Bird's nest soup Team effort

Michael Phelps' performance in the Beijing Olympics was a stunning individual achievement. But make no mistake about it, he never would have won eight gold medals without being part of a great team.

That is obvious in an immediate sense from his three medals in relay events. In particular, he benefited from the all-star cast that made up the men's 400-meter medley relay and from Jason Lezak's amazing performance on the anchor leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay.

In a broader sense, his medals were made possible by the wide and deep interest in swimming in his home country. Most cities in America offer community teams and, in many cases, at least one larger swim club with superior facilities and coaches dedicated to taking some kids to national or international levels of competition.

At the collegiate level, a number of major universities, particularly in the Sun Belt, have dedicated considerable resources to swimming. This means that throughout the USA, would-be swimmers have access to local teams and multiple options as they scale the ladder to higher levels of competition.

For Phelps, growing up where he did — near the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and coach Bob Bowman — was ideal. He forged a lasting relationship with Bowman, following him to the University of Michigan and, soon, back to Baltimore. But had Phelps come from any number of other cities, he also would have had access to outstanding teams and coaches to nurture his natural gifts.

Now, perhaps, Phelps can give back to the sport. Without doubt, his accomplishments will spark increased interest in swimming. For a population that is often too sedentary, anything he could do to encourage young Americans to get into lifelong, participatory activities would be a great thing. Call it returning the favor to Team USA.

Class acts.

Athletic feats such as Phelps' are extraordinary, but some of the best moments at the Olympics come after the events end. Some of the worst, too.

Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian was so angry after judges placed him third in a Greco-Roman wrestling event that he walked off the podium during the ceremony, threw his bronze medal on the mat and stomped off in a rage. As a result of his antics, he was stripped of his medal.

By contrast, consider the reactions of two American competitors who came achingly close to gold but fell short.

In her fifth and almost surely last Olympics, swimmer Dara Torres, 41, was a story just for showing up. The fact that she went into the 50-meter freestyle finals with the fastest qualifying time and a real chance to win gold was remarkable.

But it was not to be. Torres was beaten by one one-hundredth of a second, the same impossibly thin margin by which Phelps won gold in the 100-meter butterfly. In the pool she managed a rueful smile, and afterward she was gracious and funny. "I gave it my best shot," she said. "I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have filed my nails last night."

Another stirring moment of grace amid disappointment came from one of the youngest Americans at the Games, gymnast Shawn Johnson, 16.

During the tense showdown with the Chinese in the gymnastics team competition, Johnson's 20-year-old teammate Alicia Sacramone had a disastrous outing, falling off the balance beam and falling again during a floor exercise. That helped drop the Americans into second place behind the Chinese.

At a news conference afterward, there were no recriminations, no sour grapes. "We are proud of each other no matter what we do. We are like a family," Johnson said. "We respect China. We will wear our silver medals proudly."

There aren't any gold medals for classy behavior, but athletes such as Torres and Johnson are doing their best to erase the image of the ugly American.