I am having a hard time understanding how a simulated execution plays any role in improving the performance of a swimmer.
Sounds to me like the team should have held this coach's head underwater for a few moments. Let him see what it's like to be forced into something you don't want to do.
But did the swimmers know that the gun was fake?
Even so, that's no way to motivate swimmers. I'd have nightmares about it, even if I knew it was fake.
Fake gun or not, if one of those kids were mine that guy would wish he were in a fiery hell after I was through (Not inferring physical violence either).
Doesn't matter if it was a joke or not, or how old a person is, or whether they consent or not. In this day it is unacceptable. Certainly an adult could handle the psychological stress and put the incident into perspective of this is just fun and games better than a kid. But teens and kids, especially young teens, are far too impressionable and their hormones are far to rampant to deal with such nonsense in a rational adult manner. Imagine yourself as a kid or teen, having swam a super tough workout, being dog tired, physically and mentally, maybe for several days in a row, then finding out you are to be executed for your performance. And if other swimmers were expected (or forced) to take part in this... it could be just as stressful on them.
One other thought, ever heard anyone say I thought the gun was empty? Or, I didn't realize it was a real gun. I bet even starting pistols could inflict some kinda injury if held right up against the head. Make you go deaf for awhile if nothing else.
Lainey
I thought I read that the gun was plastic ... nonetheless who knows how exactly it all went down and what exactly was said and how it all came into being, without all of that knowledge who are we to judge ...
Actually, Kirk is correct. It was a real gun that killed Brandon Lee. The stagehands screwed up a dummy load, leaving a piece of a bullet in the barrel which, as projectiles are wont to do, projected when the actor fired the supposedly harmless dummy load. In this case, the projectile projected into Brandon.
