Shirley Pellier, whose daughter swims for Mount St. Charles, says Michael Phelps, who was shown in a photo using a marijuana pipe, should have known better since he had already been stopped for driving under the influence two years ago.

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

PHELPS

LINCOLN — North Kingstown High School swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, an Olympic teammate of Michael Phelps, said yesterday she still looks on the champion medalist as a “role model for me” despite the publication of a photo showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The photo of Phelps, 23, taken at a student party in South Carolina in November, was published by the British tabloid News of the World. On Sunday, Phelps, who reaped a record eight gold medals in 2008 in Beijing, issued a statement saying he regretted his lapse in judgment.

Beisel, 16, during a break in a swim meet between North Kingstown and Mount St. Charles Academy at the Community College of Rhode Island, referred to speculation that the photo could cost Phelps millions of dollars in lucrative endorsements.

That, she said, could be “the price he has to pay” for the picture. “It definitely hurts our reputation as Olympians,” she added, “but we still definitely have the best athlete in the world.”

The reactions of other swimmers and parents at yesterday’s meet were mixed, ranging from shock and disappointment to insistence by some that he will continue to be a role model —– as long as he doesn’t step the wrong way again. (Phelps has not been charged with a crime.)

“He’s a great young man who used a little indiscretion. He deserves that we return him some slack,” said Tom Worthington, of Cranston, who came to see his stepdaughter, Allegra Hanson, swim for the North Kingstown team.

Elizabeth Beisel, Rhode Island’s Olympic swimmer, says she thinks Phelps should pay for his mistake, but she also says he’s still a role model for her.

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

“Everyone makes mistakes,” said 17-year-old swimmer Emmy Lutes, a North Kingstown senior. “He should be forgiven. His accomplishments definitely outweigh his mistakes, and his misdemeanors don’t cancel out the good message he gives to children.”

But Jeff Deslandes, 17, captain of the Mount St. Charles swim team, took the news of Phelps’ action as a blow to swimmers everywhere.

“Obviously, as a swimmer, I’m not proud of the fact that a fellow swimmer would stoop down to a level like that. It was an illegal act. For him to do something like that is a disappointment for everyone who looks up to him,” Deslandes said.

“It’s difficult to look at your parents in the eye and know you’ve disappointed them,” he added. “His mother is probably ashamed of him.”

“I just heard the story, and it’s kind of a shock,” said Justin McCarthy, 16-year-old sophomore at Mount St. Charles. “He was someone I looked up to for eight years.”

Justin McCarthy, a swimmer for Mount St. Charles, says Phelps’ image is now tainted.

Shirley Pellier, of Woonsocket, who came to see her daughter, Ariana Houle, swim for Mount St. Charles, said she was very disheartened to see a picture of Phelps drawing from a glass “bong” handed to him at a college party in Columbia, S.C.

Pellier said that one shouldn’t “condemn anyone off the bat,” but she is troubled that Phelps flouted the law once before. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Salisbury, Md., three months after the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

“If you compare his statement from then to the statement now, they are very similar — ‘I’m young, forgive me, I made a mistake. I should have known better.’ I think his allure as being a role model is becoming tarnished,” Pellier said.

Thomas Miller, of Cranston, hopes the Olympic swimmer doesn’t do it again.

Aly Packhem, 16, a junior at North Kingstown High, pointed out that Phelps was not in competition when the picture was taken.

“I don’t think he should lose his endorsements, but there definitely should be a penalty. Maybe they could give him a little suspension [from organized competition] but they definitely should not take everything away from him.”Treading water

•Michael Phelps doesn’t seem to be in much hot water with his sponsors despite being photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

 From apparel company Speedo to luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega, several sponsors are standing by the swimming phenom — at least for now — and have accepted his public apology.

 Other big companies, such as Visa, Subway and Kellogg, aren’t talking yet.

 Experts say if Phelps doesn’t stick to the straight and narrow, he could hurt his chances at future endorsements. (AP)

rdujardi@projo.com