In the wedsite for Swimming world, there is yet another story about a university possibly closing its men's swimmign program. It is the University of Rhode Island. I went to a very small Liberal arts college, Knox College. There were only 265 kids in my class. We had a very small team. It hasn't been a good swimming school since the mid 70s. It has a very smallpool. On this site it has actually been called a toilet bowl!
I'm kind of confused about these bigger state schools who can't produce a winning swim team. Why should they keep a team going with its expenses, if it can't produce a team that at least wins half of its meets? If I read the results right. URI finished 9th out of 10 school in its conference.
What is it like to be at a big school? I know here Illinois doesn't have a team, but all of our other state schools do. I'd relly like more comments. Also, does anyone think that schools who have losing records and areclosing down their program effect swimming nationally?
Originally posted by lefty
Well it is a zero sum game
I applaud your use of game theory terminology :)
Former Member
Well it is a zero sum game, so not all teams can finish over 500. So if teams that lost more than they won cancelled their programs, newteams would become the programs that started losing. So what I think is that you need to focus on the right things, namely that this sport teaches discipline, self-motivation, and leadership, and not focus on wins and losses.
Former Member
Craig,
As a URI swimming alum (92'), I thought I could provide a little background and information re: the elimination of the URI Men's Swimming program as a varsity sport, and what it is like to swim for a program like at URI.
The URI men's program was eliminated because of Tile IX, plain and simple. The AD cited budgetary reasons, but when you run the numbers that excuse just doesn't add up. The decision to cut swimming was in no way related to the team's performance. We placed 7th at Atlantic 10 champs, but had a great dual meet season and set 6 varsity records in the process. The team's performance, however, Is pretty amazing when you consider the continuing lack of financial support (scholarships) from the University, and the constant threat of elimination (I think 4 times since I have been an alum).
I wish performance was a factor, then we could look at the URI Men's Football program. They were 3-8 this past season, marking the sixth consecutive losing season. Over the past eight years, they are 33-57. But we can't cut football, right?
Swimming for a big school is probably a lot like what you experienced at Knox. We spend lots of time in the pool, and traveling to meets, and the members of the team build close relationships with one another. As with many schools, swimming was a rather low priority for the athletic department brass, so we had a low budget; ate cold pizza and drank warm apple juice on the long bus rides home from meets, our parents and alums donated money to replace our wooden starting blocks with modern ones and to buy a real timing system. We had two full scholarships per year when I swam there, and we often split those among 4 or 6 swimmers. The experience changed my life. To this day, my best friends are fellow alums.
Next year, the Men's team will be "allowed" to continue as a club sport. We alums will have to finance it, and hope that someday conditions will be right for a return to varsity status, but I am not optimistic.
What do all these recent eliminations mean for swimming? Fewer opportunities for male swimmers to compete on a collegiate level, which is bad for the sport, bad for Universities, bad for our Olympic Team. We need to re-think Title IX.
From URI's website yesterday:
KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island men's and women's swimming & diving teams each received Academic All-America honors by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The men's squad posted a 3.031 GPA while the women recorded a team GPA of 3.07.
In the wedsite for Swimming world, there is yet another story about a university possibly closing its men's swimmign program. It is the University of Rhode Island. I went to a very small Liberal arts college, Knox College. There were only 265 kids in my class. We had a very small team. It hasn't been a good swimming school since the mid 70s. It has a very smallpool. On this site it has actually been called a toilet bowl!
I'm kind of confused about these bigger state schools who can't produce a winning swim team. Why should they keep a team going with its expenses, if it can't produce a team that at least wins half of its meets? If I read the results right. URI finished 9th out of 10 school in its conference.
What is it like to be at a big school? I know here Illinois doesn't have a team, but all of our other state schools do. I'd relly like more comments. Also, does anyone think that schools who have losing records and areclosing down their program effect swimming nationally?
George,
I am also a URI alum '84. You are right about it being a Title IX issue and not budget related. You still have to pay the coach (I believe Mick Westcott is still there) even if he is only coach the womens team and you are right about the lack of scholarships. It was the same in my day too, not much changes.
