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.
Since the Geek has been far to tame in recent postings....In hono of college season kicking in I thought I would dredge this old thread up with some updated info:
The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse provides us with a certification process whereby the academic records of all domestic and international prospects interested in attending either an NCAA Division I or Division II institution are reviewed to determine the academic status of each prospect.
Beginning November 20, 2006, the responsibilities of the clearinghouse will expand to include the process of reviewing the amateur status of all prospects (high school/secondary school and junior college transfers) planning to enroll for the first time at an NCAA Division I or II institution fall 2007 and thereafter.
In order for a prospect to receive financial aid and/or participate at a Division I or II institution, the prospect must complete the amateurism registration process and be certified as an amateur by the clearinghouse.
Prospects will register online using the same Web site that currently is used for the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse
( www.ncaaclearinghouse.net ).
Online registration is required. No hard copies of the registration form are available.
In addition to providing demographic and academic information, a prospect will be required to answer five questions about his/her athletics participation, prize money earned, expense money received and any contact they may have had with agents and/or professional teams. Depending on the responses to these questions, the prospect may be required to provide additional information.
Once a prospect answers the questions (and provides additional information if needed), this information will be reviewed and the prospect will receive a preliminary amateurism status report (certified, certified with conditions, not certified or pending). This preliminary status report will help Division I and II institutions determine if they wish to continue recruiting a prospect.
Starting April 7, 2007, all prospects enrolling in the fall 2007 that have registered and received a preliminary report will need to return to the clearinghouse Web site to update their registration form and confirm the accuracy of the information provided. After doing so, a prospect will receive final amateurism certification from the clearinghouse. Member institutions will be able to access this information via the clearinghouse Web site for the prospects listed on institutional request lists.
2007 Prospect Notification: Prospects who have registered prior to the opening of the amateurism component of the clearinghouse will be advised either by e-mail or United States mail to return to the clearinghouse Web site after the opening to complete the amateurism portion of the initial-eligibility registration process. Any assistance institutions can provide in contacting and encouraging prospects to complete the registration process will be appreciated.
Since the Geek has been far to tame in recent postings....In hono of college season kicking in I thought I would dredge this old thread up with some updated info:
The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse provides us with a certification process whereby the academic records of all domestic and international prospects interested in attending either an NCAA Division I or Division II institution are reviewed to determine the academic status of each prospect.
Beginning November 20, 2006, the responsibilities of the clearinghouse will expand to include the process of reviewing the amateur status of all prospects (high school/secondary school and junior college transfers) planning to enroll for the first time at an NCAA Division I or II institution fall 2007 and thereafter.
In order for a prospect to receive financial aid and/or participate at a Division I or II institution, the prospect must complete the amateurism registration process and be certified as an amateur by the clearinghouse.
Prospects will register online using the same Web site that currently is used for the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse
( www.ncaaclearinghouse.net ).
Online registration is required. No hard copies of the registration form are available.
In addition to providing demographic and academic information, a prospect will be required to answer five questions about his/her athletics participation, prize money earned, expense money received and any contact they may have had with agents and/or professional teams. Depending on the responses to these questions, the prospect may be required to provide additional information.
Once a prospect answers the questions (and provides additional information if needed), this information will be reviewed and the prospect will receive a preliminary amateurism status report (certified, certified with conditions, not certified or pending). This preliminary status report will help Division I and II institutions determine if they wish to continue recruiting a prospect.
Starting April 7, 2007, all prospects enrolling in the fall 2007 that have registered and received a preliminary report will need to return to the clearinghouse Web site to update their registration form and confirm the accuracy of the information provided. After doing so, a prospect will receive final amateurism certification from the clearinghouse. Member institutions will be able to access this information via the clearinghouse Web site for the prospects listed on institutional request lists.
2007 Prospect Notification: Prospects who have registered prior to the opening of the amateurism component of the clearinghouse will be advised either by e-mail or United States mail to return to the clearinghouse Web site after the opening to complete the amateurism portion of the initial-eligibility registration process. Any assistance institutions can provide in contacting and encouraging prospects to complete the registration process will be appreciated.
