Beyond the swim team’s spin
By Carey Heckman
Published on Tuesday, January 30, 2007
To the Editor:
Swim team head coach Jim Wilson blew a tongue-in-cheek one past The Dartmouth when he claimed his saintly academics priority excuses a 4:15 a.m. departure for the University of Pennsylvania meet or the too many years of swim team cellar finishes ("Swim team takes 4 a.m. trip to morning meet," Jan. 25).
Every Dartmouth coach, even those who can coach teams to victory, puts their athletes' academics first. Wilson should not insult them by implying he is somehow special. Then again, coaches have no choice. The Ivy League's 1979 Statement of Principles states that "intercollegiate athletics ought to be maintained within a perspective that holds paramount the academic programs of the institution and the academic and personal growth of the student athlete." Section VI(G)(5)(a) of the Ivy Manual is specific: "All travel should be arranged so as to minimize missed class time."
Anyone with a web browser can see that 4 a.m. travel was not necessary. Southwest Airlines and US Airways had nonstop Friday evening flights from Manchester to Philadelphia. Either would have required a hotel night, but Wilson said cost was not the central concern. Either flight would have allowed attending class, a decent night's sleep, and a fair chance to compete the next day.