sports stars: Michael Phelps best swimmer pics and spencification

Michael Phelps grew up in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, just outside of Baltimore. Fred was a state trooper, and Debbie was a middle-school teacher who was twice named Maryland’s “Teacher of the Year.”. Michael Phelps’s mother, Debbie, is an administrator with the Baltimore County school system. He has two older sisters, and began swimming when they joined a local swim team. “At first, I was a little scared to put my head underwater, so I started with the backstroke,” Phelps told Frank Litsky, a sportswriter for the New York Times, adding, “I was still scared because I don’t think I had goggles.”
One of the turning points for Michael came when he saw swimmers Tom Malchow and Tom Dolan compete at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. The 11-year-old began to dream of becoming a champion himself.
When Bowman told Phelps that he had Olympic potential, the twelve-year-old gave up his other sports, which were soccer, lacrosse, and baseball, in order to bring all his energy to daily pool practice. He began winning every competitive event he entered. The first time he lost, however, he was so upset that he threw down his goggles. Bowman warned him about his unsportsmanlike conduct, and since then Phelps has taken his handful of setbacks in stride.
“It’s when your body is not in the best situation, your mind is not in the best situation and things are against you those are the times that really count and really matter you overcome and rise to the occasion.”
Focus was never a problem for Michael in the pool. He spent hour after hour in the water. In school, however, Michael stuggled at times. He was diagnosed with ADHD after his ninth birthday. Michael worked with Debbie to overcome the condition.