Show Closing the Gender Gap in inthe the Pool Pool Poo j. Amy Shipley The Washington Post Michael Phelps intends to transform swimming as he returns to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club this fall He wants to bring more financial opportunities exposure and professionalism to the sport that has given him 14 Olympic gold medals But many US U.S. swimming coaches would be satisfied if if 1 his superstardom and popularity brought something more basic to pools nationwide boys Casual fans who know little about the sport beyond what they saw during the Summer Games in Beijing when the like Adonis-like Phelps and his chiseled US U.S. teammates became the undisputed rock stars nl th f h V. V LU I Jt Hll be surprised to learn leam that American swimming programs have for years struggled to attract male athletes Over the last decade female swimmers have outnumbered males by approximately three to two although the number of males has ticked upward in recent years according to USA Swimming the sports sport's governing body People in the sport who attribute the disparity to a variety of factors including a perception of swimming as more artistic than hard- hard nosed are counting on Phelps and the spoils of the sports sport's time prime-time spot in inthe inthe the Olympics to increase interest among young menThe menThe men menThe The problem is a macho thing said Tom Dolan a retired time three-time Olympic from suburban Arlington Va Kids want to play football and they want to play baseball because those are cool sports In swimming you wear a skimpy suit That's not cool Many who have long wondered how the sport could conquer its image issues b believe lieve the Olympics set the stage for a potentially monumental breakthrough NBC's showcasing the swimming events live in prime time along with Phelps's record-breaking record eight gold medals and his post-Olympic post tour through the pop-culture pop media added a dose of to toa toa toa a sport whose participants wear bathing caps instead of helmets goggles instead of eye black and tiny briefs instead of numbered uniforms Even that aspect the tiny suits has changed and swimming aficionados who rail about the damage tech high-tech suits have done I. I J LV U Ull IIA 11 aL l L L help but admit that male athletes look much cooler in technically advanced long- long length suits than skimpy Speedo briefs Phelps's longtime coach Bob Bowman deplores the idea of young developing swimmers wearing the speed suits but he happily encourages boys to wear a modified version tight- tight fitting thigh-length thigh shorts known as simply j s ammers-s simply imply because they discourage self Bowman Dolan and others blame the traditional tiny briefs for nothing short of driving young boys out of the sport I honestly think they were a barrier for getting boys into the sport on the entry level Bowman said have really helped boys with self- self esteem and body issues time four-time Olympic medal winner Neil Walker said US U.S. coaches and officials became deeply troubled shortly before the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney when USA Swimming's percentage of male members dropped to an time all-time low of percent from a high of nearly 45 percent in the mid according to Pat Hogan USA Swimming's club development director USA Swimming recently hired a youth marketing company in Vermont to provide advice on appealing to male athletes During mandatory coaching seminars throughout the thelast thelast thelast last decade Hogan said coaches have been educated on the differences in the ways girls and boys learn leam in the hope of ensuring that boys arent aren't put off by programs that are too structured or repetitive Coaches also have been urged to allow boys time away from swim practice u LO 10 play omer other SPOILS n tt mey wish Those are the kinds of things weve we've encouraged Hogan said Weve seen seena a slow but steady increase since 2000 Indeed the number of boys has grown almost every year since by an average of slightly less than half a percent As of this September the percentage of male participants reached a 1 year 10 peak of This year 2912 boys have joined USA Swimming compared with 2704 girls But the gap remains Walker said girls outnumber boys by about three to one in youth classes he teaches for Longhorn Aquatics in Austin Shortly before the Olympics a year old student upset told him You need to talk to a kid at school he said swimming isn't a sport Walker said adding ruefully I heard that growing up Universities nationwide have eliminated more than six dozen mens men's swimming programs in the last two decades according to Phil Whitten director of the College Association of America Most schools made the thc cuts to adhere to Title IX the federal law guaranteeing equal equal participation opportunities for male and female students student The perception that there a are e few opportunities for college scholarships could deter talented male athletes some swimming experts say Bowman and arid North Baltimore Aquatic Club founder Murray Stephens recalled a time when Phelps swam largely by himself during youth swim sessions because there were virtually no other boys in his age group Ten with the years ago younger kids we wed we'd a nave have l lor 10 tv or 20 girls and only three boys Bowman said Swimming officials expect to see a major jump in overall p participation J this year The September figures already show arise arise a arise rise of f 22 percent Given the 49 percent jump after the 2000 Summer Games and 72 leap after the 2004 Olympics officials and coaches say they hope for double-digit double growth in 2009 Now arguably our most significant heroes are male swimmers Hogan said Coming out of Beijing if a a aboy boy wants to be a swimmer I think its it's a much more cool thing to do |