SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers whether fundraising efforts will bring back any of the college swimming programs cut this year:
RESULTS
Question: Will fundraising bring save any of the college swimming programs cut this year?
- No – 81.7%
- Yes – 18.3%
A wide majority of voters suggested that fundraising efforts won’t save any of the college swimming & diving programs cut this year.
It’s been a particularly brutal offseason for swimming at the college level. At least 8 Division I schools have cut swimming programs this year amid the coronavirus pandemic:
- Iowa (women & men)
- Boise State (women)
- UConn (men)
- Dartmouth (women & men)
- East Carolina (women & men)
- Western Illionis (women & men) – indefinitely suspended
- William & Mary (women & men)
- La Salle (men)
Many of the cut programs have aggressive fundraising campaigns in the works. But most of the schools have also characterized their decisions as ‘final’, without the option of reversing the decision based on funds raised or endowments created.
Voters in our poll tended to trust schools on that fact. 81.7% said fundraising wouldn’t save any of the cut programs, though 18.3% were still optimistic that at least one program could be saved via fundraising efforts.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters if coronavirus cases will alter the outcome of this year’s International Swimming League season:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Finding funds are not the problem. It’s AD’s that are don’t care about those sports, along with the board of directors/presidents. My wife swam at College of Charleston and had many friends deeply involved with trying to save the program. No matter what plan they showed, what profits the pool could make, “Saving Pools, Saves Lives”, etc, they didn’t care. The “other sports” are just a nuisance to them. There are many great schools that care about Olympic sports, but these schools don’t feel bad, period. Go away, everyone will forget we had a team that wasted space and money in 2-3 years.
Even if fundraising does save a program, it might only be enough to continue to sponsor it for one more season. Also, there is a small possibility fundraising may backfire, with the school using it for other purposes. Fundraising definitely has good intentions, but to be honest it’s not very realistic.
As for the ISL, first it depends if an outbreak occurs. Swimmers being able to exit the bubble for a limited amount of time every day is a big factor in this. As with the procedures, if someone within the bubble comes within close contact with a confirmed case, the swimmer will be out for a week. So everything depends on whether this happens. In the end, not… Read more »