Hi Everyone it's Amber, special guest writer once again....Let's go back, waaaay back to last year..Where the The Phelps Phive and Phriends journey began....It all began on Thursday September 4, 2008 on Michael Phelps' fan page wall:
Annabel Jarman wrote
at 9:58am
PS: Michael, we love when you write on your own wall! Esp when it's in reply to someone!
Priya A (Kitchener, ON) wrote
at 9:59am
i agree w/ annabel!! it shows that ur actually readin this!!! :)
Amber Clements (Ivy Tech Community College) wrote
at 10:00am
Well MP, looks like Annabel wants someone to write to her(hint hint) haha ;)
Michael Phelps wrote
at 10:01am
Hey guys. Thanks for all the comments (like Annabel's)!
Annabel was Queen of the Wall!! haha!
On this day, one year ago on Michael Phelps' Fan Page wall. A group was created over response to questions by none other than Mr. Phelps himself. Who knew that what was to occur the following year would change a lot of peoples lives. Here are a few members own words on what The Phelps Phive and Phriends means to them.
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So last yr was da yr i discovered MIKE!!!! & i soon phound out dat he comes w/da good stuff (8 golds,phoundation,inspiring books....) & da BADD stuff (puff puff,alcohol,& skanks... ahaha....) but anyway i new i was gunna b a DIE HARD PHAN when he got in a little puff puff trouble & i made up my mind 2 stick around:) b/c none of dat matters when im watchin him race! cuz im SCREAMING @ MY TV!!! IM HYPERVENTILATING MY HEART IS BURSTING OUTTA MY CHEST MY KNEES PHEEL SOOOO WEAK IM LIKE PRACTICALLY CRYING! MY EYES R BOUT 2 POP OUT IM SHAKIN EVEN AFTER DA RACE IS OVER!!! I CANT SLEEP DA NITE B4 A RACE & MY SISTERS R YELLING @ ME B/C IM YELLING WHEN MIKE IS RACING & THEY THREATEN 2 TURN OFF DA TV:) BUT WELL DA PHEELIN I GET IS DA MOST IMPORTANT ITS Y IMA PHAN ITS LIKE DAT WHEN I WATCH HIM RACE OR WHEN I JUST C HIM ON TV (LIKE IN AN INTERVIEW) A HUGE SMILE SUDDENLY APPEARS FRM EAR 2 EAR ACROSS MY FACE & NOTHIN MATTERS @ DAT MOMENT EXCEPT HIM!
SO EXTREMELY GLADD I SAW DA LINK 2 DA PP&P 1 DAY ON HIS PHAN PAGE! U GUYS ROCK! ITS WHERE I GET MY LATEST INFO! ITS LIKE "WATS GOIN ON W/MIKE??" "IDK??" LET ME CHEK DA PP&P IT HAS EVVVERYTHING!!!!!!!!! & OF COURSE IT HAS THOSE DROOLWORTHY PICS!!!!! & THOSE PRICELESS COMMENTS BOUT MIKES THIGHS & OTHER STUFF I SHALL NOT MENTION!:))))) HEE HEE HEE.... U GUYS NO WAT IM TALKIN BOUT!:) WE SHARE DA SAME PHEELINGS BOUT MIKE & I DONT PHEEL LIKE A CREEPY WEIRDO STALKER IN DA GROUP LIKE MY WHOLE PHAM MAKES ME PHEEL... SO... WE TOTALLY ROCK!!!! PP&P PHELPSIES 4 EVR!!!!!!:DDDDDD
Ana Nunez
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Phelps Phive and Phriends Phorever
It could almost be described has a glorious summer for me, that year of two-thousand and eight, during the summer Olympics. Words cannot express the enjoyment and jubilation that one Olympics provided. A lot of unforgettable things occurred which included PP&P group. I'll reflect on my membership to THE best Phelps fan group on Facebook (The Phelps Phive and Phriends).
