Arrive Magazine - January/February, 2010

Swimming
champion Michael
Phelps (right),
his mother and
Baltimore County
Executive Jim
Smith at Phelps’
homecoming
ceremony upon
his return from
the Athens
Olympics in
2004.

The best places to ...

GRAB A SLICE

Fortunato Brothers Pizza 6374 York Road; 410-377- 7300 • “I love to eat at this pizza and sub shop down the street from my house,” Phelps says. “They’ve got the best pizza in Baltimore.”

Why I Love ...

Baltimore

ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM

Camden Yards
333 W. Camden St.;
410-685-9800 • “Whether
you’re a baseball fan or
not, Camden Yards is one
of the nicest stadiums I’ve
been to. The atmosphere is
just amazing,” Phelps says,
“and Baltimore is a huge
sports town, so catching
a game there is always
memorable.”

Fourteen-time U.S. Olympic
gold medalist Michael Phelps
stays close to home—and his
swim coach—in Charm City

Michael Phelps smashed Mark Spitz’s record by winning eight gold medals in Beijing, and many consider him the greatest athlete in Olympic history. He’s won 16 Olympic medals overall and broken 37 world records. Even after racking up this impressive list of accomplishments, however, it’s telling to note that the fam-ily-oriented swimmer moved back to his native Baltimore.

Despite growing up in a seaport city, Phelps was actually scared of swimming until he worked up the nerve to put his face in the water. Inspired by his older sisters and looking for an energy outlet after being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Phelps soon excelled in the sport. But it was

father figure Bob Bowman, his coach at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, who helped hone his natural talent.

“Bob helped me become a goal-oriented swimmer. Learning that at an early age helped me keep my focus,” Phelps says. “I’m extremely competitive and can’t stand to lose. That’s what made me want to swim, because my family was active in the sport.”

That aggressiveness has served him well, as does a disciplined work ethic that includes up to 10 swimming workouts, three weight workouts and three cardio workouts per week. During his downtime, however, Phelps remains a typical 24-year-old who enjoys hanging out with his mom and friends. “I’m constantly working out,” he admits, “but when I’m not, I’m sitting at home on my couch playing video games. Right now, I’m playing Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360, and I’ve been doing a lot of Wii Sports.”

Phelps returned to Baltimore in 2008 to remain close to Bowman, who is now CEO of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, and settled into the historic waterfront community of Fells Point. But he’ll soon depart for the U.S. national team’s training camp, where he’ll gear up for this year’s national championships.

—BRET LOVE

TAKE A WALK The Waterfront Promenade 410-467-1880 • Phelps loves spending time strolling through the restaurants and shops along this seven-mile path on the Baltimore shoreline, from the green spaces of Canton and Fort McHenry to Inner Harbor.

GET MARYLAND CRAB

Bo Brooks Restaurant 2701 Boston St.; 410-558- 0202 • “It’s right on the water, downtown,” he notes, “and it’s a great place to hang out with my friends. They have amazing crab they bring in fresh off the docks.”