December 13, 2007

“Swimming” in the News

Posted by Christian

Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Grant Hackett and company may dominate the regular swimming headlines, but swimming (and swimming pools) make plenty of news even when our sports’ superstars aren’t involved. So from kangaroo eating sharks to the dangers of swimming pool drains to the dangers of swimming to the newest fashion feature hitting a pool near you, here’s a round-up of some of the more interesting swimming news headlines this week (though they aren’t really all that much about swimming, but who cares?).

1. “Kangaroo fails miserably in open water swimming attempt; shark satisfied. ” Talk about a headline! Alright, that’s not the real headline but it ought to be after what’s certainly the most outrageous open water swimming story since Grant Hackett decided to brave the 10k. According to the BBC (and while I write this I’m saying it with an English accent in my head. Try it, it’s fun) a dazed, befuddled marsupial bounded into the waters in southern Australia in full view of a dog-walking Aussie who, when he first related the story, was thought to be on drugs. Turns out the dog-walker wasn’t hallucinating as others confirmed the story, which ends like this: Kangaroo sucked into a rip tide; shark leaps out of water; kangaroo disappears then reappears, dead, on the beach. Read the full story here.

2. Let’s start with politics as usual. You know the story: A politician takes a random, sensational statistic and turns it into a de facto danger to the public. In this case the warning comes from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who wants congress to do something to protect all of us from the harsh dangers of swimming pool drains.

According to ABC News, Reid is adamant that the Senate pass the Pool and Spa Safety Act before the federal government runs out of money over the weekend (which, to me, is a scarier prospect than the dangers of swimming pool drains). Reid told reporters that “(T)he leading cause of death in 20 states in the United States for children to age 14 is getting caught in the drains of swimming pools”(Reid his comments here). Holy cow! I’d better be sure to tether my four-year-old to a ladder when she gets in the pool.

Alright, I don’t have a four year old, and I don’t condone tethering them to ladders (at least not in the pool). And yes, I understand that pool drains can constitute a terrible danger to our children, but I just can’t stand politicians doing what Senator Reid did with his comments. I looked over the bill and there’s nothing in there which indicates that getting caught in swimming pool drains is the leading cause of death for kids under 14 in any state, never mind in 20 of them.

What the bill does say is that at least 33 kids under 14 have drowned after getting caught in swimming pool drains, but no in the last year. Not in the last five years. But between 1985 and 2004! Hardly as alarming as Mr. Reid makes it out to be, but who can blame him? It’s just politics as usual.

3. Speaking of politics and swimming, a quick interesting note for those who weren’t aware. Ron Paul, that renegade pseudo-libertarian vying for the republican nomination is a former collegiate swimmer himself. Seems Mr. Paul had been offered a track scholarship to a big name college but decided against taking it after a knee injury sidelined his career. So he went to Gettysburg College where he joined the swim team.

4. Finally, an affordable, durable, and functionably full-body bathing suit developed for the millions of Muslim women who shy away from the water for fear of exposing their skin. It’s called the Mustaqim swimsuit, and unlike previously developed suits for the Muslim swimming community, this suit is reportedly for serious swimmers “who actually want to swim” and don’t just want to parade around poolside. Apparently those previously developed suits felt like “swimming in a sleeping bag” (all quotes taken from Mathaba.net, in case you’re wondering). Some of you might be wondering why Muslim women don’t just go out and buy themselves a full-body, Speedo Fast Skin suit. I thought the same thing. Heck, these serious swimmers might actually feel seriously fast in the water! But considering the new Mustaqim suit only costs around $40, compared to $400 for the Fast Skin, no surprise the Muslim womens’ swimming community may not be embracing Speedo’s product line.

5. Last but not least a truly dire warning: “If you’ve had diarrhoea, stay out of the water!” Besides, nothing’s worse than swimming behind someone who’s got something seeping from their…well, you get where I’m going. But the warning is in place in New South Wales, Australia, where people are being urged to steer clear from pools for at least two weeks after coming down with a case of the runs. Seems there’s been a huge uptick in cases of cryptosporidiosis (don’t ask me how to say it). Nothing really funny about this, but I just couldn’t resist the headline.