June 11, 2012 
The 30th Olympiad will be kicking off in London on July 27th, and since I’m still carrying a torch for the last Olympic Games, I’m already counting down. Pumped, and then some, to witness the pomp and circumstance of the international athletic competition. I’m not as pumped as the participating athletes are of course, but I’m figuratively aflutter, excited as any spectator sport fan would be about an impending favorite event. (so, breaking a slight sweat as I break into my Cheetos bag…)
Sure, I know the Games are categorized by sport, and those sports are further broken down into nationality, time trials, equipment choice, qualification and group or individual, but in my mind the whole shooting match IS the event, and I’m hard put to target a favorite. Metaphor or no metaphor, it isn’t archery, I’ll tell you that much.
I’ll dive right in, then, and hope my splash is as fluid as those Michael Phelps makes when he slips into an Olympic-sized pool. As a one-time surfer & longtime swimmer myself, I’m especially interested in all things water sports, with the exception of “take-a-nap, its-polo”, of course. Sorry, Marco. It streams too much like a chicken match to seem a serious sport to me, and we all know there’s no place in the deep blue for chicken. Just ask Jessica Simpson.
source: Wikimedia Commons
So, what has our Wonder Water Boy been up to since the infamous water pipe incident sullied his oh-so-wholesome image back in 2009? Not packing bowls, you can be assured of that.
He’s been in Colorado Springs these past 4 weeks and counting, training at a state of the art facility that uses the high altitude as a bonus training technique to improve stamina.
Ready…
As if the 16X medal winner needs an edge. His participation in the last 3 Summer Games has won him 14 gold medals—a record-breaking 8 of which were won in Beijing. An achievement that beats Mark Spitz’s record for most gold medals won at a Games by 1, and also leaves Michael just 3 medals away from becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time. Quite a legacy for a 26 year-old man.
Set–
And enough of a legacy for him, too, apparently, as Michael says this will be the last Olympiad in which he’ll swim. This could explain the relaxed attitude the athlete has toward the endeavor as a whole, and his biggest competitor: 27 year-old American, Ryan Lochte, too. You may recall Ryan from the Beijing Games, where he won 4 medals and helped guide the American relay swim team to gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Relaxed, but not slacking, Michael says it’s his attention to the “little things” that make all the difference in the nano-seconds these races come down to. Things like eating within 30 minutes of swimming to replenish strength, taking ice baths and getting massages. And while he’s fully aware his competition is gearing up even as he does, he sums it up best with this enlightened philosophy that could apply to all aspects of life, and not just pool politics:
WIN!! (Wikimedia Commons: author Bryan Allison)
“If I prepare the best way I can, then that’s all I can ask for at the end of the day.”
That’s Ryan on the left–where he’ll stay, if Phelps can help it!
(Wikimedia Commons, author: Eric Draper)
A gold star creed from a gold star swimmer, for sure.
Charron's Chatter 
I ENJOY WATCHING THE MAJORITY OF THE SPORTING EVENTS BUT I MUST SAY YOU HAVE PICKED A GREAT ONE. ENJOYED YOUR POST IMMENSELY …LIKE THE LOOK OF YOUR BLOG AS WELL.
Thank you, Len. Phelps is a favorite of mine, and I’ll be following his performance in the Games as it unfolds..Good to “see” you and GB! 🙂
What not a mention of Dara Grace Torres? he,he. We have our favorites, this is her fifth Olympics, that would make her … over the hill, she would have quite an advantage, she would be swimming DOWN Hill !!! Seriously, God bless all them all, have the times of your life. What an adventure!
Didn’t she get a TIME cover last time out? If so, you bet I’ll be checking into her! Thanks for the tip, Bill!
Just ribbin’ ya. Our Athletes, past, present, and future are the greatest representatives of the human race to be recorded in history. They draw that line in the sand to challenge future generations. The Great “Oh ya?, beat that!”.
I totally agree. I love athletics myself! They are all so dedicated and driven. But all praise aside, I DO stand on my thank you about the Dara idea. Ideas come from everywhere, and that one is a gem. I read the TIME piece about her–at the time, haha–with great interest.
Fab!! Remember Bruce Jenner????
he was great–back inna day…:)