My opinion: build more pools and perhaps open the closed ones! throwing money at the infrastructure would be a better investment than asking bureaucrats to spend "free money" and at their own determination.
Here is a link to ten-abandoned-pools in Great Britain; [Link]
Great Britain gave their swimming establishment, British Swimming, $39-million to produce a great Olympic swimming team. [British pound to dollar conversion]. The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) in great Britain has 175,000 members, more than half of the USA Swimming talent pool so they definitely had the talent to draw from but failed to deliver.
In fact, Missy Franklin, won more medals than Great Britain and most of hers were gold. Great Britain won 3-medals only and none of which were gold. But there are others on the US team that individually out scored Great Britain's medal tally: There was Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Allison Schmitt and finally there was Dana Vollmer who matched Great Britain's medal count but all of hers were gold.
Great Britain did under deliver for their country and they really should examine why and make a national effort to step it up for Rio 2016.
From the Sports Mole:
"... The British team were set a target of five to seven medals but only won three, none of which was gold. "On swimming there is a lot of analysis needed. I know they are bitterly disappointed and they are going to have to look at it," said Moynihan. "They are going to really drill down into the whole preparation.
[Link]
10 comments:
That is a beautiful pool. Do you know why it's not in use?
They may reopen it :-D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggerston_Baths
I'm not sure infrastructure is the real problem. I think they threw a lot of money around, but not wisely. They payed coaches a lot of money but didn't have the right leadership to evaluate whether the coaches were worth it.
Valid point but has USA Swimming grants produced the Olympians or has it been the LSCs, or your group in the NCAA that has been the nations R&D lab?
Perhaps the answer lies there?
Overall the British are having an amazing games though. Most medals they have won since 1908. Swimming may have been a big disappointment, but cycling, athletics and rowing have been amazing for the country. Also fingers crossed for the 10k open water swim as I think Britain have a good chance in that of a medal.
The womens cycling gold by Laura Trott was awesome. :-D
The problem with GB Swimming is that the country seems to only want atheletes to come from Yorkshire, an area up North, 3 hours away from London and with a fraction of London population. After British Steel went bust the area went into a deep decline so the government had to put British Swimming HQ there. British Swimming jealously guards all the tax payer money ($39 m)and only spends it in Yorkshire. There is a great "divide", an envy of South East Britain (richest area of UK which includes London )by the Northern guys. But why ignore/disadvantage the most populous area of the country? Too bad. There are 10 of 50m pools in Paris, there was only 1 (built in 1959) in London until last year.
E-Gads that is tragic. Send them here or to australia to train
"They payed coaches a lot of money but didn't have the right leadership to evaluate whether the coaches were worth it."
Really??????
British leadership though the last Olympic cycle.
Jonty Skinner - British Swimming’s World Class Technical Advisor
Dennis Pursley - British Swimming’s Head Coach
Chris Martin, British Swimming Development Coach
Pursley and Skinner are both headed to Univ of Alabama this fall, and I read that Chris Martin is now somewhere in China.
Will not be around to answer any questions...
coaching in America is diverse not governed by handful of men. Missy Franklin's coach definitely trains his swimmer differently than say a Bill Rose.
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