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
Quite frankly, you're DEAD WRONG on your tier two agrument. The best talent from abroad is NEVER worth giving money to compared to consolation heat caliber swimmers (tier II) that are home grown. Foreigners are free to come workout and swim at universities on their own dime. We should NEVER pay them over our own home grown boys. I am shocked at your response.
John, as a very wise but fast swimmer once told me on this forum:
"Dude, you take this question far too seriously!"
Anyway, I doubt you can name *dozens* of un scholarship swimmers who have made the finals of the US Olympic trials. (We are talking about international caliber swimming here, not one country's competition of swimmers between the age of 19 and 22, in a course swum no where else in the world.)
Oh sure, you may find a couple of late bloomers, but it takes a good judge of talent to see a 22 second high school swimmer and let him swim (with no scholarship). Would he have had a scholarship if foreigners weren't allowed?
I think it is the difference between the generous and the miserly of spirit. I see foreign scholarship as an opportunity to help the foreign swimmers, and international swimming, and the better US swimmers, and NCAA competition. You see it as helping foreign swimmers (which is bad, I guess.)
Frankly, NCAA consolation heat swimmers whould have been better off studying more than spending 5 hours a day in the pool and weight room. I don't think full swimming scholarships help them any. Scholarships based on academics or need would be better.
Quite frankly, you're DEAD WRONG on your tier two agrument. The best talent from abroad is NEVER worth giving money to compared to consolation heat caliber swimmers (tier II) that are home grown. Foreigners are free to come workout and swim at universities on their own dime. We should NEVER pay them over our own home grown boys. I am shocked at your response.
John, as a very wise but fast swimmer once told me on this forum:
"Dude, you take this question far too seriously!"
Anyway, I doubt you can name *dozens* of un scholarship swimmers who have made the finals of the US Olympic trials. (We are talking about international caliber swimming here, not one country's competition of swimmers between the age of 19 and 22, in a course swum no where else in the world.)
Oh sure, you may find a couple of late bloomers, but it takes a good judge of talent to see a 22 second high school swimmer and let him swim (with no scholarship). Would he have had a scholarship if foreigners weren't allowed?
I think it is the difference between the generous and the miserly of spirit. I see foreign scholarship as an opportunity to help the foreign swimmers, and international swimming, and the better US swimmers, and NCAA competition. You see it as helping foreign swimmers (which is bad, I guess.)
Frankly, NCAA consolation heat swimmers whould have been better off studying more than spending 5 hours a day in the pool and weight room. I don't think full swimming scholarships help them any. Scholarships based on academics or need would be better.
