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
Folks,
I'll leave the politics to others. Let me simply observe that we are looking at two distinct problems. First, college is expensive. There is not enough scholarship money to go around to help all or even many swimmers and other deserving students, and male swimmers present a particular problem. Second, many of our most promising age group swimmers chose to quit the sport in their teen years, males especially, and do not participate in college or world class swimming.
Also, some have suggested that the performance of U.S. swimming at the international elite level has suffered recently. I'm not sure I buy that argument.
As a proposed solution, some have suggested changing the rules concerning athletic scholarships so that only U.S. citizens are eligible to receive them. I have to wonder whether this will have much impact on either of the two problems IDed above. The number of swimming scholarships available is miniscule compared to the number of college bound age group & high school swimmers, and miniscule even compared to the number of swimmers who do compete for college teams. I don't see how a couple dozen full rides at a Div I school is going to make much difference helping middle class swimmers who are wondering how they will pay for college (even if you restrict it to swimmers fast enough to compete at the Div I level). I also don't see how a slim chance at a college scholarship is going to be much of an incentive to stay in a sport that has lost its appeal.
("Comrades of high school boys swimming, we must unite against the common enemy!"
"Girls, cars and hanging out with friends!")
Some have argued that regardless of the effect on swimming, athletic scholarships to U.S. universities should be restrictied to U.S. athletes. I'll simply tip my hat to Aquageek's arguement that who is an "American" swimmer and whether money comes from "American" sources are complex issues. Don't get me wrong. I am receptive to arguments that college athletics should have core values in addition to win at all costs. (Graduation would be at the top of my list.) But, I find the value of give the money to the fastest American swimmer, rather than the fastest swimmer, to be a somewhat odd selection.
Bottom line: Swim because you love it. Get an education because it makes good career sense, and pay for it the same way everyone else does. Don't expect the former to bail you out of the latter. You could end of seeing swimming as just another job.
Matt
Folks,
I'll leave the politics to others. Let me simply observe that we are looking at two distinct problems. First, college is expensive. There is not enough scholarship money to go around to help all or even many swimmers and other deserving students, and male swimmers present a particular problem. Second, many of our most promising age group swimmers chose to quit the sport in their teen years, males especially, and do not participate in college or world class swimming.
Also, some have suggested that the performance of U.S. swimming at the international elite level has suffered recently. I'm not sure I buy that argument.
As a proposed solution, some have suggested changing the rules concerning athletic scholarships so that only U.S. citizens are eligible to receive them. I have to wonder whether this will have much impact on either of the two problems IDed above. The number of swimming scholarships available is miniscule compared to the number of college bound age group & high school swimmers, and miniscule even compared to the number of swimmers who do compete for college teams. I don't see how a couple dozen full rides at a Div I school is going to make much difference helping middle class swimmers who are wondering how they will pay for college (even if you restrict it to swimmers fast enough to compete at the Div I level). I also don't see how a slim chance at a college scholarship is going to be much of an incentive to stay in a sport that has lost its appeal.
("Comrades of high school boys swimming, we must unite against the common enemy!"
"Girls, cars and hanging out with friends!")
Some have argued that regardless of the effect on swimming, athletic scholarships to U.S. universities should be restrictied to U.S. athletes. I'll simply tip my hat to Aquageek's arguement that who is an "American" swimmer and whether money comes from "American" sources are complex issues. Don't get me wrong. I am receptive to arguments that college athletics should have core values in addition to win at all costs. (Graduation would be at the top of my list.) But, I find the value of give the money to the fastest American swimmer, rather than the fastest swimmer, to be a somewhat odd selection.
Bottom line: Swim because you love it. Get an education because it makes good career sense, and pay for it the same way everyone else does. Don't expect the former to bail you out of the latter. You could end of seeing swimming as just another job.
Matt
