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.
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Totally agree with Aquageek on this particular issue.
First, welcome to the forum. Your English is quite good. However, you should never, ever say that you "totally agree with Aquageek." People will laugh.
Coaches recruit foreign swimmers for one reason only--to win championships. And I am not convinced that my grandchildren will benefit from the taxes I am paying now. But that's the subject for an entirely different thread.
Perhaps I'll see you in Beijing in 2008--it should be quite a show.
Totally agree with Aquageek on this particular issue.
First, welcome to the forum. Your English is quite good. However, you should never, ever say that you "totally agree with Aquageek." People will laugh.
Coaches recruit foreign swimmers for one reason only--to win championships. And I am not convinced that my grandchildren will benefit from the taxes I am paying now. But that's the subject for an entirely different thread.
Perhaps I'll see you in Beijing in 2008--it should be quite a show.