If You Want to Dive, Dive Head First

Dartmouth's swimming program has a tradition of academic excellence, and its athletes tout the structure that an athletic schedule brings to their lives. The swim program, however, also has a tradition of futility in the pool. The fact that the team arrived at the Philadelphia airport two hours before competition so that the athletes did not miss Friday classes is indicative of a problem with the program's leadership and philosophy. Division I athletics are not when-you-feel-like-it commitments. The athletic department's reputation is diluted by a program that has performed so poorly for so long. The swim program needs to find a way for its players to balance their academic and athletic commitments, or fully embrace its current coach's mentality and become a club sport.

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