Lets look at Phelps for just a second. We know for certain that no other 15 year old has ever made the Olympics. And I think we can reasonably agree that - at that age - it was talent that got him there. 15 year olds don't have the muscle development such that "hard work" can distinquish one from another. So the most talented 15 year old swimmer in history low and behold becomes the best swimmer in history and you think it is because he out worked everyone? I am sure that he has worked hard, , but to say that he outworked everyone...well...
Jerry Rice might be the one I would give you. From all accounts he was slow for an NFL wideout and not outstadingly strong. His routes were perfect and his conditioning unmatched.
Herschel Walker? You mean the All-American track star who almost made the Olympics in the bob-slead? Yeah, there was very little natural talent there.
Ryan Leaf had the talent to be a good NFL QB and blew it (though not because of a lack of effort). Phelps has unmatched talent and uses it.
At 15 Peirsol broke 2 minutes in the 200 back - first (and I think only) 15 year old to do so. That was 1998 so there was no Olympics. Two years later he made the team at 17.
Jillen Sirokey made the US Olympic team in breaststroke at 15 - she never again came close to her trials times.
Katie Hoff made her first Olympic team at 15. The list goes on and on.
There are far more teen phenoms out there that have one or two big meets then fall off the radar ...
Gymnats are almost always teen phenoms very few if any have success in their 20s.
Dara Torres said she thought Phelps was a flash in the pan in 2000.
I can also all but guarantee that going into 2000 Phelps was working insanely hard - probably harder than some of his Sydney teammates and harder than some of the other 200 flyers.
To accomplish what he has you have to have boat loads of talent, gentic gifts and work harder than anyone else.
Lets look at Phelps for just a second. We know for certain that no other 15 year old has ever made the Olympics. And I think we can reasonably agree that - at that age - it was talent that got him there. 15 year olds don't have the muscle development such that "hard work" can distinquish one from another. So the most talented 15 year old swimmer in history low and behold becomes the best swimmer in history and you think it is because he out worked everyone? I am sure that he has worked hard, , but to say that he outworked everyone...well...
Jerry Rice might be the one I would give you. From all accounts he was slow for an NFL wideout and not outstadingly strong. His routes were perfect and his conditioning unmatched.
Herschel Walker? You mean the All-American track star who almost made the Olympics in the bob-slead? Yeah, there was very little natural talent there.
Ryan Leaf had the talent to be a good NFL QB and blew it (though not because of a lack of effort). Phelps has unmatched talent and uses it.
At 15 Peirsol broke 2 minutes in the 200 back - first (and I think only) 15 year old to do so. That was 1998 so there was no Olympics. Two years later he made the team at 17.
Jillen Sirokey made the US Olympic team in breaststroke at 15 - she never again came close to her trials times.
Katie Hoff made her first Olympic team at 15. The list goes on and on.
There are far more teen phenoms out there that have one or two big meets then fall off the radar ...
Gymnats are almost always teen phenoms very few if any have success in their 20s.
Dara Torres said she thought Phelps was a flash in the pan in 2000.
I can also all but guarantee that going into 2000 Phelps was working insanely hard - probably harder than some of his Sydney teammates and harder than some of the other 200 flyers.
To accomplish what he has you have to have boat loads of talent, gentic gifts and work harder than anyone else.
