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
Aquageek:
Look.... you're talking to a raving liberal democrat. Don't even try to preach to me about the goodness of extending the niceties of our economy and lifestyle (including sharing taxes !) with aliens.... or shall I more nicely refer to them as foreigners.
As for athletes thanking someone post performance, Hell, I'd be impressed if the South Africans just thanked their American coach on TV to acknowledge their US presence.... no such luck...... it was a pure and righteous South African victory all on there own, based on the talent, facilities and coaching skills of South Africa.
The issue isn't about being nice to your fellow international man when you are competing in athletics. That stuff is off the pool deck. Athletics at an NCAA division I level or US Sr. Nationals level is measured ultimately by how much you improve, how you can kick ass, and how close you get to 1st place..... not last place. These qualities don't always square with the goals and priorities of academic life and teh so called sharing of the "American dream". Foreigners are free to attend schools in the US. Don't make my son go to his 2nd best college choice because they ran out of scholarship money because english is a practically a second language in the lockeroom.
If we were competing against Mars and Jupiter, I'd invite all the greatest talent in the globe to the US to train and give them lots of scholarship money and general bribery..... Such is not the case.
Look.... you go train with your enemies and make them better and better. I'll go train just with the people who will ultimately be on the relay that represents my country. We'll see who fairs best in the end.
Oh yeah........ you think sports is a cakewalk? ....... try training in Phelps lane for a few weeks....... let alone try to beat him.
John Smith
Aquageek:
Look.... you're talking to a raving liberal democrat. Don't even try to preach to me about the goodness of extending the niceties of our economy and lifestyle (including sharing taxes !) with aliens.... or shall I more nicely refer to them as foreigners.
As for athletes thanking someone post performance, Hell, I'd be impressed if the South Africans just thanked their American coach on TV to acknowledge their US presence.... no such luck...... it was a pure and righteous South African victory all on there own, based on the talent, facilities and coaching skills of South Africa.
The issue isn't about being nice to your fellow international man when you are competing in athletics. That stuff is off the pool deck. Athletics at an NCAA division I level or US Sr. Nationals level is measured ultimately by how much you improve, how you can kick ass, and how close you get to 1st place..... not last place. These qualities don't always square with the goals and priorities of academic life and teh so called sharing of the "American dream". Foreigners are free to attend schools in the US. Don't make my son go to his 2nd best college choice because they ran out of scholarship money because english is a practically a second language in the lockeroom.
If we were competing against Mars and Jupiter, I'd invite all the greatest talent in the globe to the US to train and give them lots of scholarship money and general bribery..... Such is not the case.
Look.... you go train with your enemies and make them better and better. I'll go train just with the people who will ultimately be on the relay that represents my country. We'll see who fairs best in the end.
Oh yeah........ you think sports is a cakewalk? ....... try training in Phelps lane for a few weeks....... let alone try to beat him.
John Smith
