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
  • gary's olympic dominance, it's true he won the 50 free but only by 1/100th of a second. I'll be surprised if he wins in 2008. Granted Gary's one of the most talented swimmers who's ever graced our sport, but I believe he didn't swim as fast as he could have if he trained harder and more consistently and that's the shame of it. ande Originally posted by Sam Perry That is the cheapest shot at an Olympic champion tht I have seen on here. I don't agree with how Gary handled himself in 2004, but to not recognize his Olympic dominance in the 50 is ridiculous. Hall won the gold medal like it or not. It just amazes me how people on here continue to make these ridiculous remarks and are not brave enough to show their own name. At least Mr. Beza can do that. I'd love for you to speak to Gary or his father (who are both great people personally) and explain your line of reasoning to them.
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  • gary's olympic dominance, it's true he won the 50 free but only by 1/100th of a second. I'll be surprised if he wins in 2008. Granted Gary's one of the most talented swimmers who's ever graced our sport, but I believe he didn't swim as fast as he could have if he trained harder and more consistently and that's the shame of it. ande Originally posted by Sam Perry That is the cheapest shot at an Olympic champion tht I have seen on here. I don't agree with how Gary handled himself in 2004, but to not recognize his Olympic dominance in the 50 is ridiculous. Hall won the gold medal like it or not. It just amazes me how people on here continue to make these ridiculous remarks and are not brave enough to show their own name. At least Mr. Beza can do that. I'd love for you to speak to Gary or his father (who are both great people personally) and explain your line of reasoning to them.
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