2003-2004 URI Varsity Men's Swimming Team (Your Own Coaches were present Matt Emmert & Jeff Began)
Support URI Varsity Swimming & Diving Programs
5/26/06: In order to stay in the guidelines of the University Alumni Office, we are asking to send your donations directly to the URI Advancement office. We have been in contact with the office and they are aware of our fundraising efforts and its' purpose. That address is: URI Advancement Office, P.O. Box #1820, Kingston, RI 02881. If you wish to donate over the phone you can call Mike Harrington directly at 401-874-2389.
The office will give us an update each week of how much $ we have raised. Our goal is to complete a 20k yard workout by July 1st. Contributions to date have us at: 5,735 yards since May 1st. We have 14,265 yards to go. These does seem like a big amount of $, but just like some of the toughest workouts Mick used to give us we must keep pushing past our limits. We are already a 1/4 of the way there, keep up the hard work and passing the message on! At anytime if you have questions please e-mail me at preserveURIswim@hotmail.com.
That's all for now, I hope that you all enjoy your Memorial Day weekend with friends and family, as always GO RHODY!!
5/20/06: After meeting with several swimming enthusiasts we came up with a two-fold plan which we feel will help PRESERVE the URI Varsity Swimming & Diving Program for the 2007-2008 Academic year, but also for the future. Although no sports will be cut for th2006-2007 season, they can make cuts next fall, which could very well happen. This is the reason we still need to take action and preserve the team.
Part I calls for us to continue to grow as a swimming community. One way we plan on doing this is by pushing to have the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall Of Fame be moved to the University of Rhode Island. It only makes sense, to have the State's Aquatic Hall of Fame at the State's Institution for Higher Learning. This would be great exposure for the successful history of swimming in Rhode Island and show some of the decision makers how important swimming really is to the Ocean State. We have a great tradition of swimming in RI and people really need to be made aware of that.
Part II calls for fundraising efforts. Because this is a budgetary issue , one of the best ways we can defend our cause is to demonstrate how quickly we can mobilize and financial show support for our sport. We are asking for anyone and everyone to please just pledge as much money as possible to this team. Our goal is to raise $20,000 by July 1st. This would cover 20% of the Annual operating budget, not to mention demonstrate how serious we are about supporting College Swimming in the Ocean State. We are asking that you please make checks payable to: FAST Lane Club and send and e-mail to preserveURIswim@hotmail.com with the amount you are pledging and we will keep a running tally on this site.
Finally Thanks for your support and please keep the buzz going and spreading the word. We would like to reach as many people in the swimming community as possible. If you have any questions on other ways you can help. Send an e-mail the the address listed above.
5/11/06: So both the Women's & Men's Team is safe along with all athletic programs for the 2006-2007 Season. We would like to thank all of you for your support. It was great to see the National Swimming Community hear our call for the support of the Swimming & Diving Program at URI. Although we have survived this threat, the threat to other College Swimming programs is always evident and we as a swimming community must always watch our back. Thanks again to everyone who wrote e-mails, made calls, and did anything in your power in support for the program. Below is a link which states the final decision in not cutting any programs.
We are Safe for next year, but like I said before, as a swimming community we must always watch our back!
Thanks again for all your Support!
General Letter to serve as a guideline for your E-mail
Tom McElroy, URI Athletics Director - TMCELROY@MAIL.URI.EDU
Dr. Robert Carothers President - muskrat@uri.edu
Dr. Thomas Dougan Vice President for Student Life - tdougan@uri.edu
Mr. Robert Weygand, Vice President for Business and Finance - bobw@uri.edu
Beverly M. Swan University Provost
cygnet@uri.edu 401-874-4410
Robert M. Beagle VP for Advancement
rbeagle@advance.uri.edu 401-874-2291
5/08: Below is the URI Athletic Departments Mission Statement. The wording in this statement should make it an easy decsion to keep the Swimming & Diving team along with some of the other athletic programs. Swimming is a sport that stays with people throughout the rest of the their lives. This is very evident with all the support we are gaining from Swimmers Nationally. We hope that you will use this statement in your arguments for the support of swimming. That is all for now, but please keep the e-mails flowing, continue to pass on the information provided, and get any friends, family, or fellow swimmer involved in the fight for the URI Swimming & Diving Team. Keep checking back for more updates.
The mission of the Department of Athletics is to provide experiences that are consistent with the mission of the University and the NCAA Division I philosophy. The Department provides opportunities for students and the larger community that encourage the pursuit of lifetime activities, commitment, teamwork, competitive success, the development of personal character, and leadership skills. We maintain an environment that values integrity, diversity, gender equity, high academic achievement, and sound fiscal management. Athletics strives to provide quality facilities and programs that cultivate an exciting atmosphere for the University and the community. WE SERVE, CHALLENGE, AND SUCCEED...
