LSAClassOf2000

August 8th, 2016 at 7:07 AM ^

I would agree with that sentiment, and indeed it gave me some hope that Uzbekistan (I think that's who it was) had a 41 year-old gymnast with a teenage son still holding her own at the highest levels of competition and among kids less than half her own age. As someone around HER age, briefly I had hope. 

Then I tried the uneven bars, utilizing a couple trees in the backyard. It didn't end well. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

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Heywood_Jablome

August 7th, 2016 at 11:10 PM ^

Not to nitpick, but he's not an alum.  He didn't even pursue a degree here.  He did attend though.

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Bando Calrissian

August 7th, 2016 at 11:21 PM ^

I mean, he's not wrong in spirit. I was on campus when Phelps was around. Knew some people who knew him. Dude wasn't really a student--it was pretty much as close to a front as you could find.

Wave the dictionary around, Alumni Association membership guidelines, whatever. Truth of the matter is common parlance is alum=graduate (or close to it), former student=former student. In Phelp's case, "former Ann Arbor resident, occasional student, 'volunteer coach,' all-around Celebrity On Campus with a Canham Natatorium pass."

And with that said, holy hell is he a freak of nature if he can come back and still do this stuff when he's 31. 

Joined: 07/02/2008

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Blue Carcajou

August 7th, 2016 at 11:52 PM ^

^^^This. I remember meeting him that summer at a house party a couple months before he won all those medals, and holy hell, talk about the definition of a Regular Joe. It was kinda funny because everyone in the room was aware of who he was but no really gave a shit, haha. Or perhaps it was just typical "Michigan Arrogance", I don't know. I guess I displayed some of it, too, because what's even funnier is that I asked for his autograph for my little brother but when Phelps agreed to give me one after he ended a conversation he was having I kinda shrugged it off... If only I could have predicted the future. I mean, he was cool, though... ... And two months later he made history.

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Bando Calrissian

August 8th, 2016 at 7:27 AM ^

This interpretation is basically used by people who want to claim they're "alumni" with only the smallest connection to the University. And it's not like the people you're talking about came even remotely close to graduating. Madonna studied at Michigan for a year. She's a former student--not an alumna. Jeter was a student for, what, a semester? Same story. It's not about the dictionary term. When you say you're an alum, people assume you actually graduated.

Joined: 07/02/2008

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tlo2485

August 8th, 2016 at 8:13 AM ^

'People,' use the claim.... and well, also the actual university itself. 

http://alumni.umich.edu/alumnus/notable-alumni/

But you are free to use it however you wish, I suppose. Did you graduate and feel this somehow diminishes your degree? I am an alumnus under both the actual definition and your personal definition and I don't see why you wouldn't want to allow these distinguished people to rightfully claim their ties to the university. 

I get your point, but people don't complete their degrees for a multitude of reasons. Zuckerberg is an alumnus of Harvard and he dropped out his sophomore year, I believe. Harvard says he is, his Wikipedia lists it as his 'alma mater.' I just don't get why you'd choose to nitpick this when there is a clear definition of the term and I don't think it's hurting anyone, it's something to be proud of in most cases.

Joined: 08/06/2010

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MGoBender

August 8th, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^

The point is, the word is common usage is generally assumed to mean graduate.  That's what he is pointing out.  

I personally think it should be strictly applied to graduates because of this. It's a lame marketing loophole for a University to use the word "alum" for celebrities who aren't graduates when 95% of American population equates "alum" to "graduate."

Joined: 03/26/2010

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MGoBender

August 8th, 2016 at 10:08 AM ^

If you're going to be pedantic, learn what words mean.

Do you see the irony of a person, relying on the formal textbook definition of a word, ignoring the more common usage, calling someone else pedantic?

Joined: 03/26/2010

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Michigasling

August 8th, 2016 at 12:41 AM ^

Bruce Gemmell, who swam for Michigan from 1980-1983, and is also ass't coach for the women's Olympic team (joining the M-connected men's coaches).  And it was Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek who convinced him to give up engineering and become a coach.

Just in case we need another rooting interest, this time for the female swimmer who's supposed to win lots of medals.  (SPOILER ALERT:  She already won a gold tonight.  And broke her own world record.  More events to come.)

 

Joined: 11/21/2009

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jmblue

August 7th, 2016 at 11:19 PM ^

And he's the reason they won it, too.  His split was the difference.  France was in the lead after the first split, and clawed back a bit of time in the third and fourth, but Phelps's monster performance in the second gave the U.S. an unbeatable cushion.

 

 

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MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 7th, 2016 at 11:11 PM ^

Phelps's flip-turn was absolutely incredible.  Phenomenal.  He was able to get so far off the wall and keep his speed up with just the kick while the French guy was taking four, five strokes.  Not only did he come out half a body length ahead after going into the wall half a body length behind, but he had that saved-up energy that the French guy used up, and stretched it out even more.  That was a G.O.A.T. move right there, like a Calvin Johnson catch in triple coverage.

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MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 8th, 2016 at 8:55 AM ^

I think that talk about getting clean water for the next guy just meant getting out in front in general so that they'd have the lead and not be splashing through the wake from the next lane over.

Completely different level, though, absolutely.  One gets the feeling he could come back again in four years if he wanted to.

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Blue Carcajou

August 7th, 2016 at 11:38 PM ^

Above Jim Thorpe? Well, I guess he didn't win as many medals as Phelps but I'd still consider him the greater Olympian. It's one thing to dominate in ONE sport but to do the same in multiple events at one time with no training?

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jmblue

August 7th, 2016 at 11:47 PM ^

It's apples and oranges - Thorpe only competed in one Olympics.  Of course, that was because the rules about amateurism were much stricter back then, so most star athletes turned pro after winning gold once (and Thorpe even had his medals unjustly revoked for a time).  

Swimmers have the opportunity to win more medals than athletes in other sports, so Phelps's total in itself doesn't tell the whole story.  But the fact that he's won gold in four different Olympics is incredible.  Carl Lewis did that as well, I think.   Not sure if anyone else has.

 

 

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stephenrjking

August 8th, 2016 at 1:53 AM ^

According to a web search, mostly obscure athletes, guys like Al Oerter (discus, 4 golds). Not many.

I found this list of "Multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event," which isn't perfect because it only tracks specific events (ie 200m butterfly) but is useful. It has not been updated with tonight's results, but the highest scorers in individual events on there are guys you've never heard of with five medals, generally three golds and a couple of others scattered around. The highest of any type is a Hungarian who won team golds in fencing six times.

It tracks people with four and three gold medals. It doesn't tell us if athletes were good at other events either.

But it does generally list athletes only once, in their one specialty event.

Michael Phelps is listed four times.

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