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.
Matt:
I enjoyed your post and all its hyperbole. Well stated. The only thing you are off on is your statement about assistant coaches and their salaries. Except for the primary assistant or major position coaches, most college assistants make absolutely horrible salaries. It is well known that due to these low salaries, many head coaches will pass along some of their salaries to them.
I know of an asst basketball coach at a top 5 NCAA D 1 school who became an NBA team pro scout and increased his salary 10 fold.
And, while I agree DIII is somewhat better, don't fool yourself. They might be small but they have the same issues, just on a somewhat smaller and less visible scale.
Matt:
I enjoyed your post and all its hyperbole. Well stated. The only thing you are off on is your statement about assistant coaches and their salaries. Except for the primary assistant or major position coaches, most college assistants make absolutely horrible salaries. It is well known that due to these low salaries, many head coaches will pass along some of their salaries to them.
I know of an asst basketball coach at a top 5 NCAA D 1 school who became an NBA team pro scout and increased his salary 10 fold.
And, while I agree DIII is somewhat better, don't fool yourself. They might be small but they have the same issues, just on a somewhat smaller and less visible scale.
