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
  • Gull: So Aquageek is worse than evil John Smith? I have a lot to learn. Aquageek, was it you who said that I could never swim "properly" without fins? If so, I forgive you. I have a thick skin under my fastskin. All you really need to know about this forum is that gull80 believes in TI above all other swimming techniques and the Smiths have egos larger than Texas. Oh, and I'm always right, don't forget that.
Reply
  • Gull: So Aquageek is worse than evil John Smith? I have a lot to learn. Aquageek, was it you who said that I could never swim "properly" without fins? If so, I forgive you. I have a thick skin under my fastskin. All you really need to know about this forum is that gull80 believes in TI above all other swimming techniques and the Smiths have egos larger than Texas. Oh, and I'm always right, don't forget that.
Children
No Data