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.
Former Member
That would be fine to become a US citizen but I preferred to live in Canada. My brother prefered to come back to Canada even though he served two terms in the USA army. My other two brothers stayed in the USA they loved it. My wife and I moved to the USA but left after witnessing a shooting in Santa Monica.
Interesting article....... Sounds like "war" in the pool to me.
John Smith
===================================
Taking America down in medals standings
By Bill Briggs
Denver Post Staff Writer
America, enjoy the golden view while you can. Your next stop in the medal count just might be third place after a backroom deal of Olympic proportions.
Russia and China - the most potent Summer Games teams behind the Americans - have formed an unprecedented sporting alliance with brash plans to topple Team USA as the reigning medal monster by 2008.
Under the athletic pact, signed last week during a visit to China by the Russian Olympic Committee, the two nations will share coaches, training secrets and medical advances, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia daily. Russia and China also plan to split up certain sports, each applying its national muscle against American strongholds.
"(The Chinese) hope that we will take some of the medals in sports that are traditionally considered American, i.e., swimming and track and field," Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachev told the newspaper. "They speak openly about it: We cannot give in to the U.S." ..............
It's both economically and physically impossible to close the border. Communist Europe and China tried it and look at them now, moving to the free market economy. There are really about a handful of nations these days that still hang onto the belief that closed borders benefit the economy, Cuba and N. Korea are two notable examples, and fine examples they are. So, move on from that notion. And, I seriously doubt many of the illegal aliens you are so concerned about bankrupting our southern border states are taking up swimming scholarships.
Originally posted by Peter Cruise
the fact that Canada is rapidly becoming America's major source of oil & natural gas.
Don't forget the major supplier of mad cow disease also.
Superteam! Nice touch.
I agree with aquageek about this. I remember reading a couple articles about a month or two ago about how China had employed one of the primary scientists involved in doping in East Germany. Apparently, she disappeared from E Germany after the scandal and escaped being arrested. Chinese swimming hired her recently as a "flume expert." But, one article said she had no expertise in swimming flumes. Hmmmm...
re the estimable GoodSmith mistaking Canada for the 51st state: well I was busy mistaking several of the northwest states as being potential provinces of Canada, considering prevailing political views therein esp. regarding medical care, drug costs & the fact that Canada is rapidly becoming America's major source of oil & natural gas. Of course GoodSmith is probably severely oxygen-depleted (still) from his 1000yard excellent adventure...
Geek,
- How about US companies paying taxes in foreign countries, doesn't that based on your argument then "entitle" US athletes to receive finacial support in their universities or clubs? Yes, some US athletes train oversees but I doubt that they aren't paying for that oppurtunity.
- Also, still waiting for you to stop "throwing bombs" and instead answer one of my questions? Name another country anywhere in the world that provides athletic scholorships to US swimmers? track & field? how about hockey? Name any other country in the world that provides free health sevices, education and drivers licenses to "illegal" immigrants?
Peter,
We will gladly swap you Montana, North Dakota and the Upper Pennisula of Michigan for Ontario. Hell, these days we may throw in Guantanamo just to sweeten the deal.
John Smith
