Photos: Google
Michael Phelps will be returning to the pool to compete in the Charlotte UltraSwim in May for the first time since he was suspended by USA Swimming this month after a British tabloid published a photograph showing him with a marijuana pipe at a party in November at the University of South Carolina. Honestly, when I first saw the picture of him holding the pipe, i was very disappointed and even a little upset. For those who know me, Michael Phelps is a person and a swimmer who i strive to imitate. His accomplishments in and out of the pool have been outstanding and unprecedented. He serves as motivation for me in the pool.
I own his book and have read it several times. He, like the rest of us, is nowhere near perfect but he strives for it and I commend him for that. He tripped up in 2004 for a DUI and ow this. But, when Obama admitted to his own use of marijuana, he was forgiven and even praised. Why can't Phelps be offered the same courtesy?
Many people don't know that Phelps, along with many other Olympic athletes, signed up for extra drug tests during the 2008 Beijing Olympics to prove that they all stand for something stronger than drug abuse.
In conclusion, I say: stay strong Phelps, and I can't wait to see what you can do at the 2012 Olympic Games in London!
