I think that college swimming still matters for girls but less and less for guys nowadays. Between title 9 and the economy, If you aren't finaling at Grand Prix meets/National meets, more and more male swimmers have fewer options for college swimming. Quality male swimmers have to retire after high school because there aren't scholarships and few male college swim teams to choose from. Or, if they get accepted to their dream college, that college just might not have a male swim team.
What I was trying to suggest was that college swimming matters for the sport of swimming as a whole. You're right that as fewer colleges have swim teams, there will of course be fewer expectations of college swimming. And my prediction is that *all* of swimming will suffer as a result, not just the swimmers themselves who don't get to swim in college.
I think that college swimming still matters for girls but less and less for guys nowadays. Between title 9 and the economy, If you aren't finaling at Grand Prix meets/National meets, more and more male swimmers have fewer options for college swimming. Quality male swimmers have to retire after high school because there aren't scholarships and few male college swim teams to choose from. Or, if they get accepted to their dream college, that college just might not have a male swim team.
What I was trying to suggest was that college swimming matters for the sport of swimming as a whole. You're right that as fewer colleges have swim teams, there will of course be fewer expectations of college swimming. And my prediction is that *all* of swimming will suffer as a result, not just the swimmers themselves who don't get to swim in college.
