Old national caliber swimmers that never come back

Maybe we need to remind all of our once-competitive friends that in Masters they can always come back and just race 50's. Not to mention the 100 IM. I know for me it was a lot easier to start competing knowing that these distances were an option.

Correction..... Texas rarely if ever has recruited foreign swimmers for their mens collegiate swim team. I still say beer is the best way to induce old swimmers back into the sport. John Smith

Well, I certainly agree with the few swimmers you've mentioned that have attended Masters Nationals from time to time. I guess you look at the percentages over all and it's pretty dismal. You will typically only find 1 or 2 people of a formerly high caliber level in the final heats of each age group at Masters Nationals. Sometimes, many of the heats have absolutely no ex national caliber swimmers in them. If you think about it...... these were the only people at nationals long ago. Swimming obviously burns people out mentally. A couple here and there like Rowdy, Mook, Brian Goodell etc... is great to see from time to time. But it's pretty small percentage wise if you think about it. As for the Texas divers being foreign recruits. I swam when Matt Scoggins dove for Texas in the early to mid 80s. I don't remember any foreigners divers on the men's team at that time. There may have been a foreign diver on the women's team at a later date. Point being, Eddie doesn't shell out money to non citizens like other collegiate teams do. I wouldn't have named Texas in the context Cinc30 did. As for Big 10 making an impact on NCAAs.... Well..... It's just not been that powerful a conference for swimming since Indiana's program died in the late '70s. Michigan is prety much the sole school. PAC 10 and SEC very much rule the swimming conferences these days in terms of number of programs and depth. Texas stands alone in a very pathetic swimming conference now. The sport is not growing in the US in general. If anything it's dying slowly. John Smith

Mr Goodsmith: According to the University of Texas swimming website, under Olympians these guys were listed as being collegians at Texas in the Olympics. In 1980, Ken Armstrong - Canadian Diving Team. In 1984, both Jon Vegard and Christian Styren repesenting the Norway Diving Team. For swimmers, I know it was before Eddie's time but Felipe Munoz, who was the upset winner of the 200 *** in the 1968 Olympics. Also a swimmer named Carlos Arena reperesented Mexico in the 1996 Olympics. These were the only foireign athletes that were listed as representing the University.

A few more from Texas: Zasha Robles from Venezuela. Very talented backstroker who never reached his potential. Swam from 1992-96. Swam high school in the States. Paul Latimer from Scotland. Good IMer. Same years as Zasha. And a guy named Jose Inesta, Mexico. I always thought he'd make the 1996 Olympics, but he burned out after about two years. But yes, the number is low, given the trend.

Well, that's good news that swimming is doing so well in North Carolina. But you must have noticed that many meet results still show a lagging enrollment in the younger ages there too. Note for example the state meet results for NC for 2004. 10 and under boys have a poor showing in terms of numbers. 2004 NC Long Course Age Group Championships - 7/28/04 to 7/31/04 www.ncswim.org/.../Results.htm John Smith

Getting back to the original question, are these guys a) still swimming for fitness but not interested in competing, b) doing some other form of exercise, or c) sedentary like 60% (or more) or the population?

The answer I think is mostly b.) and c.) Most guys I talk to want nothing to do with swimming anymore, not even for fun and general excercise. Some do different sports, but I find most to be a bit out of shape in general. ..... a.) did they leave the sport with a bad taste in their mouths? i.e. poor performances b.) did their coaches drain every brain cell from their heads? i.e. bad coaching c.) Did they never like it that much begin with? d.) do they not want to compare old times with current times .... i.e. old age Who knows..... It'd be nice to have USMS Nationals as a bigger forum for reunions for ex national caliber swimmers. It seems to be a missed opportunity for most of these people. John Smith

Not having been National caliber, I'm not convinced that these guys are less represented in USMS than other former swimmers (college/high school/age group).

Well my first comment is that Eddie doesn't control the diving team or the diving scholarships that are handed out. Back then the diving coach, "Brownie" did that. Yes, diving points do score with swimming points together, but I have yet to hear of any foreign divers scoring real significant points at NCAAs for Texas if any. Secondly, Ken Armstrong (Canadian) 1980.... was probably already on the team when Eddie took the job at Texas around 1978. Thirdly, my senior year was 1984 and the two divers that represented Texas at NCAAs were Matt Scoggins and my roommate David Lindsey. Whomever the other two divers were, they did not appear to contribute points to the team that year. I don't remember those names, personally. Then again, my brain is getting old and is anything but reliabable these days. Lastly, over the years, Eddie has not lured foreign talent to his teams with money the way other coaches have done so. This is not to say he won't let foreigners swim on the team. It is a approach that is refreshing to see when so many other coaches give up on recruiting in the US and turn to help from abroad. John Smith