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.
I sure would like some tangible information that shows promising US swimmers aren't going to college because of foreign swimmers. I think it's being blown way out of proportion.
As to this notion that US hard earned dollars are being wasted on foreigners, that is short sighted. Private schools can do what they want. Public schools also solicit donations from individuals and corporations not housed in the US. Also, many foreign firms and individuals from foreign countries that are here pay US taxes that support public universities. Colleges and University licensed products are sold worldwide. In the case of my U, those proceeds go directly to scholarships (or used to anyway). It's awfully hard to find a US only dollar anywhere these days.
I sure would like some tangible information that shows promising US swimmers aren't going to college because of foreign swimmers. I think it's being blown way out of proportion.
As to this notion that US hard earned dollars are being wasted on foreigners, that is short sighted. Private schools can do what they want. Public schools also solicit donations from individuals and corporations not housed in the US. Also, many foreign firms and individuals from foreign countries that are here pay US taxes that support public universities. Colleges and University licensed products are sold worldwide. In the case of my U, those proceeds go directly to scholarships (or used to anyway). It's awfully hard to find a US only dollar anywhere these days.
