Date With Rodman Is Next Challenge for Olympian Beard

She met President Clinton. Talked volleyball with Vice President Gore. But neither of them can quite match the tattooed, multi-pierced, scalp-dyed excitement facing Amanda Beard this Thursday.

Yep, two days from now American’s swimming sweetheart, winner of three Olympic medals, is taking in breakfast and an Angel game with her 6-foot, 8-inch hero, Dennis Rodman.

“He called me and wanted to meet me,” said Beard, shortly after she arrived home in Irvine on Monday night. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ I love him so much I can’t wait.”

Not to worry; the whole family is coming along on her date with the Bulls’ basketball star.

“It’s a big fun outing,” said Beard as 10 of her friends shrieked in the background.

For Beard, that sentiment could describe the whirlwind the last few weeks, which saw the high school freshman win silver medals in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes and a gold in the 400-meter relay. Beard, who will be 15 in October, is believed to be the youngest American swimmer to win a gold.

Beard surprised her parents by calling Monday morning to announce she was skipping the U.S. swim team’s trip to the White House to come home.

“She was homesick,” said her mother, Gayle Beard. “She’s been gone for 29 days. She already got to see Bill and Chelsea and Hillary.”

Gayle Beard said she and her husband, Dan, were only able to see Amanda once for three hours--an hour longer than allowed--in the Olympic village. Their other face-to-face communication was done over the tops of fences.

“They keep them isolated,” Gayle Beard said.

Monday night, back in her pink and purple and yellow and green bedroom, Beard was simply relieved to have a little freedom and a chance to play with her new gray and gold bunny, Gliver. Get it? Gold and silver.

“I feel more relaxed,” Beard said. “Like I can do some more stuff. There you had to stay in the village.”

Beard said she skipped the Clinton meet-and-greet because, well, she already had met the man--and he knew her name.

“I talked to him a little. I was just excited that he knew my name,” Beard said. “He said, ‘You did a great job, Amanda,’ and I was like, ‘Whoa, he knew my name.’ ”

Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, also got high marks from Beard. Gore had told the swim officials that he would like to attend a volleyball game with some swimmers. Beard volunteered for the job.

“He was so nice,” Beard said. “He was talking to us. He was trying to teach us how volleyball works. None of knew how to play.”

Although she is relieved to be home, Beard said she can’t wait for Sydney 2000.

“I want to go back. It was real fun, and it went by so fast,” she said.

For now, Beard is off to Washington state on Friday to visit relatives with her mother and two girlfriends.

“I just want to have a relaxing time,” she said.