Interestingly enough the US Olympic swimming trials took place and with the much precedented presence and furore surrounding the acclaim of the athletes. In particular that of Michael Phelps, Dana Torres and the others who’ll have aspirations of making it to Beijing to represent the US at the upcoming games. The fulfillment was there for many of these athletes.
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps seen here posing for a display that features team members of the US Olympic swim team. picture courtesy of getty images/Jeb Jacobsohn……
Years of training and dedication has been put to the test of finally garnering a berth on the Olumpic team. And once having attained a berth much of the celebration can begin. And for these athletes that is when the acclaim for them also takes on a new meaning altogether as it’ll take on a new meaning for each athlete. Phelps whose talent is unquestioned will be trying to usurp the medal tally garnered by Munich Olympian Mark Spitz. Spitz’s seven gold medals and the world records that went with each are the things that legends are made of. Phelps is the pre-eminent swimmer in the world . And were it not for the retirement of Australian Ian Thorpe the challenges facing Phelps in Beijing would be greater ones.
Dara Torres seen here during the US Olympic swim trials in Omaha , Nebraska . Torres seen here won the 100m freestyle at the trials. However it may well not be the event that she chooses to compete in at the games having qualified several events overall. picture courtesy of afp/photos/………………
For his counterpart Dara Torres it’s something of a rebirth for the forty one year old mother . She will be upon the commencemnent of these games the oldest female ever to represent the US in swimming. This will be her fifth Olympics that she’ll have competed in , having first made the US team as a seventeen year old in 1984. She would then compete again for the US in 1988,1992, 2000 and in these upcoming games of 2008.
Torres competing in the 100m freestyle heats at the US Olympic trials in Omaha , Nebraska. picture courtesy of images.google.com/sports/swimming/olympicstrials ………….
Torres for her part has proven that despite her age she’s more than capable of competing against her female counterparts who are in some cases less than half her age. And at the same time she has proven to be much quicker as a competitor than she was when she first represented her country. The years have passed but it’d appear that they’ve been kind to Torres and her yearning to to compete at the highest echelons of the sport goes unabated.
Eric Shanteau competing in the 200m breastroke at the US Olympic trials in Omaha , Nebraska. Shanteau was diagnosed with testicular cancer and he’s sought to forego treatment in terms of chemotherapy until after the games. However he’ll be constantly monitored by the team’s doctors and his own physician whilst in Beijing. picture courtesy of swimmingworldmagazine.com …………..
For many of the swimmers this may well be their one and only time that they’ll ever get to compete in such an event. As it’s not often that many will get a second chance to compete in multiple games. The pressure to qualify and then the competition itself may well be too arduous for some. One swimmer who now seems to be facing that dilemma is Eric Shanteau who having gained a berth on the swim team now has a decision to make that’ll affect his life irrevocably for years to come. Shanteau prior to the trials was diagnosed with testicular cancer by his doctor and an oncologist. To that end treatment will have to be ongoing for the swimmer who qualified in the 200m breastroke and 200m individual medley at the trials and is considered to be one of the young bright hopes on this Olympic swim team.
University of Texas Longhorn and Olympic qualifier Eric Shanteau . picture courtesy of metromedianews.com/sports/swimming/eric shanteau ………………
The greater glory is compete for your country and show one’s allegiance. But for Shanteau this may well be a risk that is far too great to bear . He can compete knowing that his body will be ravaged by the cancer or he can make the choice not to compete and forego the glory and all that it entails. Choices are made but there those that are far too precious to ignore when it concerns that of your health. Shanteau for his part has chosen not to heed the advice of his medical advisors . Because he feels that can compete with this impediment. Something that others feel might be too much to bare for an individual no matter how valiant the effort is.
abritishman ………………….
Very well written and great information for someone like myself who watches the Olympics but really doesn’t know much of anything about specific American Athletes. Good write.
nique
For me it’s the intrigue and the stories that’ll unfold as the games commence is what I’ll enjoy the most.
However the story concerning Shanteau and Torres is uniquely intriguing and of interest to many I believe.
