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
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Sam and Phil,
We have obviously grown up on two different sides of the swimming planet.
You quote.....
"Frankly, NCAA consolation heat swimmers whould have been better off studying more than spending 5 hours a day in the pool and weight room. "
is pretty stunning if you think about it. To imply that only the top 2 or 3 in each event should seriously continue to pursue their careers in college and receive full scholarship ..... well.... it's almost amusing. We're so far apart on this topic it's not worth getting into.
As for White Buffalo...... well...... he's certainly brash. (I keep thinking I'm the most irritating personality in masters swimming but I keep getting passed) You can not deny Gary's athletecism and talent in the water..... and I don't think white buffalo has ever said that Gary wasn't gifted or impressive in the pool. His point was conduct..... more specifically....... "code of conduct". May I remind you of the incident in the 1988 Olympics when several members of the men's team were immediatly instructed to pack their bags and go home because of their "conduct" violations there. Fortunately for Gary he was not sent home after he made his violation. I don't know that I have ever heard him apologize for this violation in Greece either.... correct me if I'm wrong though. Gary is a phenom in the pool .... no doubt about it. We're talking about a man who as I remember broke 1:34 in the 200yd free early on at school..... incredibly talented and strong. However, I admit I have a hard time reconciling Gary's swimming success with what appeared to be self centered behavior and negative and distracting media attention at Greece.
If you read my statement, I clearly stated I didn't agree with his actions, which I don't. To compare that to what happened in 1988 is stretching it in my opinion. They were alleged to have partaken in something illegal. Last time I looked I don't think there is a law against wearing a robe or missing a relay. Again, what he did was wrong in my opinion, but Gary is his own person. I don't think he ever apologized for his actions (what good would that do anyway), but I think if drilled deeper with him, he would admit he didn't handle the situation in the best way.
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Sam and Phil,
We have obviously grown up on two different sides of the swimming planet.
You quote.....
"Frankly, NCAA consolation heat swimmers whould have been better off studying more than spending 5 hours a day in the pool and weight room. "
is pretty stunning if you think about it. To imply that only the top 2 or 3 in each event should seriously continue to pursue their careers in college and receive full scholarship ..... well.... it's almost amusing. We're so far apart on this topic it's not worth getting into.
As for White Buffalo...... well...... he's certainly brash. (I keep thinking I'm the most irritating personality in masters swimming but I keep getting passed) You can not deny Gary's athletecism and talent in the water..... and I don't think white buffalo has ever said that Gary wasn't gifted or impressive in the pool. His point was conduct..... more specifically....... "code of conduct". May I remind you of the incident in the 1988 Olympics when several members of the men's team were immediatly instructed to pack their bags and go home because of their "conduct" violations there. Fortunately for Gary he was not sent home after he made his violation. I don't know that I have ever heard him apologize for this violation in Greece either.... correct me if I'm wrong though. Gary is a phenom in the pool .... no doubt about it. We're talking about a man who as I remember broke 1:34 in the 200yd free early on at school..... incredibly talented and strong. However, I admit I have a hard time reconciling Gary's swimming success with what appeared to be self centered behavior and negative and distracting media attention at Greece.
If you read my statement, I clearly stated I didn't agree with his actions, which I don't. To compare that to what happened in 1988 is stretching it in my opinion. They were alleged to have partaken in something illegal. Last time I looked I don't think there is a law against wearing a robe or missing a relay. Again, what he did was wrong in my opinion, but Gary is his own person. I don't think he ever apologized for his actions (what good would that do anyway), but I think if drilled deeper with him, he would admit he didn't handle the situation in the best way.
