Hi,
This is for all the British on this site. Did you read the article in The Times newspaper, about Bill Sweetenham's alleged bullying and threats of physical violence towards swimmers on the British national team. Do you feel that his behaviour was justified, in any circumstances at all.Does it really motivate a swimmer when their coach shouts at them and verbally degrades them in public.If he was my coach he would have ended up in the pool himself.Or am I beeing too sensitive about it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:
That story definitely makes him look like a real jerk, but I would like to hear other opinions. It could be a couple swimmers that don't like him are trying to smear him. If the accounts in the story are accurate, though, I think Sweetenham is bad for British swimming.
Yeh all these other "swimmers" came out in his support the next day,but I think that basically they were trying to get in favour with Sweetenham, as he has so much power now and virtually gets anything that he asks for. He is supposed to have been hired to improve British swimming, but he has never agreed to an interview with the press after any meets or even the Olympic Games.Even top coaches will just automatically do whatever he tells them to do without ever daring to ask questions. :(
Swiminfo has an article about it. Sounds like the teeam is very split in its overall opinion of Sweetenham's coaching techniques. Hasn't everyone had a coach he/she hated?
