Phelps, World Cup heroes and Rio dreamers weigh in at summit

— -- LOS ANGELES -- Stories and dreams. The Olympic Games are full of them.

No matter if the focus is Michael Phelps or an athlete just hoping to make it to Rio de Janeiro in August, they all have great stories.

Those stories were on full display on Tuesday, during the second day of the USOC Media Summit at the Beverly Hills Hilton.

Phelps: 'This is who I am'

Deep in training for Rio, 22-time Olympic medalist Phelps made a cross-country jaunt from Baltimore to the USOC Olympic Summit. In his press conference on Tuesday night, Phelps expressed regret over his lack of motivation before the London Olympics: "Going into 2012 was like pulling teeth. I didn't like going into the pool." But heading into Rio, he said he's enjoying training again.

"That I'm living a freer, happier life is a huge change. I don't feel like I'm carrying weights around anymore," Phelps said.

Asked about his past transgressions, Phelps said he's a lot more laid back and open than he used to be. He said he has nothing to hide anymore, and although he's the same person in the mirror, how he approaches his life has changed considerably.

"I keep the most important people closer to me than I ever have," he said. "I actually pick up the phone when somebody calls. I used to dodge phone calls."

Judo meets MMA

Kayla Harrison, already with a judo gold medal to her name, wants to repeat her dream. But what about after Rio? The natural progression is MMA and follow in the footsteps of Ronda Rousey, right? Not so fast.

But could she beat Rousey? "Ha! I'm not saying anything," Harrison replied.

Kassidy Cook is hoping to experience her first Games in diving. And who better to sing the praises of the young diver than Greg Louganis?

"I love Kassidy. She's the best, so great for the sport. Her enthusiasm ... so cool," Louganis said.

'Volleyball Olympics'

What about gold medal hopefuls on the beach April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings? The star duo was made available by video conference from Rio, where they are at qualifying events. Some have termed these Games the "Volleyball Olympics."

They're ready, even though Walsh Jennings is coming back from a shoulder injury.

"My shoulder feels great. Ever since [the injury], I've been on a mission to get my body ready. April and I have left no stone unturned getting ready -- body, mind and soul. We feel ready," Walsh Jennings said. "You can just tell [volleyball] is going to be big, really big here at this Olympics."

Concerns about the Zika virus in South America was a common theme on Tuesday.

Walsh-Jennings was pregnant during the London Games. Strong evidence has emerged indicating a link between Zika and the birth defect microcephaly, which causes children to be born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.

"To be perfectly honest, the media is making it way bigger than it is; that's my perception of it," she said. "It's not like you're going to Rio and flipping a coin and it's as dramatic as it is being presented. With that being said, when babies are being involved, you shouldn't take any chances, and make sure you're in the clear before. That would be my advice."

Pollution in Rio is also on a lot of athletes' minds for both how it affects their own health and for the environment in Rio, in general. Sailor Annie Haeger said her New Year's resolution was to not use plastic bags anymore, given the ongoing issue of trash in the water -- in Rio and beyond.

"[Sailing partner] Briana [Provancha] and I are trying to do our parts, and we'll try to pull trash out of water when [we see it]," Haeger said.

Who loves L.A.?

The Los Angeles Olympic bid committee took the stage in the afternoon and made the case to have the Games return to U.S. soil for the first time in three decades. Four-time Olympic gold medalist and LA 2024 director of athlete relations Janet Evans told the assembled media she thinks it is the right bid, at the right time.

The LA 2024 committee also announced its Athletes Advisory Commission, consisting of a who's who of former and current Olympic athletes.

During the LA2024 session, nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis had a lot to say about the state of track and field around the world, drug testing and the quality of the current U.S. team, even calling for the temporary resignation of International Association of Athletics Federations president Sebastian Coe.

Notes from the pitch

On the soccer front, the U.S. women's national team is readying for their Olympic push. There are some definite roster questions heading into the summer, however.

"We have a lot of new faces, we've had some turnover. It is our goal to help the newer players. And our goal is not to peak now; it is to peak once we get to Rio," Carli Lloyd said.

Good time for Paralympics

During the afternoon, it was the Paralympians' turn to take center stage, and all the panelists agreed that this is a great time for the Paralympics movement. Paralympics was a big part of the London Olympics and should get an even higher profile in Rio, with 66 hours of scheduled television coverage -- the most ever.

One of the standout guests was archer Matt Stutzman. Stutzman has no arms, yet he set a Guinness World Record last year for long-distance archery by hitting a target over 300 yards away.

He said he lives on a 50-acre farm and he and his buddy were shooting targets -- Stutzman with a bow and arrow, his friend with a rifle. They kept moving targets back, eventually surpassing 300 yards. Stutzman then contacted Guinness, which gave him three attempts to hit the target. He nailed it on his second shot.

The Olympic summit has one full day left, as it concludes on Wednesday evening.