Beginning in late August, ERC lifeguard Milt Hein noticed something out of the ordinary.
While most swimmers usually stick to freestyle or breaststroke, Hein, who began life-guarding at the Eppley Recreation Center last fall, saw an increasing number of people attempting the butterfly - and failing.
"The main thing is a lot more people try to swim like they're in the Olympics, but they're not really good at it," said Hein, a junior government and politics major.
Hein and other ERC lifeguards attribute this recent trend to Michael Phelps' unprecedented eight gold medals at this summer's Beijing Olympics.
Kevin Quail, a junior kinesiology major, switched his workout routine from running to swimming after watching Phelps take over the Olympics.
"He definitely was the inspiration for me to swim," he said.
Quail, who swims two to three times a week for about half an hour, quickly learned that swimming was not as effortless as Phelps made it appear.
"It's a lot harder [than running]," he said. "I've tried butterfly. It just doesn't work. It really gives you an appreciation for what Phelps did."
ERC swimming instructor Ellen Slobodnik, a sophomore government and politics major, has also seen more students switching from freestyle to butterfly. They are not hard to spot, she said, because the butterfly is a challenging stroke that is difficult for beginners to do correctly.
Most first-time butterfly swimmers haven't trained their muscles enough to master the particular motion, Hein said, adding that most get tired after a few laps and abandon the stroke.
Some swimmers have also picked up the poolside mannerisms of the 23-year-old sensation from Towson, Hein said.
"I see a lot more people rocking their iPods and stretching," a routine Phelps repeated before every race, he said.
Phelps' impact on swimming at the university goes beyond amateur swimmers. He owns five records at the Olympic-sized pool in the ERC, including a time in the 200-meter butterfly that has stood since 2000.
While the Phelps phenomenon has attracted more swimmers to the pool, Carrie Tupper, the ERC's aquatics director, said an increase is normal after the Olympics.
"There has been a slight increase in our participation numbers in the pools," Tupper said. "We do always see that after Olympic years, after the notoriety of the swimming and how well it goes."
Still, for Brett Wallace, a sophomore criminology and criminal justice and government and politics major, Phelps' Olympic performance and a desire to get in shape motivated him to start swimming regularly, something he had not done since high school.
"I think anyone who watched the Olympics was a little inspired," Wallace said.
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