04-15-2021, 12:22 PM
Thanks, Bob! So, some history of Olympic representation, with a Gold 25 years ago, our last medalists 15 years ago, and just one Olympian in the last few Olympics (looks like Koroleva made it again in 2016 as part of a pair, even though the US team as a whole didn't qualify).
Against the backdrop of just five schools having it as a varsity program (apparently Texas Woman's University's varsity program starts this fall, so that number is currently four and will be four again when Stanford drops), is that level of Olympic involvement enough to justify retaining synchro as a varsity sport?
As I understand it, the cost is fairly minimal (no scholarships for synchro, I don't think), and it seems a prime candidate for a "just let us fund it" approach by synchro alums if the administration would allow that route. But it's hard to get past how limited the collegiate competition is.
Against the backdrop of just five schools having it as a varsity program (apparently Texas Woman's University's varsity program starts this fall, so that number is currently four and will be four again when Stanford drops), is that level of Olympic involvement enough to justify retaining synchro as a varsity sport?
As I understand it, the cost is fairly minimal (no scholarships for synchro, I don't think), and it seems a prime candidate for a "just let us fund it" approach by synchro alums if the administration would allow that route. But it's hard to get past how limited the collegiate competition is.