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
  • Geek, so lets take your argument from another viewpoint. Lets say that talented US swimmer who would have gotten the scholorship doesn't get her shot at swimming for this program and never maximizes her potential? As for training next to an Olympian everyday....it may/may not have an impact....my evil twin and I can both attest to that. In fact in many cases it can be a deterant, case in point was Dara & Jenny who ultimately had to train separately going into the Olympics. On and by the way....Gull filled us in on your "kick boxing", sorry but Tae Bo tapes don't count!!
Reply
  • Geek, so lets take your argument from another viewpoint. Lets say that talented US swimmer who would have gotten the scholorship doesn't get her shot at swimming for this program and never maximizes her potential? As for training next to an Olympian everyday....it may/may not have an impact....my evil twin and I can both attest to that. In fact in many cases it can be a deterant, case in point was Dara & Jenny who ultimately had to train separately going into the Olympics. On and by the way....Gull filled us in on your "kick boxing", sorry but Tae Bo tapes don't count!!
Children
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