Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps holds crowd in thrall at MH
event
MORGAN HILL – By the hundreds they came – some lining up at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center as early as 6 in the morning.
Why they came was no mystery.
For the 1100 or so fans at Disney’s “Swim with the Stars” exhibition Thursday, U.S. Olympic gold medalists Ian Crocker and Lenny Krayzelburg were considered nice attractions.
But this was clearly a night for Michaelmania.
“We’re here for Michael Phelps!,” yelled 12-year-old Morgan Hill swimmer Anjana Deveraj while anxiously waiting in line with her friends and sister. “He’s really fast. He works hard. He’s just awesome.”
It seemed to be the running sentiment among the throngs of attendees – parents and kids alike.
The internationally-known 19-year-old with a big smile and a big share of gold medals – six to be exact – was clearly the night’s biggest star on the last leg of the 12-city cross-country tour.
“It’s a mini-version of Beatlemania,” said Phelps’ agent, Peter Carlisle.
Tickets for the show, originally scheduled for Santa Clara before bureaucracy snafus forced a move to Morgan Hill, just went on sale Monday.
Danielle Downing of Morgan Hill let her five kids stay up late every night to watch Phelps at the recent Olympic Games. So when the $30 general admission tickets became available for purchase, getting them was a no-brainer.
“That day, I told the kids somebody special was coming to Morgan Hill,” Downing recalled. “I said, ‘Think Greece.’
“All of them immediately yelled out ‘Michael Phelps! Michael Phelps!'”
It was a scream heard throughout the night at the Aquatics Center, as starry-eyed girls of all ages made it sound like an N’Sync concert had broken out.
“I’ve been to five N’Sync concerts,” said 15-year-old Lauren Taylor between breaths. “And this is so much better.
“I really think I’m gonna faint.”
From the day Phelps’ Bay Area appearance was announced last month, Taylor and her friend, Amy Rajkovich, began working odd jobs to raise the $100 it cost for each VIP ticket.
The Lodi natives saved up money in a jar labeled ‘Michael Phelps or Bust.’
“And that’s hard for a 15-year-old girl to do!” said Rajkovich as she and her friend wore self-designed outfits displaying their affection for Phelps. “But we’ve seriously been dreaming about this night. We’ve been driving our parents and friends crazy.”
All night, fellow adoring fans scrambled to get as many pictures as possible, some even injuring themselves in the process.
Stephanie Sweeney of San Lorenzo was crushed when she found out the Santa Clara show was canceled. When the 19-year-old and her two friends found out Thursday the event had been re-scheduled, they rushed over to Morgan Hill but were unable to purchase tickets at the last-minute.
Determined to get just the right shot, though, Sweeney climbed on top of a trash can just before it gave way, which resulted in a few scratches and one nasty bruise.
Sweeney didn’t seem to mind the injury as she waited outside with dozens of others near the swimmers’ bus.
“I don’t care … it was worth it,” she said without hesitation. “He’s just so, so hot.”
Believe it or not, though, actual swimming did go on at the exhibition.
Each athlete was introduced to thunderous applause, and through demonstrations in the pool, each explained numerous skills and lessons to the audience.
The three of them also competed in a 50m breastroke “grudge match,” took several questions from kids in the audience and even competed in a three-team relay with nine swimmers from Makos, the Morgan Hill swim club.
Right after racing in her home pool with three of the most famous swimmers in the world, 13-year-old Amemieke Kerstens could hardly contain her excitement.
“Oh my gosh, I loved it,” she said as all her friends gathered around her. “I shook hands with them all. I’m so excited!
“I think I’ll tell my grandchildren about this. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Geno Azevedo, vice president of the Morgan Hill Aquatics Foundation, said that’s exactly why the foundation, led by president Tom Rick, didn’t waste any time grabbing the chance to host the event.
“What a cool thing … for those kids to be able to see their role models swim right here in our brand new facility,” Azevedo said. “Most of the kids out here? This is their sport – they aspire to do what these guys have done.”
On this night, though, it was the traveling party that left praising the home crowd.
The large team of workers on this Disney tour, which has mainly traveled to large cities like Atlanta, New York and Chicago, were unanimously complimentary of the crowd that turned out on a chilly fall night.
“This is the most impressive crowd we’ve had, no doubt,” said Sean Foley, one of the tour’s key organizers. “Morgan Hill was over-the-top kind to us.
“I mean there’s obviously a lot of demand for swimming here, because to get a crowd like this on such short notice is incredible.”
Don’t just take Foley’s word for it, though.
“I thought the crowd was awesome,” said Phelps as nearly two hours of autographs and pictures finally came to close around 11. “It means a lot to me that all these people would come out in the cold like this.
“I think everything went great.”
Judging from the impressed parents, the screaming girls and the wide-eyed young swimmers, it doesn’t appear Phelps will be getting much of an argument in Morgan Hill.
