Beneath The Surface #109-144

Summary:

Phelps is now a pro and is attending many many races and also is getting paid for winning, breaking records and for sponsorship money. Theres many records he breaks at such a young age and so many meets that he goes to. Then Micheal talks about what he defines as a "hero," he states that a hero doesn't have to be family, someone important, but has to be someone thats inspirational and can get the best of you. He gives 3 stories about people who I think he believes are heroes. One was a swimmer, Stevie,  who works extremely hard but each time he has been diagnosed with tumors; first in his brain and in his spine which is very tragic. The other one was a man named Jim who was a very healthy guy, he even ran the whole Boston marathon, but he died from a heart attack and Micheal comforted his wife to help her get through it. The next one was his mom and for everything she has done for him he went out and bought her a Mercedes Benz ML320 for Christmas which was a wonderful gift. Then he talks about his experience in Australia having clinics down there and getting some training done down  there. As he becomes more and more famous he gets into more media attention, for example there was one time when an Australian reporter put words in his mouth saying that he claimed he was a better swimmer than another Australian swimmer(which in my opinion he was).Now hes in the World Championships and not only is he breaking many records but he broke one in a matter of 5 minutes. Also for each record he broke he got a dog and he had 5 broken records.

Quote:

"say what you want about makes a hero, but i can't think of a bigger one than Stevie" (Phelps 118)

This quote states that even though Stewie has many problems and isn't a big star or isn't well known, he is still a hero to him no matter what.

Reflection:

My thoughts on these pages were they were full with emotions and it had a good mix of different feelings. It went from him being happy and competitive during races, meets and practices to serious and down talking about what it means to be a hero to him and who are examples of heroes. Then it gets to more of an informational voice where he is talking about what he's learned but i took it in as him not only sharing his knowledge but giving us what he's learned for us to use.
 

Beneath The Surface #82-108

Summary:
Micheal Phelps is now in the USA Olympic team so he is in the spotlight and he is doing things he wouldn't be normally be doing racing for his club team. He's been going state to state for swim meets and even country to country for swim meets as well. He's also been swimming to people that were a lot better than him so thats also been a new experience for him. Also Micheal Phelps shares his thoughts and what he remembers about 9/11, which was a tragic incident especially since he lived in Baltimore which was very close to the Pentagon. Then Micheal Phelps talks about the time he actually went pro as a swimmer. One of the first things he had to do was find and agent which took a while but he managed to find one that represents a lot of Olympic swimmers down in Virginia. They got to meet with him and Micheal got to get interviewed and he got himself an agent.

Quote:
"..Counting the number of unbelievables in an interview. Once I learned about not saying it, I started to relax, take my time with my answers and say what i was actually thinking. Believe it." (Phelps 107)
This quote talks about Micheal Phelps getting interviewing lessons and they set a restraint for him using the word "unbelievable" and at the end of the sentence he jokes around and adds a "believe it" which made me laugh a little.

Reflection:
My thoughts on these pages were that it seemed like Micheal Phelps was growing more into a devoted swimmer not only for him but for everyone else. He says in the book that he swims so he can change the sport and wants people involved with it. Thats real strong for a 16 year old swimmer to say which was great. And also he explains some of the difficulties of being a professional.

Beneath the surface #65-81

Summary:
These few pages talks about Micheal Phelps and his preparation  for the Olympics. He receives talks from his coaches, officials, and his mother about whats expected of him at the Olympics. His coach comes up with a packet of Do's and Don'ts before and for the actual Olympics. Micheal Phelps also talks about the athlete drug tests and how officials can demand a test at any random time or else they would be violating the rules. Then he shares his experience in the preliminary swim meet for the Olympics and how excited he was when he heard he made the cut. After making the cut he raised his best Olympic time but didn't win a medal that year. Micheal Phelps was doing all of this by the age of 14! and he was the youngest to qualify for the Olympics since 1932

Quote:
"the aortic route is clear and my heart is in good shape-as long as my Baltimore Ravens are winning" (Phelps 66).
I love this quote because it shows that the narrator(Micheal Phelps) has a good sense of humor. The end of this quote was so unexpected and so funny that it picked up my interest in the book.

Reflection:
For the pages I have read it tells me a lot about how much of a dedicated swimmer Micheal Phelps is and how dedicated people are to him. Also its a lot of work to be a very well known athlete with the many things you have to do, can't do, where you have to be and etc. I've also noticed and enjoyed Micheal Phelps' sense of humor in the book, to the quote I explained to another quote that he talks about getting hooked to and using it a lot then ending up using it.

Beneath the surface #43-64

Summary:
In these 20 pages Micheal Phelps talks about how he learned to be good to his fans through experience at a young age and also how he got close to his father through him working at the club. Also with that he talks about his relationships when he was in middle school. He had a girlfriend when he was in the 7th grade and she was in the 9th grade and had to split, he had said that was a rite of passage and made him feel different especially after his first kiss.Then he learns that excuses don't work at all as you grow when his coach, Bob, made him get his suit and practice on a resting day. Also his coach finds out that he will be making it into the 2000 Olympic team.

Quote:
"If dad could introduce me to fishing, I could coax him into playing video games" (Phelps, 45)
I like this quote because it really shows the father son bond between them, even though their parents are split up they can keep their bond. Also it shows how that bond can work both ways for the son and the father.

Reflection:
In these couple of pages so far the most that has caught my eye is how dedicated his father, and coach is to him. He spends a lot time with his father, which is very important, at the pool club and quality time. His coach, Bob, spends a lot of time making sure to better him as a swimmer and always pushing him no matter his age or excuse.

Beneath the surface #1-42

Summary:
The following pages, 1-42, is about Micheal Phelps reminiscing on his past and his childhood before becoming a legendary swimmer. In the book so far he goes through his life from when he was a little kid in the first grade to when he is now talking about his sister and what she struggled through. Micheal didn't really like the water at all, when he was put to swimming lessons he kind of grew into it and became a natural due to his hard working ability and high energy level. He grew up idolizing his sisters first who got a head start in swimming before he did at a sports club in Baltimore. Micheal also talks about how hardships in the family that he didn't understand back then and he does now, for example when his sister suffered from an eating disorder and when his parents got a divorce. Now his sister is recovering and the family is recuperating and he doesn't understand it as a child but looks back and understands it now.

Quote:
"I'm glad he doesn't coach my group. .... At the same time, the coach walked away, mumbling to himself 'thank goodness, I will never have to coach that kid.' We were both wrong."(Phelps 26)
I like this quote because it shows a clear foreshadow which is funny and give away the irony since there was a new coach and they already got on each other's bad side. Then when you flip the page you find out that they are both going to be working with each other which is ironic. I found this pretty funny.

Reflection:
The thing I like most about this novel is that it has many flashbacks and seems to be going in chronological order. The author starts of in the Olympics but then he goes into his childhood and his growth in life and family but also his growth in swimming. Another thing that really interested me was that the author talks to the reader and shares his thoughts, share his flashbacks, relates to his flash backs and also comment on certain situations. Almost as if he's sitting next to you, conversing with you and telling you his story.