It's sink and not swim, again, for Charlotte's Sloan
Charlotte's Anderson Sloan worked hard, swam well and got a college scholarship in 2010 to swim at Clemson. He was one of the lucky ones.
Until Clemson announced it would disband its men's and women's swim teams in 2012.
But Sloan was still a sought-after collegiate swimmer - not exactly Michael Phelps, but plenty good enough to qualify for the next U.S. Olympic Trials. And so after one year at Clemson, he decided to transfer to Maryland starting in the fall of 2011. He earned another scholarship. He was one of the lucky ones.
Until Maryland announced it would disband its men's and women's swim teams in 2012.
Now Sloan, 19, isn't quite sure what to do next. The former Providence High and SwimMAC Carolina club standout is in the middle of final exams at Maryland, where he's a sophomore. He still has one more semester of swimming to go with the Terrapins. Then the swim team will say goodbye, a victim of Maryland's cost-cutting, unless swim parents and friends can raise a staggering $11.5 million in the next seven months to keep it alive.
"When you're going through the recruiting process, this sort of situation is not something you really think about," Sloan said.
You're not going to raise $11.5 million with car washes and bake sales. Maryland has decided that the men's and women's swim teams would need to prove they could fund themselves for eight straight years, which is where that number comes from.
Sloan's partial scholarship will be honored for the rest of his undergraduate career should he decide to stay a Terrapin. He could also transfer to a third school and try to swim again. Because surely this couldn't happen three times in a row.
Could it?
"The second time around I'm kind of evaluating my priorities," Sloan said. "I don't know if it would be the right choice to transfer again solely for swimming. I can't be totally assured that any program in the NCAA would be guaranteed to be there. For now, I'm trying to invest myself in this program, do as well as I can and stay positive.
Swimming Lessons In Southern Maryland - News
The swimmers have ultimately decided to let their parents and other alums lead the fundraising effort. They will concentrate on their classes and their practices, hoping against hope it will all work out and they can stay and swim at Maryland.
For more information, contact Tom Slear, NAAC's head swim coach, at 410-268-4773. UMPIRE SCHOOL: The Anne Arundel Umpire Association will conduct its 29th annual Baseball Umpire Development School, beginning Jan. 5 and lasting until March 1. Classes
Others, such as former Maryland swimmer Kevin Reardon, who graduated in 2010, are working tirelessly to save the sports, taking much harder stances on the issue. "Is $11 million a realistic amount of money to expect the swimming and diving program to
How could we ever put a price on the lessons that sports teach us? The UMD swimming program is in danger of being cut next school year, due to financial problems at UMD. Well, apparently the University of Maryland (UMD) can, as it will be cutting
Maryland Zoo keepers act as coaches for newborns in their efforts to help save an endangered African species. A 6-week-old African penguin is weighed before his introduction to swimming at the Maryland Zoo. (Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun