Michael Phelps played lacrose while growing up near Baltimore. He played the sport until the age of 12, only giving it up to focus solely on swimming.
LACROSSE HELPED SHAPE PHELPS FOR GLORY
US Olympics hero played lacrosse as a youngster
08/17/2008
Olympic swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics, loved playing lacrosse as a youngster. The Baltimore native played lacrosse until the age of 12, only giving it up to concentrate fully on becoming a world-class swimmer. Lacrosse was also one of his many outlets for his boundless energy as he battled through ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) as a child.Debbie Phelps, Michael's mother, talked about it in a Baltimore Sun article in August of 2004. "You know how some of the kids have to stop at midfield in lacrosse?"
Debbie said. "Michael just kept on running. He was a very energetic boy who drove his teachers crazy." In describing his play further in this month's issue of Vogue magazine, Debbie said that it looked as though he was trying to play every (lacrosse) position at once.
In his 2005 autobiography entitled 'Beneath the Surface', Phelps described how lacrosse fit into his busy sports life as an adolescent. "I had so many outlets for energy release. I'd go from a lacrosse game to a baseball game to swim practice," he wrote.
Phelps likely would have played lacrosse as a freshman at Towson High School, but at the age of 12 made the difficult decision to forego all other sports and focus solely on swimming.
What would happen if Phelps were to pick up his lacrosse stick today? The Baltimore Sun speculated about that in an article written in March 2004, as they followed his path to the summer Olympic games in Greece. Sun reporter Paul McMullen noted that, "Phelps first noticed he was physically superior to some of his peers on a lacrosse field, but he would have trouble moving around one today. Four million yards of swimming per year has maintained flexibility in his joints, but that laxity could cause his ankles or knees to buckle on a fast break."
Still, his fans back in Baltimore can't help but put his accomplishments into lacrosse terminology. The Sun went to Phelps' alma mater for reaction after a stellar performance in the 2007 World Championships. "What he's doing is utterly amazing," said Randy Dase, who has coached at Townson High for three decades. "It's like winning 30 straight state lacrosse championships."
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