The Demise of Mens Swimming in the US

I am sure a lot of folks can recall being told that college opens all kinds of doors for your future. For 4 or 5 or 6 years, you'd open your mind by take all kinds of interesting, thought-provoking classes, explore a new region of the country (and/or world), debate with the brightest students and faculty, socialize with all kinds of folks, try new things, eat different food... I could go on. My experience with high school is that high school is becoming the new college - at least for the afformentioned things. Granted, I went to a private all-boys school with "college" in the name. But in the context of sports, the high school I attended opened (and still opens) all kinds of doors. Having a "freshman-only" team for many sports opened the doors for a lot of folks to test the waters. We had these for football, soccer, basketball, hockey, baseball and lacrosse. Swimming/Diving hands out a freshman letter if you make it through year 1 as a froshie. You don't want to put that on a jacket, but it is still a reward. Football players no longer had to compete against kids 2-3 years their senior if they were bigger than other kids their age. The 14 year old freshmen competed against other freshman. JV was usually made up of Freshmen and Sophomores. New Sports to try - Cross Country, Track & Field, Wrestling, Hockey, Crew, Lacrosse, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Golf. Didn't have any school-sponsored teams in these sports in elementary school. My Freshman lacrosse team had close to 40 kids, and a LOT of first-timers, including myself. Crew was a HUGE hit when it began during my Sophomore year. They now have water polo and squash. If you're curious, why not try it out? There may be a freshman team and you all can learn together. College requirement for extracurriculars - a 4-year 4.0 GPA doesn't do you any good getting you into Harvard if you don't have any other activities to show you're a well-rounded student. School committment to this is very evident these days - my HS 2nd choice still REQUIRES articipation in at least one sport as a freshman and sophomore. More than one bookworm has discovered a rare athletic talent because of that policy. That being said, it was high school that opened the door to swimming for me. My best friend convinced me that it was NOT as intense as a college-swimming prep program, which I thought it would be. It took me two years to find the cajones to try it out, but I made it to the pool and made significant improvements during my final two years of high school. His convincing and my willingness to try it out certainly shaped MY future. I realize I am the exception, but along the way, I am sure some of the same things I encountered over a decade ago still apply today. The boys do not like wearing form-fitting suits. No one has thrown it out there yet but inferences are easily made towards male swimmers and divers about their sexual preference - and High School is NOT a good time to be hearing those. I know I've heard my share of them.

I am sure a lot of folks can recall being told that college opens all kinds of doors for your future. For 4 or 5 or 6 years, you'd open your mind by take all kinds of interesting, thought-provoking classes, explore a new region of the country (and/or world), debate with the brightest students and faculty, socialize with all kinds of folks, try new things, eat different food... I could go on. My experience with high school is that high school is becoming the new college - at least for the afformentioned things. Granted, I went to a private all-boys school with "college" in the name. But in the context of sports, the high school I attended opened (and still opens) all kinds of doors. Having a "freshman-only" team for many sports opened the doors for a lot of folks to test the waters. We had these for football, soccer, basketball, hockey, baseball and lacrosse. Swimming/Diving hands out a freshman letter if you make it through year 1 as a froshie. You don't want to put that on a jacket, but it is still a reward. Football players no longer had to compete against kids 2-3 years their senior if they were bigger than other kids their age. The 14 year old freshmen competed against other freshman. JV was usually made up of Freshmen and Sophomores. New Sports to try - Cross Country, Track & Field, Wrestling, Hockey, Crew, Lacrosse, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Golf. Didn't have any school-sponsored teams in these sports in elementary school. My Freshman lacrosse team had close to 40 kids, and a LOT of first-timers, including myself. Crew was a HUGE hit when it began during my Sophomore year. They now have water polo and squash. If you're curious, why not try it out? There may be a freshman team and you all can learn together. College requirement for extracurriculars - a 4-year 4.0 GPA doesn't do you any good getting you into Harvard if you don't have any other activities to show you're a well-rounded student. School committment to this is very evident these days - my HS 2nd choice still REQUIRES articipation in at least one sport as a freshman and sophomore. More than one bookworm has discovered a rare athletic talent because of that policy. That being said, it was high school that opened the door to swimming for me. My best friend convinced me that it was NOT as intense as a college-swimming prep program, which I thought it would be. It took me two years to find the cajones to try it out, but I made it to the pool and made significant improvements during my final two years of high school. His convincing and my willingness to try it out certainly shaped MY future. I realize I am the exception, but along the way, I am sure some of the same things I encountered over a decade ago still apply today. The boys do not like wearing form-fitting suits. No one has thrown it out there yet but inferences are easily made towards male swimmers and divers about their sexual preference - and High School is NOT a good time to be hearing those. I know I've heard my share of them.