Eight is really a lucky number, as many Chinese believe. A lot of 'luck' occurred at and as a result of the 8.8.08 Beijing Olympics. Michael Phelps accomplished his historic goal of winning his world famous eight gold medals and was 'lucky' to not fall short at gold number seven and of course his quest to accomplish this was watched by many lucky viewers who witnessed a once in a lifetime triumph over a eight day period; and of course Michael Phelps' accomplishments brought together a lucky group of Phelps fans to the PP&P 1 year old group with currently 418 members (and counting). I say the fans of the group are lucky because we all have a lot in common: funny, fun, smart and *cough* Michael Phelps *cough*. I sometimes think of PP&P has a 'secrete' society which allows phans to openly express their appreciation for MP without other people giving you the side eye as if something is wrong with loving you some MP.
Bulgies appreciate this aqua-man so much that other people around us think we're obsessed in a eat, sleep and think about MP everyday and twice on Sundays, kinda way. I'm clearly only referring to myself right now but ummm I wouldn't be surprised if other members of PP&P are the same way. ;-)
At the beginning when the group was created, I remember 'spying' on the group before I finally decided to join! I noticed that the group was created by some ladies who I saw conversing on MP's fan page wall and to my surprise they conversed with MP too! The ladies were really funny and nice, I had to be apart of their group. From that day I've been hooked almost all day everyday, including on 'What What' Wednesdays.
I've had mannnnnnnnnnnnyyyyy favorite moments and happenings in the group. For instance, how could I not appreciate when members of the group went to a swim meet and saw THE MAN Phelps, our center of attention, awesome! Basically the entire group was there but just not in person, thanks to all the ladies who updated us. I literally was checking for updates every other minute, simply because they were so exclusive and sometimes surreal. It was exclusive seeing all the pictures from the PP&P ladies with the swimmers and also day to day videos of whats happening. It was also surreal to see members Amber, Whitney and Nikki with MP's mom and sis! The ladies were already lucky for being able to go to the meet but "Nooooo waaaay" I would have thought they would get THAT lucky. Awesomeness. All PP&P's were lucky by the way, because the ladies never left us out of the experience, they shared and represented!
There were many other enjoyable moments being apart of PP&P but to experience it is much more fun and appreciative than writing/reading about it. If you like being around good people and love you some Michael Phelps and swimming, then the group Phelps Phive and Phriends is for you...
Happy anniversary to PP&P, every time it comes!
Shan Sutton
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The best thing about the phelps phive and phriends is the phriendship and a lasting bond that formed. the group and mp made it possible for people from all walks of life, from different countries and background to be really good friends. happy first anniversary pp&p and many more years to come... xoxo
Xesa santillian
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Here's why I love PPP....
I look forward to the cooky messages and encouragement everyone gives. I feel like we have all really become friends and not just fans of a mutual sport icon. I love the hot pictures and silly "chats". Mostly I love the comradery we all have with one another. PPP :) I love my Pheeps :)
Terri Melvin
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Hey everyone!!!
My favorite Michael moment, was actually the final Olympic Relay in Bejing. When Jason Lezak swam the anchor leg of the relay to bring home the finale of all finale's 8 Golds in a single Olympics to Michael Phelps!( 8 golds 8th month 2008) . The look on his face when he realized omg i have 8 Golds no else has done this was priceless. He inspired me to get off the couch ( after the Olympics LOL) and get to a gym which i most certainly did. As i have struggled with weight issues since i was a kid. Well with ipod in hand and some rampt up songs everyday i made it to that gym.When i had a bad day I thought about how he was able to endure 17 races in 8 days and that got me going more since the only person i was competing with was myself.
In November i had a setback over did it so to speak with the weights and ruptured disks in my back and the whole time i was thinking what this can't be i'm working towards my goal, but being a sports fan and seeing atheletes coming back from injury i continued to focus on my goals as i had when watching Michael's races so i put on my dvd and stayed on track as much as possible.
Well it's 1 year later after all the drama that has followed Phelps this year he proved last week in Rome he can still get it done beating Cavic again! and as he prepares to continue his journey to 2012 and beyond i am preparing for Gastric Bypass Surgery in 3 weeks something that would have never come about without watching Michael Phelps he mentioned during many of his interviews he wanted to be the first Michael Phelps...i now have the opportunity to be the healthy /active person i have always wanted to become.
