quote:
We had lockers in a utility closet by the diving well. The bottom of my locker was rusted out and there was a family of rats that lived underneath our row of lockers. Not an appealing place for an aspiring LSU athlete.

Funny! Once they built the expanded locker room off the side that was the warmest place during the winter, I remember one winter they found a dead rat in the rusted bottom of one, must have come in during a cold day trying to get warm haha.

I think it’s interesting that we all see problems within Louisiana swimming from different lenses. I think for a true turn around it will take alignment from high school, club, and college. Not impossible, but you have to get a lot of people acting selflessly and moving in the same direction. Since a lot of that are government people I am not too hopeful. I would caution parents of current swimmers from thinking that these problems go away with making a coaching change. Since most parents didn’t grow up in the sport they may not see that these are problems that have persisted for decades. The root of these issues are much much deeper than one coach, one organization, or one facility. Likely the only way forward right now to truly change things would be to get Woodward on board with demanding excellence from swimming and giving them resources to do so.

This post was edited on 2/21/21 at 10:50 am

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Posted by RingLeader

Slidell, LA

Member since Jan 2007

1051 posts

Posted on 2/21/21 at 11:16 am to Stuckinthe90s

quote:
Likely the only way forward right now to truly change things would be to get Woodward on board with demanding excellence from swimming and giving them resources to do so.

He did that at A&M. And look where they went. I was told pre covid stupidity that he immediately identified the swimming & diving program as the area in most need of improvement. During the miracle football season there was already talks of potential new facility. But that went bye bye with the last 13 months of idiocracy.

I agree that the club and high school culture need to improve in Louisiana as well. And I bring that back to facilities as well. Kids just don’t want to train outside in temperature extremes. It’s miserable in the winter and horrible in the summer. Access to decent climate controlled facilities would certainly help.

Recently the conversation about the Slidell casino bringing a potential 30mil sports complex has been discussed. I immediately brought up that it should include an indoor 50m pool with ability to host big meets. They could keep that facility booked with events as the region doesn’t have many venues capable. And the club teams could benefit from a solid training facility. Doubt it will happen because all people around here see in their grand vision is ball fields. There’s no facility that can host a sectional meet in Louisiana, and the closest is Tupelo... which we travel to in 2 weeks. My son will taper/shave for that meet over LA state Championships due to absolutely zero competition in his age group in La.

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Posted by mgdtiger

Member since May 2006

2867 posts

Posted on 2/21/21 at 2:01 pm to Stuckinthe90s

While it can be helpful there is no necessity that Louisiana be top notch in swim for lsu to be top notch. Kentucky just won the sec with 3 girls from Kentucky on the team who earned little if any points for the team. It takes facilities and coaching. Build it and they will come. And connections of a coach. You have to make in roads with some of the large club teams around the country and get your studs and fill in with depth.
You can build Louisiana club swimming up but if facilities aren’t good they won’t come. These studs will travel and see other facilities for speedo series events and junior nationals and have better venues to compare.

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