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
Former Member
Yes I want the money I pay in taxes (states and federal) that goes to colleges or universities and to grand/scholarship programs to support American students FIRST ! But note when I said you take care of your OWN first, I also said THEN you help others.
I also want the money I give to my alma mater to be spent in a way I agree with. As a matter of fact the last time UGA called to solicit a donation I earmarked my money for minority scholarships rather than specifying my donation for my graduate department (as has been my custom) because I disagree with the direction my the department has taken in the last few years.
I feel for others around the world who can not afford to attend an American university without support, but I'm sure there are insitutes of higher education in most of their countries they could afford to attend, or attend for free. There were a lot of colleges and universities here in the US I couldn't afford to attend when I was in school, so what did I do? Demand the world give me an education that it owed me? No, I found one I could afford to attend and PAID MY OWN WAY THROUGH SCHOOL BY WORKING TWO PART TIME JOBS AND BORROWING MONEY. Least you think I have no idea of what it means to be poor........ when I moved to Athens to attend grad school at UGA, I was a single mom with 300.00 to my name AND no job prospects.
Scholarship money, whether it is academic or athletic, should go to Americans first. If there is money left over, or perhaps as Rob suggested a small percentage of all scholarship money, should be offered to foreign students.
Lainey
Yes I want the money I pay in taxes (states and federal) that goes to colleges or universities and to grand/scholarship programs to support American students FIRST ! But note when I said you take care of your OWN first, I also said THEN you help others.
I also want the money I give to my alma mater to be spent in a way I agree with. As a matter of fact the last time UGA called to solicit a donation I earmarked my money for minority scholarships rather than specifying my donation for my graduate department (as has been my custom) because I disagree with the direction my the department has taken in the last few years.
I feel for others around the world who can not afford to attend an American university without support, but I'm sure there are insitutes of higher education in most of their countries they could afford to attend, or attend for free. There were a lot of colleges and universities here in the US I couldn't afford to attend when I was in school, so what did I do? Demand the world give me an education that it owed me? No, I found one I could afford to attend and PAID MY OWN WAY THROUGH SCHOOL BY WORKING TWO PART TIME JOBS AND BORROWING MONEY. Least you think I have no idea of what it means to be poor........ when I moved to Athens to attend grad school at UGA, I was a single mom with 300.00 to my name AND no job prospects.
Scholarship money, whether it is academic or athletic, should go to Americans first. If there is money left over, or perhaps as Rob suggested a small percentage of all scholarship money, should be offered to foreign students.
Lainey