Liz Halladay
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My favorite memory is the Olympics because MP was going to do something that no one has done before. I remember watching every single race and cheering for him to win. Thats just one of my many memories. I am glad to have met some pretty=2 0cool through PPP too. I have made long lasting friendships. Thanks MP for the memories and may PPP live strong! Cant wait to see what the future holds for MP and PPP. I know for sure, more sucia moments. Hahaha.
Soly Fernadez
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I am a relative newbie to the PP&P group but will always be thankful that I became a joiner of something for the first time on that fateful day when we all were fed up with the negativity being shown on MP's phan page after the "utensil photo". So the members of PP&P scheduled one of their famous wall rushes to show there support. I decided to join in on the fun of the wall rush and just got hooked on everyone's personalities and sense of humors. So that same day I decided join in on the fun permanently. I hope I have contributed as much to the group as I have received.
My second favorite PP&P moment was when the girls covered Indy for the group. They did such a great job it was just like being there Between getting to watch the events on Swimnetwork, Universal Sports, and Amber's personal videos, you didn't miss a lap. And the human interest stories that were thrown in such as the bathroom run in with DP and HP, and of course, the Stank Face moment. Priceless stuff!
I am very proud that when MP had his difficulties with the "Photo" controversy Team Phelps called on Amber and the other members of our group to construct a support page. The PP&P has done a great job over this entire year of supporting MP and each other.
Thanks for always making me feel welcome and making me laugh!
Lynne Plaisance
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MY Favorite Part of The PP&P
Lemme think. Been on Facebook for over a year. Joined so many groups. Why did the Phelps Phive & Phriends keep me around? No effing clue. Thats not true. Not true at all.
My favorite or most bestest fun part of the group is our CHAT SESSIONS! Whether its Chatango, FB Threads, MSN, or Twitter we have SO much fun staying in touch and talking about the most random topics. hahaha of course the juiciest convos are on MSN and Threads. But no matter where we all get together, it's a guaranteed LMAO-fest for rizzeal :) And being women we talk about everything on our minds. so in the future "Enter if you DARE" RAWR!!!!
Ty Stevenson
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Phelps Phive One Year
Wow, I cannot believe that it has been one year since the beginning of this group. I remember when I found the group. I was 22 living at home with my parents, bored out of my mind at home. I was creeping on Michael’s fan page and I came across the Phelps Phive and Phriends. At that point anything and everything Michael Phelps I was all for. I joined the group. I started reading the wall and thought, “Here are women that are just like me. Infatuated with an Olympic icon.” I decided to start writing on the thread. I immediately became addicted to writing on the wall and could not wait to see what these women on the wall would say next. Then came the chatroom. I could not wait to get home from work, check the group for any new info or pictures that someone may have found during the day and head on into the chat room, where you never knew what was going to go down. I remember the day that Priya went to T-dot to encounter Michael. Sitting and waiting for her to get on the chat room and five us all the juicy details. And then when Amber went to meet Lizeth and Lindi in LA. Checking the group and my phone every 5 minutes to see if they had updated or txt. Then came my first PP&P encounter. Indy! Amber, Whitney, Megan, Ana, Kaitlin, and other new friends were made. It was an experience that words cannot describe. Over the past year I have made some amazing friendships. We all know that this would not have been possible without Michael. I could not thank him enough for getting me involved in this group. These friendship have been awesome!! Thank you Michael Fred, and thank you Phelps Phive and Phriends for being an amazing group!!
Much Love,
Nikki Carr
P.S. I want to say a big thanks to Amber for keeping everything going and getting all this together for the one year. You are awesome girl!!
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The PPP: A Year in Review.
