The Loveable Lochte

Determined, free-spirited, a fierce competitor, and a talented athlete?...or is it gorgeous, absolutely adorable, a beautiful champion, and a talented Olympian armed with a killer smile?...

...or... even better... how about maybe a gorgeous competitor, fiercely talented in his determination to be a champion, armed with a killer smile and... um... ok enough with the adjectives, I think you get the point ...

Under normal circumstances, an athlete who's been breaking world records all his life, and who's success at the Olympics landed him with three gold medals (and several more broken records), would more likely than not upon his returning home be hailed a hero (perhaps even become a household name and make an appearance on cereal boxes?)... But alas, unfortunately as many of you may well be aware, there's a very long (and insanely fast) shadow that lurks over this beautiful champion's head...

Nevertheless, 24 year-old Olympic champion/model/aspirational clothing designer Ryan Lochte is my favorite swimmer... in the world. And no, it's not just the fact that he is arguably the most gorgeous aquatic star on the face of the planet (although that doesn't hurt )...

But there is indeed a passion behind this guy. Especially so once he gets in the pool... What puts him over the top for me though is that once he gets out of the pool, his free-spirited nature and loveable personality comes through... and then there's that smile ...

There's a saying by some of Ryan's fans that goes 'those who know Ryan, love Ryan'... honestly I can see where they're coming from... I swear this guy could light up a room with just a slight grin ...

And if not his grin, then his amazing abs during his on-season works just as well I guess ... Apparently both he and his champion teammate/good friend Michael Phelps make for quite the dynamic duo don't they?... (I think so )...

Anyhow, the summer Olympics won't be back for another 3 years... so for the time being, Ryan has been keeping himself busy winning more competitions, christening his own street and being hailed a model citizen back in his home town down in Florida, and most interestingly signing a modeling contract with Ford Models. Let's cross our fingers and hope Ryan goes for the underwear modeling he was aiming for a couple months back .

Oh, and while we're still on the subject of modeling... wow is he off to a good start. I guess if he can't outshine Michael in the pool, he can certainly gain somewhat of an edge with a flashing camera bulb... (to say the least )...

Ladies lookout

Look out ladies, there's a new guy in class!... and he's not afraid of showing off ...

Ha, judging from the looks he's getting from the group in the back, apparently he's the center of attention. Does anyone else get the feeling the instructor simply requested 'legs up' and this guy just took it upon himself to do a (neck?)stand . Hilarious, but very talented as well. I think if I tried that out, I'd probably be leaving on a stretcher ...

The Beautiful Dive Wallpaper

This is what I call the ultimate diving shot. Definitely had to have been staged cause I can't see something like this coming out of a competitive meet.

Did I mention this shot makes for a great wallpaper though?... Most of my icons tend to be on the right, so they're not blending in with the blue coloring. I'd love to see what blogmate Duba could make out of this one ...

The Beautiful View

Blue skies, beautiful blue ocean, a crystal clear blue pool... Could anything possibly make this view any more perfect than it already is? ...

Ah I see... gorgeous guy pool exiting the pool... (or is he entering )... Now that's perfection. I deem this The Beautiful View. Now if you'll excuse me as my smile turns into a frown upon realizing beaches and beautiful warm weather are still about 4 or 5 months away ...

Once upon a time...

Prior to all the lights and cameras, the medals and awards, late night talk shows, general praise and accolades...

And prior to the subsequent spur-of-the-moment mistake that eventually lead to an (unnecessary/unfounded) tarnishing of an image, there used to be a kid just doing what he loved most . Being that I was in the midst of a mini water theme, I figured I couldn't resist adding these superb shots of Michael Phelps in his 'dorm'. You guys were aware Michael avoided on-campus housing costs by setting his room up under the practice pool right ?

Aussie Lifeguards at work

Intense... a beautiful collision of two of my favorite loves, gorgeous guys and fantastic photography. If memory serves me right, I remember asking a while back about how and why Aussies took up this interesting tradition of (apparently) 'bikinifying' their speedos (maybe that's not the right term for it, but it sorta, kinda resembles one from certain angles )...

If I recall correctly I believe the explanation was that it's to prevent slippage while rowing... Especially so when considering the constant crashing waves drenching the seats. Something tells me this probably wouldn't fly with US lifeguards, but hey you won't hear any complaining from me ...

That being said, Just Beautiful photography with regards to these two shots. Almost gives the impression you're in the crashing waves with them.

Aquatic perfection

What's not to be said about aquatic beauties? I believe one previous reader going by the name of Torontonian mentioned something about perfect proportion? And fitness ?

Well, I do see perfect proportion, yes... And obviously fitness is a given ... What I unfortunately don't see though is my curiosity being fed. As in how to distinguish between hot, hotter, and hottest :-)... so as usual, that's where you guys come in.

I know I'm being bad for forcing a choice between these three stunning aquatic beauties, but it has to be done. If nothing else, for the sake of alleviating my curiosity . So let's see where the consensus lies...