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
Matt S.,
The medley relay for the US lately has been a function of Texas swimming. 3 out of 4 have been developed by Eddie. Might I add that Neil Walker (another Longhorn) is also a force to be reckon with for the 4th position on that relay. Eddie has always placed strong emphasis on his sprint program and had great successes in the 200 and below. I would not draw parallels with Eddie's coaching philosophies with that of US swimming and other coaches at large. He is usually a decade or more ahead in his thought process, techniques and programs.
John Smith
Matt S.,
The medley relay for the US lately has been a function of Texas swimming. 3 out of 4 have been developed by Eddie. Might I add that Neil Walker (another Longhorn) is also a force to be reckon with for the 4th position on that relay. Eddie has always placed strong emphasis on his sprint program and had great successes in the 200 and below. I would not draw parallels with Eddie's coaching philosophies with that of US swimming and other coaches at large. He is usually a decade or more ahead in his thought process, techniques and programs.
John Smith