There isn't just one event that stands out as a favorite, all of the events that have happened to PPP members over the past year are all amazing. Priya seeing MP at the confrence in Toronto. Ty seeing MP at the U of M game. Myself going to California to meet Lizeth and Lindi & waiting in line 18 hours at Borders to be the first 3 people to meet MP at the book signing . Also seeing MP on Leno the same day. Alba and Eve meeting him at the NYC booksigning. Getting a chance to run The Support Michael Phelps Now page. Annette going to Charlotte Ultra Swim for MP's return after a 3mth suspension. Sloane seeing MP in Montreal. Myself going to Indy to meet up with Nikki, Whitney, Kaitlin and Ana to watch MP and other swimmers do there thing in action. Members of PPP in Rome at Worlds. We're all over the place! MP cannot escape us! LOL! ;) All of the Chatango times we had were a lot of fun too, even though we haven't done that in a while...it was always a good laugh. It has definately been the most amazing year. I hope this next year is even better and many more PPP's see the man himself in person and even meet him. :)
I have met so many wonderful people over the past year, who I have become such close friends with. If you would have told me a year ago that I would have so many new amazing people in my life all because of an Olympic swimmer, I would have said you were nuts! But, it happened. Sure we bonded over the love of MP, but it's deeper than that. I know I can go to any of my friends with a problem and they will take the time to listen, as I would do for any of them. :) This group has meant a lot to me and I'm still glad were going strong. I hope we last atleast until London 2012! MP needs his fans, and we will always be here! :) We need to stick and live by our motto:NO REGRETS!
~Amber Clements
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What can I say? This may sound cheesy, but really, isn’t is supposed to? The friendships and memories that have come out of this group are truly something special. If not for this group, I would not have been able to discuss my love for MP with anyone. All of my friends thought I was crazy for liking him so much, so I was SO excited to stumble across a wonderful group of people who shared my obsession! J
There were countless hours spent online looking at pictures, reading all the latest news, and of course chatting with everyone at Chatango!! Those were some hilarious times!! All of the YouTube video parties, the creation of our “theme song”, “anon’s” or “akon’s” and who could forget Gay Robot!!! And also, Priya giving us our “brown names”!!! Haha!!!
Whenever someone would go to a function where MP would be, everyone would get so excited, waiting for any bit of news!! I never knew how excited I could get living vicariously through someone else!!!
I was fortunate enough to meet up with Lizeth when I went to Los Angeles this February. She was my personal tour guide & we ended up having some crazy adventures!! From “PIE H”, constantly getting lost with her GPS and iPhone on hand, taking her to her first live hockey game and the torrential down pour the day we went to Disneyland!! None of that would have been possible if we hadn’t met through Phelps Phive and Phriends! She also came to visit me here in Calgary in April, and the adventures continued! She got to see snow fall for the first time here, I took her to Banff where we hung out with my friend hockey team full of married men and she got called Kim Kardashian. She cooked some Mexican food for me and all of my friends when we had a games night at my place, went to another hockey game (Canadian style) and went to Drumheller to visit some dinosaurs! All of this happened because we met through this page, and I can call her one of my closest friends now!!!
This may sound nerdy, but when I don’t get to talk to certain members of the group for a while (you know who you are….my MSN ladies!) I get sad! L I love talking about everything, not only swimming, with them! Although I have only met one of them, I can truly say that they are amazing people, and friends!
I hope, one day, to meet more of the wonderful members of the group and continue to create more memories and stronger friendships. I am looking forward to Nationals in California next August for many reasons. One, to finally meet up with Nikki, Amber, Lindi and anyone else who decides to come, and to watch the man himself swim!! Because of Michael, my love and respect for the sport has grown, as well as my interest in other swimmers!!
Thank you Phelps Phive and Phriends for a wonderful first year!! I can’t wait to see what the next year, and the years beyond have in store for us!!
Xoxo,
Shannon Keilly aka Shansharabi aka Cougar aka Old Lady (Thanks Nikki!)
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Hey Ladies!!!
The year has flown by, and it seems like last wk I was facebook-ing everything related to Michael phelps after his 8th gold medal. Yes, the Canadian was cheering for the American, but to defend myself, what Canadian really knows what to do when the ice melts?! I was on mike’s wall for a few days as well as his discussion posts (back when it actually was on his page), and came across some comments posted by a few ladies repeatedly. It didn’t take long to convince myself that I was gonna post as well. Annabel’s comment was the first one, to which I responded, and voila! Mike responded! I remember being so giddy and laughing to myself that he actually was
there! One thing led to another and a group of 5 of us decided that Annabel was the queen of the wall! We popped over to make a group and the rest is history! Over the yr, many more from different races, ages, and nationalities, the group is still growing day by day.
From the start, no one seemed to say much to us, leading us to think that no one was watching, which led to some interesting times. *dive into the temptation*
had the chance to volunteer at the Toronto convention in October, 2008 where mike was speaking. Unfortunately for me, getting lost on the way into TO, lead me to be at the door. Yet, the buzz was all still there. There he was, bright and early in the am, walking right past and giving me that smile that makes your legs turn to butter.
I couldn’t help but sneak my phone out and update as much as I could. I could feel the anticipation even so far away. While being there, I came to realize how big our group really was. I was txting (again) while on a break, and someone teasingly asked who I was txting.
I told her about updating a group of friends, and turns out that she knew who I was! Just from the group itself, “omg, your Priya from ppp! Ive been following you guys!” we “met” up again on mike’s wall once after as well. Getting back home was my main motive at this point, bc I knew that I HAD to update everyone.
Seeing the statement “there are 28 members in chat right now” made me do a double take and giggle with glee. Ill never forget that chat that night w/ so many ppl waiting for the first encounter w/ mike.!
Ive had 3 meetups so far, and im hoping for much more. My 2 spontaneous trips to Niagara falls to meet alba, and Detroit trip to go out for dinner with Ty (telling the border patrol that I was visiting my sister) and the last one recently during a family vacation where I met rose and her crazy driving
The ppp members have shown some serious strength in vocalizing what we are here for, as well as forming life long friendships with other members who all feel the same way.
The days before Chatango came into play, the days of where the members feared the "dungeon" . our fun-loving days where Michael was an active part of his wall as well, and the many branches that we’ve all made over the year. Yet one thing always pulls us back together and that’s the love and support that we have for mike himself.
Thank you so much ladies for the great memories, the good times, the incomparable friendships. Cheers to many more meetups, sucia moments, bulges, and wallrushes!
Priya Anand
*WHAT WHAT*
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Who would've thought that a group of 5 gals would end up growing to a group of 400! Since the beginning of this amazing group, I have created some wonderful friendships with ladies I wouldn't have otherwise have made if it wasn't for the one named Michael Fred Phelps. Since the wall floods on his fan page, these acquaintances have manifested into what I hope will be lifelong friendships. We have come to support each other through the tough times and express excitement and happiness during the good times. And who can forget the great Canadian pop culture and our favorite robot, who shared our love for bulges? :) Or the infamous night chats on Chatango w/ our favorite Anons? Plus, we were able to try out our PR talents with our various commercials such as "Aquatic Dream - Dive into Tempatation", "Deep End", and "Ocean Sunset". If there is anyone out there who would like to know what these entailed, let me know. We have storylines, characters, sets, and costumes all thought up. :) And let's also not forget the Toronto and LA updates when Priya, Amber, Lindi, and Lizeth had the chance to see the Aqua man up close and personal.
So cheers to a wonderful year. Even though things may have changed just a little bit (i.e., not posting to the PP&P wall as often as before), I will never forget that this group has opened my eyes to the swimming world and great friends. Let's see if we can stick around for another year. Much love to everyone!
-Liza Ducusin
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Random thoughts about PPP:
I guess that my favourite things or moments about PPP are the following 1 - trust - we all have a passion for MP to some degree whether it be his talent, personal story or hotness. We trust each other to understand and we appreciate each others views about our common love/lust/like for the man
2 - I love that this page has made so many of us change, take risks and develop new interests in our personal lives. We are all growing and we support each other through comments, friendships, emails, etc.
3 - diversity - we are a diverse group from around the world and our passion for MP has diversified to other swimmers from around the world and issues that involve the sport of swimming
4 - I absolutely love when we get a little silly/naughty when a new pic of MP is posted =)
I hope this helps. I must say that I am addicted to PP&P. I check in with you guys daily whether for some conversation or keeping up to date. I always leave our page smiling.
Hope you have a restful weekend and may all the 'crap' that seems to be getting you down lately get flushed away :)
Your fellow PHEEPS,
Sloane Norman
