I would like to express my support for the Dartmouth Men's and Women's swimming and diving programs. As a former Ivy-league student-swimmer, I can attest to the benefits of such a program. Clearly it's a shame to lose any athletic program in a venerable college such as yours, for its participants invariably develop the qualities that will make them successful in the future. I think it's a particular shame to lose the swimming program. Naturally I am a little biased, but swimming seems like a strange sport to choose to shut down. Next to running, swimming is one of the most basic sports. It was one of the 9 or so original events when the modern Olympics started, and it still is one of the glamour events in the Olympic games today. It has a vast tradition behind it and retains its popularity among children and adults alike. As someone who is still swimming and even competing, I'm here to tell you that it is a sport that one can continue to enjoy for one's entire life. I swim with men and women who are all ages, some in their 90s. Why deprive your students of such a simple, pleasurable, enduring sport?