Should USA Swimming recruit?

Phil, If foreign countries paid as many US athletes to come to their countries to swim I would somewhat agree with you. But there is little to no benefit for really good US swimmers to train abroad these days. The programs in other countries like Australia for example are great but offer no incremental or intrinsic benefits over great training programs in the US. Consequently, there is almost ZERO exchange in when it comes to US swimmers receiving the same financial benefits and superior program inducements in foreign countries. The imbalance is troubling. It's not give and take...... it's just give on the training side. Secondly, you assume that foregin students are mostly "good students" as you put it. That's a hell of an assumption. I can assure you we have plenty of "good" students and "good" swimmers in the US that could use the money first and our industries and swim teams would benefit from it. Relying on foreign students for your advancement in educational intellect is marginal and somewhat sad if you think about it. Relying on foreign swimmers to make US swimmers better is also a farce. Been there and seen it, Phil. I swam against foreign student athletes at NCAAs and then watched them go home to their own countries for international competition. It's frustrating to say the least. Insulting is probably a better description. When I swam at UT we had no foreign swimmers. Yet, I can assure you, I found the competition QUITE sufficient to advance my own career. Unless of course you think that list of former World Record and American Record holders on UT back then could have also drawn such wonderful and incredible additional workout benefits and advancements from foreign competition. Your argument makes me laugh a little when I think about the intensive competition that already exists on top 10 Division I teams. To think that foreign swimmers are actually "helping" US swimmers get faster on a daily basis in workout and then substantiating it as a reason for funneling scholarship money away from other US talent boarders on the absurd. I've said it before on this forum. For the men (or women) in the Olympics on a relay team representing the US, it is a battle in the pool. Believe it or not, like it or not, there are years of training, life time goals and country pride on the line. They are not interested in making friends with each other just before they step up on the blocks. For less than 4 minutes, it is total acquatic warfare. It's not about getting along during this time. It's about winning.... period. Your concept of continuing to train foreigners does not help the US. We will have to agree to disagree. We are so far apart on the spectrum we almost touch. John Smith

Phil, If foreign countries paid as many US athletes to come to their countries to swim I would somewhat agree with you. But there is little to no benefit for really good US swimmers to train abroad these days. The programs in other countries like Australia for example are great but offer no incremental or intrinsic benefits over great training programs in the US. Consequently, there is almost ZERO exchange in when it comes to US swimmers receiving the same financial benefits and superior program inducements in foreign countries. The imbalance is troubling. It's not give and take...... it's just give on the training side. Secondly, you assume that foregin students are mostly "good students" as you put it. That's a hell of an assumption. I can assure you we have plenty of "good" students and "good" swimmers in the US that could use the money first and our industries and swim teams would benefit from it. Relying on foreign students for your advancement in educational intellect is marginal and somewhat sad if you think about it. Relying on foreign swimmers to make US swimmers better is also a farce. Been there and seen it, Phil. I swam against foreign student athletes at NCAAs and then watched them go home to their own countries for international competition. It's frustrating to say the least. Insulting is probably a better description. When I swam at UT we had no foreign swimmers. Yet, I can assure you, I found the competition QUITE sufficient to advance my own career. Unless of course you think that list of former World Record and American Record holders on UT back then could have also drawn such wonderful and incredible additional workout benefits and advancements from foreign competition. Your argument makes me laugh a little when I think about the intensive competition that already exists on top 10 Division I teams. To think that foreign swimmers are actually "helping" US swimmers get faster on a daily basis in workout and then substantiating it as a reason for funneling scholarship money away from other US talent boarders on the absurd. I've said it before on this forum. For the men (or women) in the Olympics on a relay team representing the US, it is a battle in the pool. Believe it or not, like it or not, there are years of training, life time goals and country pride on the line. They are not interested in making friends with each other just before they step up on the blocks. For less than 4 minutes, it is total acquatic warfare. It's not about getting along during this time. It's about winning.... period. Your concept of continuing to train foreigners does not help the US. We will have to agree to disagree. We are so far apart on the spectrum we almost touch. John Smith