Despite current pressures on the NCAA, newly hired Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker is optimistic for the future of college swimming. Parker, a former swimmer and three-time All-American for the University of Michigan, has a unique perspective. Across the board, the majority of college athletic directors come into their position after competing or coaching in some of the higher-revenue team sports such as football and basketball. For Parker, however, being a former swimmer helps him to see issues in a different light than many of his peers.
“My position as a swimmer helps me have an appreciation for the challenges faced by Olympic sport athletes,” he said. “All sports require time and commitment, but swimming is unique. You hear a lot of athletes talking about how they just need to ‘get through their two-a-days,’ but swimmers do those two-a-days consistently. They have a unique sense of discipline.”
According to Parker, the NCAA needs to continue make sure that it allows its elite athletes the opportunity to compete internationally. He says that one of the strong points of the American swim program is the partnership between the NCAA and the U.S. National Team.
“We truly are a country with the best swimming in the world, and it comes through our college model,” he said. “One of our challenges is preserving the experience for student athletes…. the best swimmers seek out that experience. To produce strong international performances, we need to ensure health at the collegiate level.”
Parker also thinks that the focus of the NCAA is and always has been on producing educated people.
“The national landscape is shifting with regard to college athletics,” he said. “There are a lot of pressures on our budgets, although I guess similar challenges have always existed. But, what we do is education first and foremost. That’s where we need to put our emphasis.”
For Parker, the benefits of playing sports are something worth preserving. He thinks that athletics offer opportunities for education that can’t occur anywhere else.
“Athletic programs really are virtual classrooms,” he said. “They present opportunities for students to learn life lessons that are unavailable in any other context. They teach students skills like discipline, and we really need to fight to preserve those opportunities.”
Colorado State sponsors women’s swimming. Last year’s team finished 10th out of 10 teams at the Mountain West Conference Championships.
Congrats Joe. Couldn’t agree more.