How many guys from other countries does it take to win a National Championship?
Good thing they all attended classes on campus the entire year..... :-)
Makes everyone feel proud to see the American Record holder on the 4th place podium.
Where you draw the line depends on where it "doesn't matter".... or do you even have a line? Perhaps an entire team of very talented kids from other countries would be acceptable?
I draw the line where the rulebook does. I'm pretty sure an all-foreign team isn't against the rules.
Perhaps a better question is, would I be comfortable sending my son to swim for a team consisting largely of foreign athletes? Assuming a good fit otherwise with the coach, program and school, my answer is: absolutely! He would learn a lot.
...don't kid yourself. The foreign swimmers on the Auburn team aren't being recruited to blend cultural and ethnic diversity on campus. That's a joke. They are there for their exceptional talent, the coach's failure to recruit enough talent in those events in the US, and to win the NCAA Team Championships.
Hmmm. Who is being more naive: me for believing that increased diversity has educational value, regardless of the motives for bringing the student here? Or you for believing that coaches who recruit domestically do so because their hearts are pure and they sleep in a red, white and blue bedspread?
And again I contend that it is more expensive and often riskier to recruit foreign athletes than those in the US. Riskier because there is usually a much greater change in cultural and training environment that the foreign athlete has to contend with. Getting away from what is familiar -- and what led to prior success in the pool -- doesn't always work out as well.
Where you draw the line depends on where it "doesn't matter".... or do you even have a line? Perhaps an entire team of very talented kids from other countries would be acceptable?
I draw the line where the rulebook does. I'm pretty sure an all-foreign team isn't against the rules.
Perhaps a better question is, would I be comfortable sending my son to swim for a team consisting largely of foreign athletes? Assuming a good fit otherwise with the coach, program and school, my answer is: absolutely! He would learn a lot.
...don't kid yourself. The foreign swimmers on the Auburn team aren't being recruited to blend cultural and ethnic diversity on campus. That's a joke. They are there for their exceptional talent, the coach's failure to recruit enough talent in those events in the US, and to win the NCAA Team Championships.
Hmmm. Who is being more naive: me for believing that increased diversity has educational value, regardless of the motives for bringing the student here? Or you for believing that coaches who recruit domestically do so because their hearts are pure and they sleep in a red, white and blue bedspread?
And again I contend that it is more expensive and often riskier to recruit foreign athletes than those in the US. Riskier because there is usually a much greater change in cultural and training environment that the foreign athlete has to contend with. Getting away from what is familiar -- and what led to prior success in the pool -- doesn't always work out as well.
