It's been 6 months since the beginning of the group The Phelps Phive and Phriends. It began as most Facebook groups, a little imagination and infatuation with a given subject. It was during the initial hype for Michael after Beijing. MP hadnt even been home yet to see his family and Herman. He was traveling from place to place. Meanwhie on his Wall, there was a group of girls who started leaving silly messages and requests for Mike. They said things to him and dared him to answer. When they did receive an answer, the Wall lit up with many responses of cheering and laughter. They began sharing 'inside' jokes no one else understood, and everyday, they argued with other Phelps phans who didnt understand what was going on. Ok, I admit we were very silly by doing the stuff we did, but I think we all knew that we wanted to be different. We didnt want to sound like the average phan. Anybody could write the basic message, we just wanted to make the Wall more interesting by adding our own little brand of magic.
At the time, the group was all women. Women with various differences. But one thing we knew for sure, we knew we were Michael Phelps phans. Many of us were sports fans, but I think the bonds formed were less about sports, and more about just having common personalities. AND the fact that we wanted to support Michael. So finally the original Phelps Phive (Annabel, Amber, Priya, Sabine, Xesa) created the Facebook page, and the rest is history. I drifted to the page because I wanted to see what the girls would talk about next.
People who visit the page need to understand that it is not the average sports fan page. We talk about swimming other swimmers, etc, but ultimately the page allows us to create a community of support and laughter and positivity. There have been serious moments both with Michael and with our personal lives. But throughout it all The PP&P members rallied to show love and kindness. To some people that may seem a little too weird. But say what they will, one thing is for sure, we know how to have fun and include people in on the fun. We share stories, pix, vids, vlogs, etc to keep things interesting. We give our opinions (of which we have many) and keep up with whatever is going on in the swim world.
When Mike got negative responses from people, we were there to help show that there are phans who keep cheering for him and believing in his talents. Even the people in our personal lives just dont GET IT. They dont understand why we spend so much time and energy talking about Michael, defending him, and studying (drooling over) pix of him. If you're not a Phelps Phan, its a little difficult to explain, but for those who GET IT, it's as normal a feeling as diving into water. No matter how many times it happens, you still get a little thrill of excitement.
Personally I was able to connect with other people who have an intense love for swimming. Through them I've learned a lot. I think one of the main words to describe this whole experience is inspiration. Starting with Mike and ending with my new FB friends, I'm inspired to build to excellence everyday. I want to try new things and stick with them. I wanna push to see how great I can be, and find out those limits. So I am thankful for all of this, and I want to keep moving forward.
In short, I'll show some quotes from PPP members when they were asked, 'Why do you like MP so much?'
"He was picked on, made fun of, & still have crap talked about him now. But he overcame that, succeeded in a BIG way in front of millions & yet still is a regular guy who loves kids, animals, parties & girls. ;)"
"And when Michael said he wanted to change the sport of swimming, I don't think he thought that his talent & love for the sport would also bring a group of people from all parts of the world together."
"There is no doubt. this guy is addictive.Maybe it is the way he walks into the studio and what the camera is not able to capture his innocent looking eyes and his timid smile as he makes his way toward the host"
" he is so amazing and gifted at what he does. he has been through a lot in his life but he never backed down and i love that about him."
"I found myself cheering every single race, screaming like crazy.... and every time i saw his mom my heart just melted. I am not ashamed to say that i cried a few times too.... the rest is history, the whole world fell in love with Michael Phelps"
"His mom did an amazing job raising MP to be the man that he is today. I enjoyed seeing his mom and sisters cheering for him from the stands everytime he won. MP has a great support system."
"To me Michael Phelps just seems like a nice guy. Someone that you could get to know as a person and he would stay that same person after he became famous. He is humble yet cocky at the same time (if that makes sense)!"
Happy Anniversary Phelps Phive & Phriends! I hope we have even MORE fun the next 6 months :)