Torres as the oldest female to have swam for her country. She’s as competitive as of her much younger counterparts who are in some cases less than half her age.
And then you’ve also got the story surrounding Shanteau who’s been diagnosed with testicular cancer . But who for now chooses to forego the radical treatment of chemotherapy in order to compete in the upcoming games. Some may well see it as foolhardy, whilst others may view it as him being brave and patriotic more than anything else.
abritishman ………….
Wow this is great…
are you going to write of the 2008 Beijing Games ? We hope so….
We are in Camps right now and we come home to nana’s once a week only and big bro’s lap top doesn’t work all the time.
We’re all had been committed to 11 camps by our dear old mean , loveable, & sweet nana. we like it because we are learning all kinds of new things. LOL
we might not able to comment but you can bet that we read & appriciate it very much. 🙂
thanks for the help and information my friend.
Tiff
I’ll be doing a lot on the Olympics as it commences. I’ll try to keep everyone abreast of the activities as much as I can. It’d appear that won’t be the case over at Fox.
abritishman …………
Can I ask though – how did you get this picked up and into google news?
Very impressive that this blog is syndicated through Google and is it something that is just up to Google or you actively created?
Obviously this is a popular blog with great data so well done on your seo success..
The swimming greats you should write about next, my ex was an olympic swimmer!
Weapon:Swords
It comes as a great surprise to me that the piece is up amongst Google news. All that I did was make sure that it’d be part of the RSS comments in order for others to view.
I’ve been a continuous blogger for a while now (2 1/2 years) within various sport’s forums. But I decided to branch out somewhat on my own. Primarily because of my passion for sports in gerneral.
Though my interest beyond sports are wide ranging.
As for the Olympics I’ll be doing small snippet on them covering various events as the games commence. So keep a look out for those .
And thanks once again for the compliments !
abritishman ……..
And then you’ve also got the story surrounding Shanteau who’s been diagnosed with testicular cancer . But who for now chooses to forego the radical treatment of chemotherapy in order to compete in the upcoming games. Some may well see it as foolhardy, whilst others may view it as him being brave and patriotic more than anything else.”
There is nothing to suggest he will need Chemo. First step is to remove the testicule. The pathology will determine that course of treatment. From the result of the blood tests, he may well have seminoma, which is a very slow cancer. It is quite possible that the operation alone could cure him. Non seminoma, which Lance had, can be very agressive, and in a month could be everywhere. Nothing is absolute, but the tests would indicate that he caught it early, and it is most likely seminoma. Chemo is not a standard treatment for seminoma. surveilance, or radiation, or if very advanced, then chemo.
I also dont think it is right to say he is going against medical advice. Eric is not a daredevil, as his agent says. Obviously, they would rather have the surgery to determine pathology sooner than later, but none of his Dr are calling him crazy. I cant say for sure, but I suspect he is probably with seminoma as a result of the blood tests. There are variables to everything, and what he is doing is to HIS situation.
I had very agressive Tc. It was probably more than 2 months before I finally got in to do the surgery. Once he has the testicule removed, then he can go from there.
He has my full support
Benji
I for one would like to take this opportunity to let you know that you’re in my thoughts with regard to this particular malady. With regard to Shanteau , you’re right when you state that it’s dependent upont the type of cancer. But in younger men there is cause for concern as it can spread through the body rather quickly if unchecked and treated aggressively. And even with certain types of drugs it’s not always possible to treat the cancer as you’ve stated without an acute diagnosis.
Shanteau and his doctor’ll no doubt do what’s best for him. But should there be a problem I for one don’t think that he’ll risk his health. Hopefully though things’ll prevail and he’ll have a successful games.
abritishman ………….
I found this as a very good read. You are really talented writing like this. I would like to keep getting these and reading them. Thanks for including me.
floridagrama1
Thank you for the compliments as they’re always appreciated. I’ve always loved to write as it’s something that I’ve done from my days in high school. I did journalism courses. But that wasn’t the goal that I’d set for myself.
As to the games themselves they’ve been really exhilerating to watch.
And now as they’re reaching their culmination. We’ll now have to wait until London 2012.
abritishman ………