5/05: We really need to keep the e-mails and calls going to all those listed on the page. This is a very crucial time for us to really make our voices heard. Their has been no decesion made yet, but we still need to let them know how committed we are as a swimming community to fight four our sport. The University ultimately would be losing $ if they cut the swim team. Again, the amount of $ generated by the swim team from out-of-state tuition is $1.4million dollars. This comes from a program that costs around $50,000 to fund. To me, I do not see how you could even consider cutting a program that brings in a profit margin like that. If anyone has any statements they would like to voice to the public via this site please e-mail me at swimrams@hotmail.com. It will be posted the minute I recieve the e-mail. Thanks again for your help and please keep the e-mails and calls going!
5/02: Here is more of a reason your voice needs to be heard! Over the weekend at a parent's meeting, URI Athletic Director Tom McCelroy could be paraphrased as saying it was unnecessary for you as swimming parents to contact your local, state, or federal representatives over this Program. His reason why, is that there is a minimal number of RI high school athletes attending Division I schools. That our athletes are not at that top level of competition and therefore URI does not need to offer a full slate of 22 sports programs.
This demonstrates how little this Athletic Director knows about the sport of swimming in his own state. If he was even somewhat aware, he would realize he has had multiple Division I athletes which trained out of the URI facility via the Rams Swim Club. He would realize that currently one of the few 2008 Olympic Trial Quialifiers is swimming out of URI. He would recognize the fact that swimming is one of the fastest growing in numbers and successful sports in RI! Also, that the RI High School State meet was probably one of the fastest, if not fastest meets in RI History!
It is up to us to help Tom McCelroy, wake up and recognize our sport of SWIMMING. Sometime those who are blinded by the Big Time College Athletic teams just need to be educated a little bit.
The time to Act is Now. We are asking all Swimming Parents, Swimmers, Family, and Friends to please contact all those listed to show their support for the URI Swimming & Diving Programs, As well as the impact the loss of the team would have on our Local, Regional, and National Swimming Community. The loss of this team would be detrimental to the sport of swimming and we must do all we can to keep the sport alive. Rhode Island High School States saw one of it's most successful state meets to date and swimmers in that meet need to have the option to stay in state and represent their State University. Here is an excerpt from an e-mail from John Weskott to URI President Robert Carouthers, currently the Head Coach of the United States Coast Guard Academy, on the impact of the having the program:
"The Univ. of Rhode Island is currently the only state
institution in Rhode Island which offers the sport of swimming at the NCAA
level. Elimination of swimming as a sport in Rhode Island would make Rhode
Island the only state in the country to not offer swimming at some level
collegiately. Swimming as a Rhode Island Interscholastic sport has grown
recently, especially in South/Washington county, with new programs emerging at
Narragansett, South Kingstown, Westerly, and Prout High Schools. As a collegiate
coach who was born and raised in Narragansett, this is a source of encouragement
in the proliferation of swimming as a burgeoning sport in Rhode Island. I have
my first South County swimming product attending the Academy next year from
Prout High School. It may serve to note that many other sports offered at the
University are offered at Rhode Island College for an in-state athlete's
opportunity,
unlike swimming which is not offered at Rhode Island College.
The swimming program has traditionally maintained a squad of 24 men, and 30+ women. This accounts for a considerable amount of students paying tuition to the school, there is currently $210,000 going out in scholarship money (7 scholarships), and $1.6 million in tuition in-coming from the 39 out-of-state student-athletes, and 9 in-state. The net gain in tuition dollars is considerable, $1.4 million dollars. Contraction or elimination of swimming would eliminate the potential revenue in tuition the sport can garner. The sport is inexpensive operationally, no full-time coaches, little in overnight travel, and as a sport scheduled in a co-ed manner, has little in the way of competition costs. Men's swimming has also traditionally had financially supportive alumni, who give back directly to the program through various fund-raising venues. "
- John Westkott, Head Coach Swimming & Diving Coach United States Coast Guard Academy
Any URI Alumni or those interested, here is another e-mail from the current President of the Fast Lane Club, Dave Liccardi Class of 93' regarding the possibility of the swim teams being dropped: Letter From Dave
We cannot stress enough how imperative your immediate action is needed. Below is a list of all relevant adminastrative personell who need to be contacted about our support of the URI Swimming & Diving Program. Please help us, the swimming community, and your tax dollars go to a positive program by taking action NOW!
If you have any questions or other ways at which you could be of help please e-mail Coach Matt or call me at (401)-339-5482.