What role, if any, should USMS play in saving college swimming? How about USA Swimming? Are either currently doing anything about the shrinking base? What can they do?
Aside from the participants themselves (including coaches), both institutions seem to be the greatest benefactors of keeping college swimming around:
USA Swimming benefits because its membership believes it has the ability to earn a scholarship or admission to a college or university that they might not otherwise. They may continue in the sport when there is the belief that they may be rewarded down the road. Some may continue training for significant International competition while not losing time on their education by competing and training while in college.
US Masters Swimming benefits because they have a significantly larger recruitment base because of existing college swimming programs.
College swimming is supported by colleges, and colleges are facing the kind of trouble that only can be created by a large group of apparently smart people. Here's a good summary of some of the problems they face:
www.washingtonpost.com/.../AR2011021104924.html
Ignoring the standard lazy anti-intellectual gibe, I found the article was interesting though oversimplifying in some ways (which is to be expected in a short newspaper article, of course). I agree with many of the sentiments in section 7, though I don't know if a cap would be a good solution. I have said before in other threads on this forum that (IMO) college athletics as it currently practiced is at odds with the institutional mission of universities. Especially big-time college athletics.
I definitely think that athletics have a place on college campuses. I just don't think their role should be any more prominent (or subsidized) than, say, that of the visual and performing arts. Universities should use athletic fees to improve (and increase access to) facilities that are available to all students: better gyms and pools, intramural sports, etc etc.
Big-time college athletics bear a large portion of the blame for the current situation. The NBA and NFL treat NCAA athletics as a de facto minor league, rather than developing their own. College presidents, administrators and fund-raisers are entranced by the additional exposure and revenue that successful athletic programs bring.
College swimming is such a minor player in this; cutting those programs will not solve any problems. Larger institutional reform is needed and I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Getting back to the original question: I don't know that USMS would make much of a difference at all in saving varsity college swimming. And think about this: while varsity swimming is shrinking, club college swimming appears to be growing to fill the void. Aren't the motivations of the participants of club swimming more closely aligned with those of USMS members? Shouldn't we be looking to increase our exposure with that crowd? They aren't "serious" swimmers by the standards of varsity athletes, but they are probably also much less likely to suffer from burnout and possibly head straight into USMS.
Let USA-Swimming get involved in the fight to save varsity swim teams; they have more of a dog in that fight. I think USMS would do better to target university club programs: we would get better bang for our buck, and there are certainly plenty of challenges in doing that (most club swimmers I know are much more interested in fraternizing with, and competing against, other college club swimmers rather than the typical masters swimmer).
Just my :2cents:
College swimming is supported by colleges, and colleges are facing the kind of trouble that only can be created by a large group of apparently smart people. Here's a good summary of some of the problems they face:
www.washingtonpost.com/.../AR2011021104924.html
Ignoring the standard lazy anti-intellectual gibe, I found the article was interesting though oversimplifying in some ways (which is to be expected in a short newspaper article, of course). I agree with many of the sentiments in section 7, though I don't know if a cap would be a good solution. I have said before in other threads on this forum that (IMO) college athletics as it currently practiced is at odds with the institutional mission of universities. Especially big-time college athletics.
I definitely think that athletics have a place on college campuses. I just don't think their role should be any more prominent (or subsidized) than, say, that of the visual and performing arts. Universities should use athletic fees to improve (and increase access to) facilities that are available to all students: better gyms and pools, intramural sports, etc etc.
Big-time college athletics bear a large portion of the blame for the current situation. The NBA and NFL treat NCAA athletics as a de facto minor league, rather than developing their own. College presidents, administrators and fund-raisers are entranced by the additional exposure and revenue that successful athletic programs bring.
College swimming is such a minor player in this; cutting those programs will not solve any problems. Larger institutional reform is needed and I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Getting back to the original question: I don't know that USMS would make much of a difference at all in saving varsity college swimming. And think about this: while varsity swimming is shrinking, club college swimming appears to be growing to fill the void. Aren't the motivations of the participants of club swimming more closely aligned with those of USMS members? Shouldn't we be looking to increase our exposure with that crowd? They aren't "serious" swimmers by the standards of varsity athletes, but they are probably also much less likely to suffer from burnout and possibly head straight into USMS.
Let USA-Swimming get involved in the fight to save varsity swim teams; they have more of a dog in that fight. I think USMS would do better to target university club programs: we would get better bang for our buck, and there are certainly plenty of challenges in doing that (most club swimmers I know are much more interested in fraternizing with, and competing against, other college club swimmers rather than the typical masters swimmer).
Just my :2cents:
