Article in today's Wall Street Journal (11/29/12).
online.wsj.com/.../SB10001424127887324352004578137330732319310.html
Read some of the comments if you have time.
I find this article hilarious, because last Saturday, on 11/24/12 I was swimmming and shared a lane with a guy wearing a UCLA swim brief. What was hilarious was that I out swam this guy. I continously lapped him, as well continuing to swim after he got out of the pool. I asked him if he was done with his workout and he stated yes. I semi-scolded him for only swimming a 2000 to my 3000. He shook his head, laughed, and walked away. He did one length of a Butterfly, and all the rest was Freestyle. I expect UCLA athletes to be in much better shape than I, especially in a pool.
Last evening the Masters Coach at CSULB invited me to join them in their Christmas/Holiday swim, 100 x 100 on 12/22/12. She thinks I can handle it. I am taking her up on the offer to see how well a non-coached swimmer can do against coached swimmers. This is gonna be fun.
From the article:
Evan Cudworth, a 2009 Chicago graduate, isn't sorry to see the test go. Now 26 and working in the school's admissions office, he says most students were "pretty embarrassed that they had to get up in front of their classmates and strip down" into swimwear during freshman orientation.
Oh no, kids were embarrassed?!!
There are way too many people out there who can't swim. I really wish this requirement was expanded to more schools rather than slowly going extinct as it seems to be. I'd also add in the requirement that all students need to take a basic first aid class to graduate.
The schools should probably make it free if it's mandatory. But I find it pretty funny that some people have the argument "well I don't plan on being near water EVER." That's silly.
Agree on both points. If not free it should be very cheap, not the same credit-hour rate as academic classes.
I'd also add that I'd be a little skeptical of religious exemptions for getting out of the class. I don't know of any religion that forbids swimming. Offer female only classes and the problem is solved. In fact learning to swim is a tenet of Islam.
From the article:
Evan Cudworth, a 2009 Chicago graduate, isn't sorry to see the test go. Now 26 and working in the school's admissions office, he says most students were "pretty embarrassed that they had to get up in front of their classmates and strip down" into swimwear during freshman orientation.
Oh no, kids were embarrassed?!!
There are way too many people out there who can't swim. I really wish this requirement was expanded to more schools rather than slowly going extinct as it seems to be. I'd also add in the requirement that all students need to take a basic first aid class to graduate.
The schools should probably make it free if it's mandatory. But I find it pretty funny that some people have the argument "well I don't plan on being near water EVER." That's silly.
Agree on both points. If not free it should be very cheap, not the same credit-hour rate as academic classes.
I'd also add that I'd be a little skeptical of religious exemptions for getting out of the class. I don't know of any religion that forbids swimming. Offer female only classes and the problem is solved. In fact learning to swim is a tenet of Islam.
