I dont see the next generation of swimmers in the usa being as good as the current one. There is michael phelps and the texas trio who dominate almost all of the events. I don't see the usa being that deep in 2012 or 2016. We got ryan lochte and cullen jones on the rise but thats only 3 or 4 events right there. Will the usa ever have this much depth again.
Parents
Former Member
I see a few factors playing in:
* Continued efforts by USA Swimming and other swim organizations to encourage racial/ethnic diversity in our sport. Traditionally swimming has a perception as being for upper middle class white kids. In my area, the general population demographics are going to shift towards non-white and possibly non-English speaking in a few years. It only makes sense to make our sport attractive and inclusive.
* More successful efforts to stop the bleeding of NCAA schools dropping men's swimming teams. These programs are a major source of pools and quality new coaches besides developing Olympic talent in a high-caliber training environment.
* Improved opportunities for post-collegiate swimmers to continue training at a high level (it is difficult to hold down a "career" well paying job when you are training twice a day for 5 hours and traveling to meets weekends)
* Local support to ensure that new facilities are suitable for training and competition, and that existing facilities aren't rennovated to make them unusable. There is a lot of interest in cheap zero-depth "spraygrounds" and "aquatic centers" with slides and fountains INSTEAD of facilities that can support swim lessons and swim teams.
I see a few factors playing in:
* Continued efforts by USA Swimming and other swim organizations to encourage racial/ethnic diversity in our sport. Traditionally swimming has a perception as being for upper middle class white kids. In my area, the general population demographics are going to shift towards non-white and possibly non-English speaking in a few years. It only makes sense to make our sport attractive and inclusive.
* More successful efforts to stop the bleeding of NCAA schools dropping men's swimming teams. These programs are a major source of pools and quality new coaches besides developing Olympic talent in a high-caliber training environment.
* Improved opportunities for post-collegiate swimmers to continue training at a high level (it is difficult to hold down a "career" well paying job when you are training twice a day for 5 hours and traveling to meets weekends)
* Local support to ensure that new facilities are suitable for training and competition, and that existing facilities aren't rennovated to make them unusable. There is a lot of interest in cheap zero-depth "spraygrounds" and "aquatic centers" with slides and fountains INSTEAD of facilities that can support swim lessons and swim teams.
