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
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Heck, I will give you one...MY SON....Honor student all A's...good swimmer....and had very little chances for a ride of any kind.... He went to the US Merchant Marine Academy where he does swim and is doing very well...but little was out there when he was looking....WHY THE HECK SHOULD USA SWIMMERS TAKE 2nd BASE TO FOREIGN SWIMMERS....? I for one am damn sick and tired of giving the damn store away and getting very little in return....sure, bring them here if they want to swim....but let them pay their way! ANY PUBLIC funding should NOT be spent on foreign swimmers....Heck, take the fast young lady from Africa that swam for Auburn (today's USA Today article)...and SWAM for her home country in the Olympics.....ON A FULL RIDE NO LESS!
Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Heck, I will give you one...MY SON....Honor student all A's...good swimmer....and had very little chances for a ride of any kind.... He went to the US Merchant Marine Academy where he does swim and is doing very well...but little was out there when he was looking....WHY THE HECK SHOULD USA SWIMMERS TAKE 2nd BASE TO FOREIGN SWIMMERS....? I for one am damn sick and tired of giving the damn store away and getting very little in return....sure, bring them here if they want to swim....but let them pay their way! ANY PUBLIC funding should NOT be spent on foreign swimmers....Heck, take the fast young lady from Africa that swam for Auburn (today's USA Today article)...and SWAM for her home country in the Olympics.....ON A FULL RIDE NO LESS!
Children
No Data