Full story:
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../25369.asp
Excerpt:
Passages: Fran Crippen, 26 - FINA, USA Swimming Release Statements -- October 23, 2010
FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates, October 23. SHORTLY after the FINA Open Water 10K World Cup swim today in the UAE, United States swimmer Fran Crippen, 26, passed away after falling unconscious during the race.
With the water in the mid-to-high 80s, the competitors all finished and noticed that Crippen had not crossed the finish line. Meet management brought in deep sea divers, who found Crippen unconscious just before the final buoy nearly two hours later. He was transported to the Fujairah Hospital and later died according to information provided to Swimming World. Conflicting reports state that he was found dead on the course.
Crippen had shown signs of slowing down during the third lap of the five-lap race. When Crippen did not immediately finish, a fact noticed by teammate Alex Meyer who screamed for help, the competing swimmers rushed back into the water to help with the search.
Information provided to Swimming World demonstrates that the water was likely too hot for the event as several swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race....
Former Member
I looked at the photos, there was very little security. The course should have had more boats, kayaks, row boats, etc. dotted along the whole course within easy reach of the swimmers. Binoculars should have not been necessary. However not ruling out the use of lots of binoculars.
I understand that people can have strongly voiced differences of opinion, but this thread doesn't really seem the proper place. Agreed?
I agree entirely. This was a tragic event. A wonderful man and a great swimmer died and, from what it seems, his death was preventable. We ought to be concerned about safety precautions, but insulting each other over what the proper precautions should be is simply in bad taste. Let's focus on how to prevent this from happening again and consider all the factors: a lack of boats in the water, the high water temperature (in salt water), and the intense heat. We should remember that three other swimmers were taken to the hospital for heat-related symptoms.
Fran Crippen was a great swimmer. This was a sad event for swimming.
Hey Alfred Einstein,
Lifeguards make rescues every day from spotting people with binoculars. You don't know what you are talking about.
There is a big difference between spotting a struggling swimmer in the water and spotting someone suffering from heat exhaustion. Hyperthermia causes the brain to be starved of oxygen. You cannot rescue someone in that situation by spotting them with binoculars because one moment you are swimming and the next moment you are face down in the water unconscience. And considering the state of the brain, I HIGHLY doubt that you have 30 seconds to rescue (that is an opinion of course).
There isn't a safe way to swim (maybe I should say race) in 90 degree water. To remotely suggest that binoculars would make that environment safe is idiocy. I apologize if you took my "genius" comment personally, but I am completely dumbfounded by that attitude.
And I agree that all forms of safety should be used, even binoculars (SHARK!), but that seems prefunctory. I mean, who suggested otherwise?
I understand that people can have strongly voiced differences of opinion, but this thread doesn't really seem the proper place. Agreed?
+1
I started a thread in the NSR forum which was summarily deleted because it involved "politics". Never mind that the intent of the Rally to Restore Sanity was (in part) aimed at demonstrating that many people want more reasonable discourse in the political sphere. And yet, strong animosity is tolerated when it involves swimming. Just sayin'...
Some of Fran's friends organized a "Worldwide Tribute to Fran Crippen" on Facebook. They requested that anyone who would like to pay tribute to Fran, to join them "by bringing fresh rose petals (or any flower) to your nearest ocean, lake or river and releasing them into the open water at exactly 9:00am EDT," on Saturday, October 30th.
The participants then posted photos of where they held their memorials.
The photos are beautiful and touching. If you have a Facebook account you should be able to view them. They are in two different albums; I have provided links to both.
www.facebook.com/photo.phpwww.facebook.com/.../172138316130186
I am sorry for not restraining my comments.
I hope that the swimming community would ban together to establish guidlelines for the minimum number of safety officials per swimmers, observation posts, air and water temp, safety equipment, emergency plans, and proper accounting of the participants.
There also should be a safety officer that is responsible for canceling the event if the danger is to great. I have been at swims where the event was canceled to to extreme conditions.
My frustration stems from the fact that this seems to have been a preventable tragedy.
geographic
Herman was a great swimmer for sure. I raced against him many times in fact 12 to 14 times a year for three years. The year I entered the Suez race Herman refused to go because of the conditions he encountered in 1963. The Suez race was a very hard race, it was very warm water.
I did not see any Belugas myself but they were there. If you see near the end of fhe Wind Waves and Sunburn book there is a picture of Dennis Matuch and myself. Conrad asked us to stick out our stomachs then he took the photo. I was 6 feet three and 235 lbs and that was the first race of the year July 9th 1964. I ended that season at a skinny 180 lbs after a race in Egypt.
I don't think we were taken advantage of by the swim promoters we were there to win money. Yes we swam no matter what the conditions were, it was not like individual swims where you pick the water conditions. They were races and had a set schedule.
We had our Federation WPSF World Professional Swimming Federation. Our main goal was to have larger prize money for each race, and have them distribute the money better. Safety issues re protection in the water such as close surveilance. Most of our races had a boat beside every swimmer. We tried to have the water temperature above 60 degrees but were never able to get that to happen. Race officials may say the water was 60 plus degrees but in the cross lake Ontario swim it was a varied temperature of 48 degrees to 52 degrees. Another race the officials said it was 64 and my thermometer said 52. Hey we swam anyway we wanted prize money. The guys who could not swim in cold water just got out. Hot water was our responsibility. Take lots of liquid along and salt tablets.
We were not allowed to wear anything but a regular swim suit no neoprenne suits they were considered floating devices. I trained in water above 60 degrees except for two years when I lived in Latuque Quebec. We trained in the Bostanais River as soon as the ice went out. When you swim in water that is in the high 40s to the mid 50s for from 5 to 12 hours you do feel cold. I found for myself getting out of the warm water in Egypt I shivered for a very long time compared to the cold water swims.
As a kid I did a 1 mile race in 33 degree water, I did not like that. I had also raced in a 10 mile race were the water was 38 degrees.
