Imagine how horrified I was when I was informed that Dartmouth had cut their
swimming and diving programs. Last year, as a senior in high school, I
seriously considered swimming for Dartmouth, though I ultimately chose to
attend another university. When I heard the news, I was thankful that I
had chosen to go somewhere else, but then, I thought of how upset these
swimmers must be. As a recruited swimmer myself, I know that the
swimming program has a huge impact on the final decision of where to
attend college. I also know how much time and effort these athletes put
in, and how much they love their sport. By taking this away from them, you rob
these athletes of their livelihood, something that they deserve--they chose to
bring their talents to Dartmouth, to enrich your College with their presence.
Don't cheat them of something they love. I'm sure that it is possible to
make cuts across the entire athletic budget, so that all athletes can compete,
rather than steal the opportunity from the swimming and diving team.
As a child growing up in Massachusetts, I swam several USS meets at Dartmouth
College, which originally sparked my interest in the school. I
personally always enjoyed swimming at Dartmouth, with the benefit of another
pool to warm down in after competition. I know that the pool is not the most
state of the art facility out there, but it is, by NO means, impossible to use
for competition or in supporting a swim team. There is a total
of 12 lanes possible for practicing, using both pools. I can also
think of other Division 1 Programs with smaller pools, (The College of the
Holy Cross, in the Patriot League comes to mind) with only 6 lanes and a small
diving well.
What does the sudden elimination of two varsity sports teams say to any
incoming student at Dartmouth, especially any athlete? I think it says
that at any time, something that is valued to a Dartmouth student can be taken
away, and there is nothing that can be done about it. When there are
more money problems, which team is on the chopping block next? Let them
know--perhaps there is something they can do to prevent it.
Thanks for your time.
Sarah Myksin
Wesleyan Swimmer '06