Jun 30, 2008 6:40 pm US/Eastern
Phelps, Hoff Trained At Baltimore Swim Club
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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They're two of Maryland's most celebrated athletes, and now Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff both seem to be swimming straight to China.
WJZ
They're two of Maryland's most celebrated athletes, and now Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff both seem to be swimming straight to China.
Mike Schuh reports the standouts made history and made their fans in Baltimore very proud.
Both Phelps and Hoff trained at Meadowbrook Swim Club in Mount Washington in North Baltimore.
There's plenty of excitement at the aquatic club that's being called the best in the country. The proof is two of the fastest swimmers in the world have come out of its pool.
In the history of man, no one has ever gone faster than the two Baltimoreans.
"That was probably one of the most painful races of my life," Phelps said. "Everything was left in the pool. I definitely would not have been able to do it without Lochte beside me. He's a great friend and a great competitor. I love racing him."
The trip to Beijing is measured 50 meters at a time.
Hoff and Phelps became great swimmers in Mount Washington.
"So for the two of them to simultaneously hold the world records and have come out of the same program I think speaks volumes about you know what we do here in North Baltimore. And it speaks volumes about them as athletes," said John Cadigan with the aquatic club.
Coaches say they begin to see talent around the ages of 11 to 13-years-old.
That's the exact age of many of the kids currently training at Meadowbrook.
At any age there is huge pride living in a city and a state and belonging to a club which produces the fastest athletes in the world.
"Now I see her day to day on a daily basis, and I say, 'yup, there's Katie Hoff,'" said Schuyler Silverman, NBAC swim team member.
"When she's actually like swimming, it doesn't look like she's trying that hard, but she's actually going really fast," said Colin Roddy, NBAC swim team member.
"To have the best two swimmers in the world came from your team, and they did what you did. And sometimes when you're feeling like you're having a hard day or something, you realize that they went through the exact same thing. Where they are now is just really impressive," said NBAC swim team member Kathleen Godwil.
There are two giant plasma TV screens at the club, and they're following developments that are being webcasted live in the U.S. and around the globe. The reason is because 12 swimmers from the Meadowbrook program are in Omaha trying to compete to get into the Olympics. Every day of the seven days that remain somebody from the MBAC is swimming to try to make it to Beijing.
The Olympic kick off is on August 8.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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