Death during Nationals

Here is a nice article about Louis "Dewey" Slater. He had been a continuous USMS member for more than 20 years; you can find Top 10 listings for him dating back to 1980. Fresno store owner Dewey Slater, 64, dies at Masters swim meet

This is so sad. Condolences to his family and friends. All the responders, volunteers, and swimmers are in my thoughts as well. I am glad to know that this is how he would have chosen to go and hope that gives those who love him solace.

A loss for his family, community, and swimmer's everywhere. The article linked above paints a portrait of a sincere and gifted man. We all assume some risk when we are active. There's been some low-level debate/discussion in the medical community regarding the health risk of swimming. Having recently survived a small heart attack, I'm keenly aware of this. Also, we lost one of the most active members of our local club this past year at age 70. This much we know: the risk if very small, it is not predictable in relation to who or when, but of course healthy lifestyle leads to lower overall risk. Studies of sudden death in athletes indicate if the person is young (less than 35-40 or so) often there's an unrecognized heritable issue. If the age is 45 or greater, almost always it is unrecognized coronary artery disease. The key take home is to recognize symptoms that might indicate trouble, if they are present (the hard part is that many instances of cardiac arrest have no premonitory symptoms). For me, the earliest sign was "Why am I having heartburn at 5:30 AM, I haven't eaten anything?" For my deceased team-mate, his family recalled that in addition to "not feeling well" he had vague chest discomfort before he passed. I will say a prayer for Dewey and his family, pay him homage as I slip into the water, and swim on.

Is the 1650 a masters only length ? No, but it is a distance swum only in the United States. It is swum in a 25-yard pool, which is the most common course here. A distance of 1650 yards is roughly equivalent to 1500 meters.

Very sorry to hear this. It seems relatively rare to die in a pool race comparing to open water? If the heart conditions are usually triggered by intense activities (it seems?), perhaps people prone to heart diseases (older, or with family history) should "take it easy" during races or avoid intense competitions? I understand many people love competitions (esp. members of this forum), but from the point of view of health and longevity, I wonder if there have been studies comparing between the effects of lifelong competitive versus lifelong fitness swimming? It would make an interesting subject.

My condolences to his family & friends. AND to all the people at the pool - what a horrifying experience to have while hosting a sporting event! (I'll bet he was so pissed when he got to heaven - He probably said something like: "Put me back! I was on my way to a best time!")

This much we know: the risk if very small, it is not predictable in relation to who or when, but of course healthy lifestyle leads to lower overall risk. Studies of sudden death in athletes indicate if the person is young (less than 35-40 or so) often there's an unrecognized heritable issue. If the age is 45 or greater, almost always it is unrecognized coronary artery disease. Those words bear repeating. Heart disease can affect swimmers, young and old - and everyone who swims seriously should be checked regularly by a physician and should be watchful for and attentive to the many risks and signs of heart disease, no matter how subtle, as all too often the risks go unrecognized. To underscore the importance of preventive heart care for everyone, no matter how fit, it's worth noting this is not the first time we've had a tragic loss in Southern California: forums.usms.org/.../t-8056.html You can learn more by following this thread: forums.usms.org/showthread.php ... In particular, note the link to the American Heart Association's screening tool ...

At least here there were first responders who could attend to him promptly, which gave him his best chance of surviving. Godspeed, Dewey. There is a study that just came out that looked at survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest, related to the location where the incident occurred. They looked at three types of locations: traditional exercise facilities, "alternative" exercise facilities (such as bowling alleys, dance studios), and non-exercise facilities. Link to full article: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survival Odds Greater at Fitness Facilities Excerpt: Aug. 7, 2013 — People experiencing sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have a higher chance of survival than at other indoor locations, likely due to early CPR and access to an automated external defibrillator (AED), among other factors, according to a study published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The findings underscore the importance of having AEDs in places where people exert themselves and are at greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest... Location of the sudden cardiac arrest was categorized as occurring at a traditional exercise facility (health clubs, fitness centers), an alternative exercise facility (bowling alleys, workplace or hotel gyms, dance studio) or a non-exercise facility (banks, restaurants, shopping centers, airports). In total, 52 sudden cardiac arrests occurred at traditional exercise facilities, 84 at alternative exercise facilities and 713 at non-exercise facilities. Survival rates were 56 percent, 45 percent and 34 percent, respectively. Where information was available on the activity at the time of arrest, in 77 percent of cases the sudden cardiac arrest occurred during exercise, with only 18 percent occurring after exercise and 4 percent before exercise. Researchers also collected information on what type of exercise people were doing when the sudden cardiac arrest occurred. The most common activity was basketball, with 20.5 percent of occurrences. Basketball is often played at non-traditional exercise facilities, like community centers or church gyms. Following basketball were dancing and "working out," both at 11.6 percent; treadmill at 8.9 percent; tennis at 6.3 percent; bowling at 5.4 percent; and swimming at 4.5 percent...

...and everyone who swims seriously should be checked regularly by a physician.. Sound advice. Risk factor modification clearly lowers your risk. But the reality is that sudden cardiac death can be the first manifestation of CAD, and detection of a so-called vulnerable plaque (ie one that is more likely to rupture) is not possible at the present time.

A loss to us all. Rest in peace my fellow swimmer!