What does it mean when we look at the performance of the US men's swimming team at Beijing without Phelps....... i.e. without the man carrying the team? Is he merely the "Vince Young" of a slightly above average football Team?
We essentially lose the 400 free relay, 100 fly (Ian moves form 4th to 3rd), 200 IM and 400 IM (Lochted moves to silver), 200 free and 200 fly. That's makes 6 less golds and one extra bronze.
The US would effectively only win 2 individual events...... the 200 and 100 back.
Is Phelps a true representation of the state of US men's swimming or and exception?
www.nbcolympics.com/.../index.html
Former Member
Kurt,
Despite your affinity to referencing fecies, you may have a point. Lifestyle is certainly part of the problem. Commitment, access and introduction to something new are both important to expanding the base.
John Smith
You missed choir. I sang in the choir in both HS and college, and performed in musicals in high school. I remember going straight from the pool to musical practice my senior year, along with several of my fellow swimming/singing thespians. It didn't seem that odd at the time, but it was 1978.
No, I didn't miss it. Me and singing is NOT a combination that anyone needs to ever experience.
Gamer Geek
Computer Geek
Chess Geek
Sports Geek
Math Geek
Science Geek
Band Geek
wow, I think that about covers it.
You missed choir. I sang in the choir in both HS and college, and performed in musicals in high school. I remember going straight from the pool to musical practice my senior year, along with several of my fellow swimming/singing thespians. It didn't seem that odd at the time, but it was 1978.
You missed choir. I sang in the choir in both HS and college, and performed in musicals in high school. I remember going straight from the pool to musical practice my senior year, along with several of my fellow swimming/singing thespians. It didn't seem that odd at the time, but it was 1978.
I don't think it odd now.
I guess even we aren't nerdy enough for the yearbook staff. Or at least no one is admitting it (which, considering what we HAVE admitted to, says a lot.)
President of grade school Orchestra, member of regional youth symphony.
I would be late to concert performances due to swim meets, missing last minute changes to the score. The conductors didn't like that.
Oh, and as pathetic as it seems, we did look down our noses at the bandos
I was a band geek, married a band geek, and have spawned the ultimate in band geekdom--the drum major. The spawn is also a kick-a*s breaststroker and an honor student, so really no redeeming qualities at all.
Band geeks rock. They get to go to all the football games for free!
Doesn't just our small sampling of nerd-dom support the idea of swimmers being the smartest athletes?
I got the latest "Outside" magazine in the mail today. W. Hodding Carter has a "memo to Michael Phelps," where he asks Phelps to "save swimming." A quote from the article:
"....Aside from your eight wins, U.S. swimmers grabbed only four other individual golds in Beijing, continuing our sport's steady spiral down to Davy Jones's locker. This is happening because our farm system has been eroding for years, especially where boys are concerned. Compared with female swimmers, the number of males competing in amateur meets at every level has been dwindling for a while now. And since the '70's, at least 64 colleges have dropped male swim teams from their varsity lineups, claiming they don't have enough money because of the funding demands of Title IX. (Meanwhile, some of these same broke universities can afford plenty of football scholarships for players who warm the bench on perennially losing teams.) Why would boys want to excel in a sport that can neither help them get into college nor even allow them to compete at the intercollegiate level?
This matters because, as you know, swimming is the greatest participatory sport in the world. Think about it. There's hardly any other (somewhat) popular athletic activity in which boys and girls train together day in and day out, share the same lane, do the exact same sets, and work to exhaustion side by side, starting before they can read, even. Through proximity and repetition alone, swimming teaches gender blindness. And except in your case, Your Neptunitude, girls beat boys in practice on a daily basis. I can't begin to count the number of times a female beat me in a distance set when I was a kid or in college. (It happens still.)...."
