Anonymous wrote:

No, talk to a swim coach. You will not get the same results Michael Phelps got unless you have the same talent and body that he has.

Scrap. Are you even suggesting that Phelps wasted his early infant and childhood years obssessed with swimming all those interminable hours in the pool when he could have taken it easy due to his talent and body? By the age of 10 he had already put in more hours in the pool than most mortals. Was this really necessary given his body, genes and talent? Why does someone so gifted (like with IQ and smarts) have to live in the pool for 20 years to win a few medals? Just think about the rest of us who do not have his genes, body, talents or gifts; If Michael trains and preps 8 hours a day all week long what do the rest of us mortals have to do to compete with him?

I guess a little AAP, SAT, WPSSI prep pales compared to the innumerable hours put in the pool at such a young age (for such a long time) by someone as extraordinarily gifted and talented and Phelps?

In other words, if Phelps, his mom and Coach can prep, train, such a rare talent at such a tender age do you have a problem with gifted students putting in a mere 1/10 the prep time Phelp's does to?

Anonymous wrote:

Really?! I don't follow sports, so I didn't know that about the Vietnamese. Not the topic of this thread, of course, but interesting none the less. What sports are we talking about here?

You missed the PP sarcasm. We all know who the biggest driver/magnet of big time sports? It's clearly not Vietnam. Those worshippers live in another land?

No, talk to a swim coach. You will not get the same results Michael Phelps got unless you have the same talent and body that he has.

Really?! I don't follow sports, so I didn't know that about the Vietnamese. Not the topic of this thread, of course, but interesting none the less. What sports are we talking about here?

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I highly doubt that their drive and persistence would be considered unhealthy by most. Their success shows that they had the talent for their hard work to achieve that ultimate success. Michael Phelps was identified by his coaches at an early age as extraordinarily talented. Not everyone has that level of talent. It would be unhealthy for the parent of a athlete of average talent to try to get their child into an elite training program, because even if they got him into the program, he would not be able to keep up. Happens all the time, of course, just as it happens with the AAP program, but doesn't make it right.

There are plenty of ways for athletes to learn and grow on the local teams, just as there are plenty of ways to learn and grow in the regular educational system. It's all about meeting the needs of the individual child.

The unhealthy part is only present when the parent is trying to put the child into a situation that is inappropriate for that child.

More DCUM folklore. Michael, just an hour due North, was put in the pool by mom (a then Baltimore middle school principal) because of academic difficulties and ADHD. Swimming was a therapeutic design to sap excessive energy and smooth the early ups and downs of elementary school education and beyond. The hours in the pool was not through any special identification of any talent but therapy for ADHD. If you put in hours in the pool early on (and you can walk and chew gum) you will get identified since few 5, 6, 7 and 8 year-olds have put in 3 to 10 hours/ week year round in a pool. If you can walk and chew gum you get the same results with pool prep that one gets with AAP or SAT prep! This is not rocket science.

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I highly doubt that their drive and persistence would be considered unhealthy by most. Their success shows that they had the talent for their hard work to achieve that ultimate success. Michael Phelps was identified by his coaches at an early age as extraordinarily talented. Not everyone has that level of talent. It would be unhealthy for the parent of a athlete of average talent to try to get their child into an elite training program, because even if they got him into the program, he would not be able to keep up. Happens all the time, of course, just as it happens with the AAP program, but doesn't make it right.

There are plenty of ways for athletes to learn and grow on the local teams, just as there are plenty of ways to learn and grow in the regular educational system. It's all about meeting the needs of the individual child.

The unhealthy part is only present when the parent is trying to put the child into a situation that is inappropriate for that child.

More DCUM folklore. Michael, just an hour due North, was put in the pool by mom (a then Baltimore middle school principal) because of academic difficulties and ADHD. Swimming was a therapeutic design to sap excessive energy and smooth the early ups and downs of elementary school education and beyond. The hours in the pool was not through any special identification of any talent but therapy for ADHD. If you put in hours in the pool early on (and you can walk and chew gum) you will get identified since few 5, 6, 7 and 8 year-olds have put in 3 to 10 hours/ week year round in a pool. If you can walk and chew gum you get the same results with pool prep that one gets with AAP or SAT prep! This is not rocket science.

WTF?!?

What planet are you from?

Actually, I highly doubt that their drive and persistence would be considered unhealthy by most. Their success shows that they had the talent for their hard work to achieve that ultimate success. Michael Phelps was identified by his coaches at an early age as extraordinarily talented. Not everyone has that level of talent. It would be unhealthy for the parent of a athlete of average talent to try to get their child into an elite training program, because even if they got him into the program, he would not be able to keep up. Happens all the time, of course, just as it happens with the AAP program, but doesn't make it right.

There are plenty of ways for athletes to learn and grow on the local teams, just as there are plenty of ways to learn and grow in the regular educational system. It's all about meeting the needs of the individual child.

The unhealthy part is only present when the parent is trying to put the child into a situation that is inappropriate for that child.

Anonymous wrote:Who is driving the economics of big time sports? The Vietnamese. I guess America and the Americans are not the driver here. World athletes (the best and the gifted) seek other lands to train, school and to play Pro!

Anonymous wrote:Who is driving the economics of big time sports? The Vietnamese. I guess America and the Americans are not the driver here. World athletes (the best and the gifted) seek other lands to train, school and to play Pro!