There has been a lot of discussion since Athens about foreign swimmers training in the United States. Most of them attend U.S. Universities, receive athletic scholarships, and compete at NCAA's. Some notable examples include Duje Draganja (Cal), Fred Bousquet and Kirsty Coventry (Auburn), Markus Rogan (Stanford), and the South African sprinters (Arizona). Some train in the U.S., but don't compete for a university (Inge de Bruijn). All of these athletes benefit from U.S. coaching, from training with U.S. swimmers, and in some cases, from financial support provided by U.S. entities (athletic scholarships). They all turn around and then win medals for other countries.
A couple questions: 1) What do you think about this arrangement generally? 2) Is it of benefit or detriment to U.S. swimming to have these foreign athletes training and competing here? 3) Should we be giving athletic scholarships, which are a scarce resource in swimming, to foreign athletes who will represent their own countries internationally instead of U.S.-born swimmers who will represent us internationally?
I'm sure there are other issues, but these come directly to mind.
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Former Member
Originally posted by Blue Horn
America is built upon specific principles and beliefs and it has made this country great. Immigrants that have bought into these principles and beliefs have made this country great. Immigrants that seek to turn America into just another country indistinguishable from the rest of the world will be its downfall.
My grandfather's (my mother's father) family came here from Poland and Russia. They came here because this is the greatest most compassionate country that has ever existed.
Well put, Blue, although you wouldn't be able to tell America's compassion from this thread.
It's funny, because I thought the United States was formed out of opression and intolerance. At least, that's the reason my grandparents emigrated from Ireland. Well, that, and lack of food.
I feel badly for people from other countries trying to get "their piece of American pie" as it was put, because the people who founded this country fought, and gave up so much to get ahold of that pie, and now they get to sit back and watch us hoard it. So much for the American spirit. I say that international students have every right to the scholarships offered by the universities they attend, and if they are good enough to make the world stage and compete for their home countries, hooray for them. Except England. I don't like them. It's an Irish thing. :p
And Dima, Geek, you guys are way out of line. There was so much argument about keeping on topic with the threads, and now you guys are turning this topic about international students and swimming scholarships into the next Cold War. Go fight on the Republicans' chat room.
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Former Member
Originally posted by Blue Horn
America is built upon specific principles and beliefs and it has made this country great. Immigrants that have bought into these principles and beliefs have made this country great. Immigrants that seek to turn America into just another country indistinguishable from the rest of the world will be its downfall.
My grandfather's (my mother's father) family came here from Poland and Russia. They came here because this is the greatest most compassionate country that has ever existed.
Well put, Blue, although you wouldn't be able to tell America's compassion from this thread.
It's funny, because I thought the United States was formed out of opression and intolerance. At least, that's the reason my grandparents emigrated from Ireland. Well, that, and lack of food.
I feel badly for people from other countries trying to get "their piece of American pie" as it was put, because the people who founded this country fought, and gave up so much to get ahold of that pie, and now they get to sit back and watch us hoard it. So much for the American spirit. I say that international students have every right to the scholarships offered by the universities they attend, and if they are good enough to make the world stage and compete for their home countries, hooray for them. Except England. I don't like them. It's an Irish thing. :p
And Dima, Geek, you guys are way out of line. There was so much argument about keeping on topic with the threads, and now you guys are turning this topic about international students and swimming scholarships into the next Cold War. Go fight on the Republicans' chat room.
