Mark Andrew Spitz

Mark with his seven gold medals.

What is a hero? A hero is someone who inspires you. It is also a person who is always there to save the day. A hero has traits that distinguish him from others like courage and bravery. "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost."-Arthur Ashe

My hero is Mark Spitz. He was a swimmer who received seven medals in one Olympics. He was a fast swimmer all his life. He was the fastest ten year old. He was born in 1950 and is still living today with his wife and son. His record for most medals at the Olympics was shattered by Michael Phelps. After the Olympic Games in Munich, he retired from swimming. He is my hero for his loyalty to swimming.

Mark was a normal kid. His parents were not divorced and did not hate each other. The one problem he had was his father. His father pushed him to do things such as moving to go to a faster swim team. He moved three times as a child just for swimming. Although his swim career ended, he still swims with the master's swimming program. He is a great champion and my hero.

Mark Spitz has inspired me by receiving seven gold medals in one Olympic Games. He also inspired me by moving to a faster swimming team because his father wanted to. It would also be tough making new friends after moving. He also had to deal with the pressure of his father. I can relate with my parents. I am inspired to make every practice count no matter how hard it is. I also want to swim fast every time and try to make it to the Olympics.

"If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail."-Mark Spitz. It simply says to be prepared and you'll win and find success. If you don't prepare, then you'll lose or worse. This is why this quote is a good example of real life. You need to prepare for something like a test and you'll do fine at it. If you don't; you will get a bad grade. Mark Spitz is my hero because of his success in life.