that flip turns are a no-no for Tri athletes, don't you? They'll be a no-no for me tomorrow...I cracked my heels last niight...trying to avoid the lane line due to sharing the lane, I took my eye of the wall and "DONG" thankfully it was aluminium not the tile like the indoor pool.

Jayhawk's example of the forged birth certificate is still cracking me up. Me too, Fort. I'm going to alter mine to say I'm 70...that should get me a NQT next year.;) As a novice, I have no opinion on dope/no-dope. Last year my daughter and I watched the Tour...thankfully she forgot about Landis quickly. Wednesday, however, she was sitting in the stands with me, watching Torres perform. She's into swimming (came to two finals sessions w/ me) and now knows many of the top names in the field. I'm nobody's fool, but I'm hoping for an outlier. I don't think watching sports heros going down in doping flames is good for the kids, or any of us.

Just to lighten the mood here, check out this: youtube.com/watch and this: youtube.com/watch (Pardon the language) P.S. White Buffalo, got to know about your name. Is it a reference to Ted Nugent's song? (Awesome if it is, gottal love the Motor City Madman) P.S.S. Geek, Amen to the Costco reference. I love going to the supplements section and seeing 300 pound plus people gettig "fit".

A quote from The Australian News.... One of the world's foremost swimming experts, Milt Nelms, does not question that Torres can be a better swimmer at 40 than she was at 20. He has watched his own partner, 1972 triple Olympic gold medallist Shane Gould, reproduce in her 40s what she did as a teenage wunderkind. Nelms, who has worked with Olympic champions Ian Thorpe and Natalie Coughlin, believes Torres will help push back the boundaries for athletes and weekend warriors. "The age thing is something we say and it's self-fulfilling," he says. "If you look at swimming, there's nothing really explosive about it, and if you have an innate ability it doesn't diminish that greatly (over time). "It's so much more about the nervous system, and what a 40-year-old person has is experience and physical intelligence, especially someone like Dara, who has taken care of herself and stayed active. Her two periods out of competition probably allowed her nervous system to restore itself from the impact of training. "Dara is physically gifted and very physically intelligent, and her capacity for work and self-discipline are exceptional. Even among professional athletes she's in the extraordinary class. She's one tough lady." Nicole Jeffery is a senior sports writer with The Australian. Sounds logical.

So "innate ability" doesn't diminish over time? That's rather vague. I would think "ability," just like other things, would diminish at least somewhat over time? But techinque can be refined and perfected...:laugh2:

So "innate ability" doesn't diminish over time? That's rather vague. I would think "ability," just like other things, would diminish at least somewhat over time? I think that one needs to really break down what is being discussed here. If we are talking about strength and flexibility/mobility then I have no doubt that she can regain equal levels of these abilities at 40, especially considering the fact that she has maintained a high level of fitness and not had a real break per se. As for cardiovascular capacity, I don't really know for sure. Can somebody provide specific information as to why a 40 year olds cardiovascular system will not permit them (naturally) to swim the times that Dara is swimming? Technique is something that can obviously be learned and improved at any age so that is a non-issue. Regarding drugs...is the concern that she used drugs to enhance her strength as she began her comeback? Does a 40 year old really need drugs to develop the strength she has? My guess would be no.

I agree with this statement completely geek. Not everyone's going to be the best...but we can all strive for our personal best. Every kid I coach knows that somewhere out there, ...there's always a bigger fish in another pond. Reward only comes from a job well done. Rising to the top of the ranks is something that very few will ever experience. Putting gold medals aside, ...swimming is about fun, health, setting goals, and the satisfaction of reaching them.

I am a friend of Dara's. I live in Coral Springs and swam with Dara while she was in her third trimester, the only way I could even stay on the same lap with her! She now trains with an international group of Olympic hopefuls at Coral Springs. Dara is a natural talent with an amazing work ethic and the sponsors to afford to train to the max. Dara definitely does not dope. She has already been subject to multiple testings by USA Swimming, at meets and unannounced at her home. She is volunteering for additional testings and for anything they want to test her for to quiet all the naysayers. Dara is the real deal! :cheerleader: