Foreign swimmers training in the U.S.

Foreign athletes are free to come swim on their own dime.

Originally posted by Steve Ruiter I'm lost. Is this where I pick up my Klan robe and mask? This is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read on here. It just amazes me that when someone expresses an opinion about the US being somewhat disadvantaged due to foreign swimmers taking scholarships from very talented US swimmers it devolves into veiled comments that that is some sort of racist view. Give me a break! I am done with this discussion. You know where I stand and you can agree with me or agree to disagree. Since now those of us with this view are now perceived as Klansmen, I'll just sit at home in my white sheet and burn crosses in front of all the foreign swimmers yards.

Matt: I enjoyed your post and all its hyperbole. Well stated. The only thing you are off on is your statement about assistant coaches and their salaries. Except for the primary assistant or major position coaches, most college assistants make absolutely horrible salaries. It is well known that due to these low salaries, many head coaches will pass along some of their salaries to them. I know of an asst basketball coach at a top 5 NCAA D 1 school who became an NBA team pro scout and increased his salary 10 fold. And, while I agree DIII is somewhat better, don't fool yourself. They might be small but they have the same issues, just on a somewhat smaller and less visible scale.

OMG - the conjoined Smith twins are gonna have a coronary. This one person could eliminate hundreds of poor deserving US swimmers from attending college as swimmers in the US.

Geek....if she comes it will be one less and thats one to many. Sam, well stated......I can put up with Geek because John & I know where he lives and are going to pay a visit after nationals, but Steve's comments we're really bizarre.

Originally posted by Paul Smith Geek....if she comes it will be one less and thats one to many. OK, so let's assume you are corect. The scholarship she will take is for a US swimmer that is not on the elite level, probably the last person offered the scholarship, right? But, what you fail, again, to realize is that every single US swimmer on her college team will now train next to an Olympian every single day. This ultimately MAY drive them to perform better, possibly at the Olympic level, which only benefits US swimming. Oh, and btw, I've been taking a kick-boxing class lately so when you and the other Smith come to flog me, beware of my new-found sucker punch!

I express profound disinterest and ennui with the issue of scholarships for swimmers who are not U.S. citizens. However, what's all this about SEC schools dropping the tuition they charge varsity athletes to the in-state rate at the start of their sophmore year? Can this be true, and if so, why aren't the other programs yelling bloody murder about it? Most teams have a limited number of scholarships, and to make them stretch farther they sometimes give twice as many athletes half scholarships in stead of full rides. Do the SEC schools drop their tuition for all their students to the in-state rate when they become sophmores on the argument that now they have spent a year establishing in state residency? Didn't think so. That being the case, how could this not be viewed as a 50%, 60% or whatever the difference is, scholarship? Is that NCAA street legal? Rant du jour: Div I athletics are a sham. They can be and are often great semi-pro athletic competition. However, near as I can tell, they are disproportionately expensive, largely because the athletic dept has shouldered the burden for paying for the "education" of it athletes. Consequently, they are unstable institutions, subject to the football team needing an new second assistant bottle-washer who has to be paid a six-figure salary. Moreover, the athletes for whom the tuition bills are being paid can't take full advantage of the educational opportunity because of the demands the program makes on their time. Oh BTW, I've heard from more than one scholarship athlete that they viewed their NCAA career as a "job" rather than an joy because of said demands. Ladies & Gentlemen, this is bull-crap! Give me Div III athletics any day of the week, where programs are less likely to be sacrificed for monetary reasons, and everyone on the team is clear as to the primary reason they are in school. (Or, if they are not clear, it is because they are idiots, rather than being beholden to "the program's" athletic aspirations.)

The University of Texas used to be like that for everyone (i am not sure if it is still that way). After living (assuming you made it your residence) in Texas for a year even as a student you were eligible for in state tuition. I would assume that if they do it for atheletes the have to do it for the general student body population. Otherwise you would have some serious NCAA violations. Hook'em Blue

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!!

I know for a fact that UGA drops tutition for all of its out of state or out of country students IF they establish residency in the state the first year. However, if a student is still a dependent of his/her parents and that parent lives in another state or another country, then out of state tutition applies. The question then is, are the foreign students who are getting in state tutition legally establishing residency, or is someone just looking the other way and saying, yeah, they've lived here a year, they are a resident and entitled to in state tutition.