Foreign swimmers training in the U.S.

Former Member
Former Member
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.
Parents
  • Whew...not sure I want to wade in on this one, but here goes. When I first read this thread I automatically thought about Division lll swimming. No scholarships, just school and swimming. Remember school? I thought that was what college was about. Not too many people out there who are making a living as a swimmer after college. Also, regarding the olympics, for me it's about the best swimmers not which country wins. I really dislike the emphasis put on which country won the most medals. Sure I am proud of Americans for doing well, but don't you like to see good swimming? Remember Michael Gross, Murray Rose, Inge De Bruin? Tell me you didn't enjoy their triumphs regardless of their home country. Glenn:)
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  • Whew...not sure I want to wade in on this one, but here goes. When I first read this thread I automatically thought about Division lll swimming. No scholarships, just school and swimming. Remember school? I thought that was what college was about. Not too many people out there who are making a living as a swimmer after college. Also, regarding the olympics, for me it's about the best swimmers not which country wins. I really dislike the emphasis put on which country won the most medals. Sure I am proud of Americans for doing well, but don't you like to see good swimming? Remember Michael Gross, Murray Rose, Inge De Bruin? Tell me you didn't enjoy their triumphs regardless of their home country. Glenn:)
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