Two things, one Laura Smith is my hero. I vote her for funniest poster of all time. It's fantastic to see her put Paul in his place - good girl!
Second another Chicago legend is Walter Payton. He is rumored to have out worked everyone. I remember hearing about him going home to Louisianna during the off season (read summer) and running all out sprints on the beach until he hurled and then kept going. His fitness was legendary.
I also have a quote hanging up from another member of the Olympic team with Michael Jordan along the lines of ... MJ was more talented than the rest of the team (which is saying something) but what impressed me most was that he was always the first one on the court and the last one off. He perhaps knew how to train smart?
I also know his old PT very well and she is a peanut but she would put him in his place darn fast - she said he had his faults but hardwork was never one of them - enjoyed pampering, women, amongst other things ...
Lastly, the 100 fly was crazy - I like that he now admits he was fried going into it - makes him human. The relay surely wasn't hard to get fired up for and they knew he didn't have to be perfect to win ... he's a beast.
I thought they both messed up on the finish. Phelps admitted he came into the wall on a half stroke. I thought he said he got lucky and screwed up less - the half stroke was faster than the glide in stroke.
I wouldn't call Phelps finish a screw up...exhaustion at that point was taking its toll and his power off the wall and in his stroke was fading fast which caused him to lose 1/2 a stroke-if anything his reaction to the situation shows how heads up he was...Cavic lifting his head at the touch to see his time is a mistake and cost him the win.
I guess that depends on how you define "hard work"? On this forum as I pointed out in the last post the "hard work" is determined (for most) by how many yards they get in per day and how many workouts per week.
Next time your at swim practice try putting a 100% effort into a "perfect" swim (of any distance) a few time: Perfect dive, perfect number of SDK's, perfect break out, exact number of strokes needed per length, perfect turn, constant/powerful kick, perfect finish.
:drink: I'll drink to that. I don't do it as much as I should (but am doing it more lately). The concentration it takes to not be sloppy is a different kind of hard work than powering through the yards and it builds the right muscle memory so that things become automated even when you're too tired to pay attention in a race.
That reminds me not to float my turns in workout tomorrow.
Talent only gets you so far, amigo. It is the hard training that gets you the extra distance, so to speak. Lots and lots of people out there with talent.
Really, there are lots and lots of 15 year old (males) with the talent to make the Olympics? Or 6-6 guys who can dunk from the freethrow line and bench press 400 pounds (Jordan, and yes there are 2 dozen people who can dunk from the freethrow line, but I can outbench Kevin Durant). And Bo Jackson, who benched 350lbs the first time he ever sat down and tried it out, there are lots of guys like that (being an Auburn guy Geek I assume you've read this before about Bo)? REALLY? Where?
PS: The myth that Jordan got there on hard work is the biggest joke around.
Interesting that of all the things that could be discussed about Phelps interview no one has brought up the finish of the 100 fly.
Time and again we (I) are calling people out for focusing on the training and not the details...Cavic lifting his head to see the scoreboard at the finish was a history making mistake.
Here's an idea...yes training hard is important...but none of that matters if day in day out your not thinking about, dreaming about and practicing perfect technique.
I thought they both messed up on the finish. Phelps admitted he came into the wall on a half stroke. I thought he said he got lucky and screwed up less - the half stroke was faster than the glide in stroke.
Is there really any doubt that the world's best athletes are both extremely talented and very dedicated?
A very common trait shared by athletes like Rice, Phelps, Armstrong, and Jordan is that they are extraordinarily competitive and driven. (To say Jordan didn't work hard is absurd...you can always tell the NBA slackers by their poor defense and one-dimensionality.)
You can't say that it is talent and ONLY talent, because there are undoubtedly great talents out there who just didn't have the drive to push themselves to the highest levels. Likewise, there are a lot of extremely hard workers out there who just don't have the genetic material to make it to the very top.
Why, I do believe I've heard that exact same thing said of a fellow by the name of Smith... :)
But why take my word for it?
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
Lies...all lies...I'm a workout animal!
Nice one!
I think Laura Smith should win an award for highest percentage of deadly zingers in her posts.
Of course, the fact that Paul is the usual target may influence my opinion on the matter.
he has a reputation as a bit of a "sammy save up"...cruises a good portion of a set/workout and then swims incredibley fast selectively
Was it Rich Abrahams who said he thinks most people swim too fast when they are supposed to go slow, but too slow when they are supposed to fast or something along those lines? Sounds like Phelps has the same philosophy.
Andy Cooper - didn't have a shot against Phelps on the 25 yd swim for time
Cooper actually suited up and swam against Phelps? My wife is going to be disappointed she missed that!
I guess if you knew anything about hoops, and especially Heel hoops, you'd know this to be true. The point is talent only gets you so far, it's how you train and develop that talent further that makes the superstars.
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 and Herschel Walker were also known for their exceptional workouts, but those probably don't count to you either.
Didn't Ryan Leaf have a lot of talent?
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.
