Phelps should continue to strive and keep competing

By Melanie Doherty

As kids, we are taught to never give up in life no matter how difficult or easy things appear to us. But how are we supposed to follow this if well-known people and role models we look up to in the world decide to stop doing something?

I’m a huge fan of Michael Phelps and it won’t be as exciting to watch the 2016 Olympics without seeing him in the water. I know some other people besides me could agree that it’s really exciting to see him win medal after medal; it encourages us to train harder and excel in our sports. If Phelps continues to race he could help team USA try to secure their ranking with the amount of medals they have and make USA proud to have that honor. Possibly, he could even help USA catch up to China or maybe beat them in total medals. Sure, you could say that he’s already done so much, has a lot of money and deserves to retire, but what if Thomas Edison had stopped inventing after 1868 when he invented the voting machine? Then, we would never have the light bulb he perfected in 1879. If Phelps continues to race, he has nothing to lose; he will only get better.