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.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    John, I guess we are far apart, since I can not even figure out what you are talking about. I can count on two hands the people that have even come close to making a career out of swimming. That is why I suggested that swimming scholarships take away, for most people, fron the activities that would lead to a better career. Just because you say I am shocking and stunning does not mean I am, and those kinds of adjectives are pretty extreme. By the way, I do not think that state monies should be spent to make the state teams win more meets. I do not think that is a good use of educational resources.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    John, I guess we are far apart, since I can not even figure out what you are talking about. I can count on two hands the people that have even come close to making a career out of swimming. That is why I suggested that swimming scholarships take away, for most people, fron the activities that would lead to a better career. Just because you say I am shocking and stunning does not mean I am, and those kinds of adjectives are pretty extreme. By the way, I do not think that state monies should be spent to make the state teams win more meets. I do not think that is a good use of educational resources.
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