Opinion Piece Speaks Out Against Windsor 2016…..Not everyone is thrilled with the fact that the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships are set to be held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In a candid opinion piece written in the Windsor Square Opinion Pages, writer Robert Tuomi cites the ‘lackluster’ FINA World Cup Series as reason to push back against the estimated $21 million Windsor taxpayers are reportedly paying to host the 2016 event. Within his piece, Tuomi refers to a recent swimvortex.com article, which casts doubts on the actual talent to appear in Windsor. Quoting swimvortex.com, Tuomi writes, “… big prize has been won by the same people season after season of late; that the format is unappealing; that the vast majority of elite swimmers in the world – those earned top 50 across all events – are bypassing the World Cup as a series year after year.” The Tuomi opinion summarized that “Windsor made a very costly financial mistake which will gobble up taxpayer’s hard-earned cash and deliver very little. It is, if Lord [Craig Lord at swimvortex.com] is right, on track to suffer another high cost but low reward event.”
CF Swim McArthur 2016 Event Scheduled in Australia…..25-year-old cystic fibrosis sufferer, Lauren Rowe, has rejected a double lung transplant which took place earlier this year, but is still leading the charge towards the 2016 DA Global/The Royal Hotel CF Swim Macarthur swimathon in February. Rowe, whose lung capacity is at 30%, will participate in the swim as a means to raise money to support CF sufferers and awareness of the condition. The swimathon has raised more than $500,000 for CF causes, including last year’s total of $130,000. Says Rowe of her condition and outlook, “I would love to plan beyond a couple of weeks but I am not able to. I am a big dreamer and it [CF] reduces the reality of what I can do, but I just have to deal with it.” CF affects one’s digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems and can lead to irreversible lung damage and shortened lifespan. The 2016 DA Global/The Royal Hotel CF Swim Mcarthur is scheduled for February 12th (launch night) and February 20th (swim). Details can be discovered here: www.cfmacarthur.com or www.facebook.com/CFMacarthur.
Abbott & Meyer in 2015 Barbados Open Water Festival…..305 swimmers from countries including the USA, UK, Canada and France, participated in the 2015 Barbados Open Water Festival this past weekend, a yearly event which hosts both 1.5k and 5k races. McKayla Treasure, a junior swimmer from Barbados, earned the 1.5k title in 20:15.23, while Americans Eney Jones claimed the 5k victory and Taylor Abbott slapped the touchpad first in both the 1.5k and 5k races. Abbott, who earned a silver medal in the men’s 1500m freestyle at the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships in Singapore, registered times of 17:41.81 and 57:16.01 in the 1.5k and 5k races, respectively. American Alex Meyer was also in the mix for the 5k title, as he and Abbott battled closely for much of the course. Just as it looked as though Meyer had won the race, Abbott lodged a protest indicating that Meyer had passed on the wrong side of a buoy. Meyer reportedly displayed commendable sportsmanship by “graciously acknowledging he had made a mistake”, wrongly considering the buoy in question as a guide buoy in the intense push down the final stretch.
Good Sports Makes Detroit Swims Donation…..David McIsaac from Good Sports, a non-profit that donates brand new apparel, footwear and sport equipment nationwide, confirmed his organization made a $5,000 donation to the Boll Family YMCA earlier this year. Focused on providing equipment for Detroit Swims, the grant funds were provided by Dr. Pepper Snapple, and a total of over $1 million in equipment is estimated to affect over one million kids before this year is through. The group also donated $5,000 to Playworks Michigan and $5,000 to Lansing Parks and Recreation this year, according to McIsaac. “In total, 394 pieces of equipment were donated including 51 pairs of running shoes, 225 pairs of goggles, 20 kickboards, and 60 pairs of shorts. The donation provided the YMCA an opportunity to subsidize more registration fees, increase the number of participants and increase the minutes of play by 120 minutes”, said McIsaac.
