Stars come out: Quann, Phelps, Olympians bring show to Federal Way
Even with home-grown gold medalist Megan Quann in the building, Michael Phelps was the clear fan favorite Monday night at an intimate event featuring four U.S. Olympic champions at the King County Aquatic Center.
Joining Quann and 19-year-old sensation Phelps in Disney`s Swim with the Stars were butterfly star Ian Crocker and Lenny Krayzelberg, who captained the U.S. swim team in Athens.
The goal of the event, Krayzelberg said, is to ``put this sport on the map -- not just every four years, but every year.`` The swimmers are in the midst of a coast-to-coast, 14-city tour.
Quann, a 20-year-old Puyallup woman who won two golds in Sydney in 2000, was a guest star in the show.
More than 800 spectators were treated to an intimate look at the four athletes, each of whom spent considerable time in the pool passing on their expertise to young swimmers.
Tickets ranged in price from $30 for general admission to $350 for VIP seating on the pool deck.
The Olympic champions raced against each other, then competed in a relay with local youth swimmers and a team of media personalities, including John Curly and New York Vinny.
But what marked this event was the reaction to Phelps, who won two bronze and six gold medals in Athens. Clearly, Phelps` feats during the Summer Games captured the imagination of young people.
More than half the crowd consisted of young girls who exploded like the fans at an N`Sync concert when Phelps took off his shirt. Girls leaned over the rail to get a closer look, swooning, screaming, snapping photos and cheering his every move.
The Bellevue High School girls swim team was in attendance, and one of the team members grabbed the microphone during the question-and-answer session of the event and asked Ian Crocker if he would marry her.
Crocker smiled and responded: ``I`m not completely sure that would be legal.``
The swimmers passed along words of wisdom, preaching respect for parents and coaches, the importance of hard work and confidence, and told stories of their rise to Olympic glory.
Quann was nine when she started swimming, and she said it wasn`t pretty. Coaches put her in a group with 4- and 5-year-olds, and she was embarrassed. ``That motivated me to set goals and get better,`` she said.
Krayzelberg was a 5-foot-5, 105-pound freshman who wasn`t a standout on the high school team. But a coach saw his potential, and Krayzelberg`s confidence was bolstered.
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