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....
he drowned.
as why he lost consciousness we can speculate....
what we can not speculate is: there was no one to prevent the death after losing conscious. :badday:
Knowing how much money this events involve, how many people are there to serve the stars of the events-swimmers- it is horrifying the idea the performer of the show dies because no one was watching!:censor:
USA SWIMMING RE-EVALUATING SITE FOR OPEN WATER NATIONALS
In accordance with the recommendations released by the Open Water Review Commission on Tuesday, USA Swimming is re-evaluating the site selection for the 2011 Open Water National Championships. Previously scheduled for Fort Myers in June, concerns have arisen regarding potentially warm water temperature in Fort Myers.
USA Swimming asks all athletes and coaches planning to attend to delay making travel arrangements until the location is finalized. We thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue. As soon as we have further information, we will distribute it.
Our last LSC HOD meeting was October 10th and they actually made a point at the time to mention how nice and warm the water is down there. So it's a little surprising that only now are they re-evaluating the site.
USA SWIMMING RE-EVALUATING SITE FOR OPEN WATER NATIONALS
Our last LSC HOD meeting was October 10th and they actually made a point at the time to mention how nice and warm the water is down there. So it's a little surprising that only now are they re-evaluating the site.Yes, and they've been running OW races there since at least 2006 (www.openwaterfestival.org/.
It's interesting that often times the "stars" are not watched. Everyone assumes (wrongly) that they are doing things right and are fine. Obviously this was a tragic oversight.
On a less serious note (but no less irritating) I watched a "star" once bet his teammates that he could do a LC 50m *** doing all fly kick and not get DQd at Nationals. He won and did not get DQd. The officials just "assumed" that he would do it right. Afterwards he did try to get himself DQd because he felt bad for 2nd place, but the officials wouldn't overturn it (probably b/c they were embarrassed).
Anyway, my point is that just because the "stars" are participating does not mean they should be excluded from rules and, more importantly, safety measures.
:2cents:
2011 OPEN WATER NATIONALS MOVED TO FORT LAUDERDALE
4/22/2011
The 2011 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships have been relocated from Fort Myers, Fla., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 10k race will be held June 10 and the 5k race will remain on June 12. The USA Swimming Board of Directors approved this change in venue.
The change in venue is designed to provide the safest possible environment for the event, and is in keeping with recommendations made by the Open Water Commission, which included the recommendation that races exceeding 5K should not be held in water above 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Because the water temperature in Fort Myers could exceed that temperature, the decision was made to move the event now, rather than potentially having to cancel the race on or near the day.
More details will be shared in the coming days.
What a change!!! From Florida...all the way to...Florida!!! :confused:
Gulf vs. Atlantic is a big temp change. 87 is pretty high, even for Fort Myers Beach, but not unheard of.
