On 9/04/08 the group started as a bunch of girls who were Phelps Phans. But we found out that we had other stuff in common. Funny, competitive, intense, leaders, aggressors, and loving; of different races, ages, and nationalities, this group grew day by day. Since no one seemed to say much to us, we thought no one was watching, so we got a silly as we could. We wrote about when Mike was awesome and when he wasn't. Even later when Mike wasn't swimming, many of us kept in touch and became actual friends. How often does that happen? One phriend told me it's not so much about Mike anymore, but our actual friendships. People don't know that many of us talk everyday, support each other in our daily lives, visit each other, even send each other random gifts :)
Honestly, since PPP is about being real, I saw how some people left the group because of Mike's mistakes or because they were just bored. I respect their feelings either way. I was happy that PPP Wall was still up during the 'Regrettable Behavior' issue while MP fan page Wall was disabled. And yes we got every kind of opinion possible. I didnt agree with all opinions and I did have issues with the whole situation, but I defended Mike's right to be a human being.
Then there are other stories that bubble up. Whether true or not, I think the group still tries to bring a positive perspective even when people are disappointed by something they saw or heard. Sometimes they relax and move on, other times it's like they leave the group thinking Mike is a rude, spoiled, ego maniac. Like I said, everybody has their opinion.
Ok so that's the messy stuff. At heart, the PPP is about F.U.N. that's it. Nothing complicated. Nothing serious, just fun. We make each other LOL about almost everything! Ever checked our random Wall post with crazy links that sometimes have nothing to do with Mike or swimming? Do you know what 'Aquatic Dream' is? Ever joined in on our photo comments on new pix of Mike? Ever made plans to meet some of us at an upcoming swim meet or other event Mike is attending? Do you know the PP&P Theme Song? No???? You're missing all the fun. It's pretty much PG-13 + kind of fun, so there's the warning :)
Everytime we Wall Rush Mikes Fan Page saying we're with PP&P, all of a sudden the Wall is alive. That Wall can be pretty slow sometimes. We just like to give a lil kickstart to Phans. We may seem crazy but we're just devoted. If Mike is gonna make an appearance somewhere, usually somebody tries to go and give up pix and stories. In fact most times we update our Wall faster than he updates his, so technically if posting info was a race we'd beat Mike everytime ;) There's nothing wrong with being excited in a positive way and showing admiration. Not in a crazed Im-gonna-stalk-you-so-hard kinda way, but just in a regular Fun Fan way. We're the types that don't hold back, laugh at a good joke, dance and have fun with friends, and keep a positive attitude. Some people can't handle that but it is what it is.
Im Blessed to be in the group and I can't believe it's been a whole year since it started. And more amazingly that many of us are still friends. Wasnt Mike just on SNL doing the MP Diet sketch, or on The View talking about how he wanted to be more fluent in Spanish, or in Toronto where Pri saw him and we were in the chat room 25+ deep waiting for her to tell us about it? As always Love to MP, We Love your Big Ego, such a Huge Ego :)
Happy 1st Anniversary to The Phelps Phive & Phriends!!!
We Walk Like This Cause We Can Back It Up!
