Obviously for water safety, you want to learn just to be comfortable in the water; that's the main goal. I think the second that you start freaking out and feeling uncomfortable, it's not going to go well.

I live a pretty conservative life, so I probably really haven't done anything crazy.

Yeah, my friends call me Mike, Michael or just my last name.

I don't want to be the next Mark Spitz; I want to be the first Michael Phelps

Things can change in the blink of an eye!

Being compared to Ian Thorpe, that could be one of the greatest compliments you could ever get in swimming - being compared to him and Mark Spitz.

I think to be - for me to be an American is - you know, it's one of the greatest things in the world for - you know, for me just because I've been able to grow up with everything. The freedom. You know, in my eyes this is the greatest country in the world.