Clemson Univ swimming be phased out

UC Davis has a brand new 50m pool, and that didn't stop them from canceling the men's swimming program this year. :(

Here are some pics I took of the pool this morning before warmups started. I think I was the SECOND one there! :D Great pictures! And I see that you got a couple that caught the group that got there before you. :blush:

For curiousity, I wonder what percentage of NCAA Division I schools have a 50m pool. The AD cited the primary reason for dropping swimming is because they can't compete if they don't have a 50m pool. I have a feeling the AD was just grasping for straws and came up with that reason because he was too much of a coward to admit the real reason. I don't know about Div I schools, but apparently Clemson is the only school in their conference (ACC) without a 50 m pool.

There is a Facebook page that has been created for you Facebookers....Save Clemson Swimming & Diving.

Just awful. I feel SO, badly for current students and those that are starting their freshman year in the fall. What should be such an exciting time in their lives is filled with uncertainty and (maybe) regret. And I know only a small fraction of high school athletes receive scholarships to compete in college, so that's not why most kids compete in sports. But it's still just not good for USA swimming when another door closes for kids looking to swim in college. BUT, I have to ask this question.... It's been discussed before, but I don't remember seeing good data. Are we sure that the football program is at all to blame? Of course these programs cost a fortune, but I thought they were big revenue generators through ticket sales, TV rights, support from alumni who still feel connected specifically because of football, licensed apparel, you name it. I always believed the money for my scholarship and our entire swim program at Alabama was due to our very successful football program. Does anyone have good data on this issue?

I was also glad to hear that they were phasing the program out over 2 years, and keeping all scholarship commitments -- including supporting kids on scholarships beyond the time when the swimming ends. But the timing really is terrible for incoming freshmen. I don't think this was done to "trap" them into coming to Clemson, however. The local papers cited officials as saying that the decision was made by the athletic director a week ago, but was withheld until April 30 so as not to spring it on the current swimmers during finals week. Commitment deadlines or not, I'd imagine rising freshmen could still change their decision, given the special circumstances.

Another bit of local info... As recently as 3 weeks ago, I had heard that we (Clemson) were going to build a 50-meter pool. With specifics about where it would be located, what building would be torn down, etc. I'd guess that decision got torpedoed at the April meeting of the Board of Trustees, and the swim program's fate was tied to that decision.

Maybe, but the same opportunities are long gone. There is no scholarship money left at other schools and there may be no roster spots available at similar level programs. Very true.

College swimming matters because: Swimming is a sport that can be done by almost anyone, at any age, and is one of the healthiest, most low impact forms of exercise. Kids are inspired to swim in part because of the promise of college scholarships and college competition. College swimmers feed Masters programs which draw in many other swimmers for a lifetime of swimming. It is the job of universities to produce people who are prepared to engage in the world as healthy, productive, and engaged citizens (in this professor's opinion). Swimming can play a big role in that. College swimming is the linchpin. 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.

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.