Men's NCAAs 2009

I'll be interested to get your take on the ASCA editorial I referenced...the Amercian Swimming Coaches Association, The College Swimming Coaches Association of America & USA-Swimming "are working together to fund an organization called "Preserve, Protect and Expand Collegiate Swimming". I'll read it soon. Certainly I'll be in favor of most things that preserves college swimming unless it somehow threatens the quality of the education of either athlete or non-athlete student. (As an educator, I find that my feelings towards college athletics are a little more mixed than they were when I was a college athlete myself.) Despite my earlier statement about strategic planning, clearly collegiate swimming is a benefit to the US' ability to compete internationally. You have only to compare US competitiveness in Olympic sports that typically exist at the college level with those that do not, though there are other factors at work too (eg the existence of professional leagues). The main problem I see is the conflict between the goals of the university and USA-S. If USA-S wants to hitch their wagon to NCAA swimming that's fine...they just need to accept those differences. But ultimately I am not at all convinced that the influx of foreign swimmers harms US swimmers. One can make a pretty good case that the NCAA Championship meets are the most competitive annual swim meet in the world. Certainly it is up near the top, anyway. Why mess with that? In addition, the exchange of ideas goes both ways when foreign swimmers come to the US. US coaches and athletes could stand to learn a lot from athletes who achieve initial success elsewhere and with different training philosophies (and often with far inferior facilities and conditions). It is not always a sure thing at all that such athletes do better here in the US, despite any supposed "superiority" in training methods. I like the openness of the US system. When I was 12 and my family moved to Greece, I couldn't even join a swim team -- much less swim in a meet -- until I proved my Greek ancestry. Long story...but I much prefer the US way, and I think it benefits US swimming too.

I'll be interested to get your take on the ASCA editorial I referenced...the Amercian Swimming Coaches Association, The College Swimming Coaches Association of America & USA-Swimming "are working together to fund an organization called "Preserve, Protect and Expand Collegiate Swimming". I'll read it soon. Certainly I'll be in favor of most things that preserves college swimming unless it somehow threatens the quality of the education of either athlete or non-athlete student. (As an educator, I find that my feelings towards college athletics are a little more mixed than they were when I was a college athlete myself.) Despite my earlier statement about strategic planning, clearly collegiate swimming is a benefit to the US' ability to compete internationally. You have only to compare US competitiveness in Olympic sports that typically exist at the college level with those that do not, though there are other factors at work too (eg the existence of professional leagues). The main problem I see is the conflict between the goals of the university and USA-S. If USA-S wants to hitch their wagon to NCAA swimming that's fine...they just need to accept those differences. But ultimately I am not at all convinced that the influx of foreign swimmers harms US swimmers. One can make a pretty good case that the NCAA Championship meets are the most competitive annual swim meet in the world. Certainly it is up near the top, anyway. Why mess with that? In addition, the exchange of ideas goes both ways when foreign swimmers come to the US. US coaches and athletes could stand to learn a lot from athletes who achieve initial success elsewhere and with different training philosophies (and often with far inferior facilities and conditions). It is not always a sure thing at all that such athletes do better here in the US, despite any supposed "superiority" in training methods. I like the openness of the US system. When I was 12 and my family moved to Greece, I couldn't even join a swim team -- much less swim in a meet -- until I proved my Greek ancestry. Long story...but I much prefer the US way, and I think it benefits US swimming too.