May 1, 2023: This page is not currently being updated.
Please visit our other informational pages. Or scroll down for notes on rowing safety issues of the past three years.
April 10, 2023: In Memoria for Glenn Hayes and Mohammed Ramzan
Glenn Hayes drowned win cold water on this date in 1983 while rowing in a regatta with the University of New Hampshire. He was 19 years old.
Mohammed Ramzan drowned on this date in 2017 while rowing with Northwestern University on a quiet stretch of cold water. His coaching launch was close by but unable to save him. He was 20 years old.
March 28, 2023: In memoria for Derek Nanni and Yaakov Ben-David
On this date one year ago Derek Nanni and Yaakov Ben-David drowned at Iowa State University. They were taken out for their first day learning to row on the water in heavy winds with water temperatures in the low 40’s, no support launch, and not wearing PFDs. Wrongful death lawsuits have been filed on behalf of each of the rowers and their deaths have led to Iowa State University’s recognition of rowing as a “high-risk” sport.
March 23, 2023: Sexual Abuse Allegations
Olympic medalist and rowing coach Ted Nash has been posthumously charged with sexual abuse. USRowing is reportedly investigating the allegations, which fall outside the scope of the Center for SafeSport due to Nash’s death in 2021. Additional information may be found here.
February 8, 2023: Fatal Rowing Accidents Elegy Now on Youtube
The RowSafeUSA elegy to rowers who have died in recent years can now be viewed here on YouTube.
February 6, 2023: USRowing Introduces Incident Reporting System
USRowing’s new on-line incident reporting system may be its most important contribution to rowing safety since the creation of a safety committee forty years ago. The more it is used, the better it will be. Please use it!
February 1, 2023: $2,000,000 Settlement Reported in Wrongful Death Suit
In late December it was reported that a settlement had been reached in the lawsuit brought by the parents of Derek Nanni, who drowned at Iowas State University on March 28th, 2022. “The lawsuit claimed Iowa State was negligent in lacking proper training and emergency communications, as well as failing to provide crew members with life jackets.” [Emphasis added.] A second lawsuit is pending in the death of Yaakov Ben-David, who also drowned in this incident.
January, 2023: RowSafeUSA begins 10th year with new direction
RowSafeUSA was created ten years ago in response to the Cascadilla Boat Club’s safety programs, lax attitudes towards USRowing’s Safety Guidelines, and USRowing’s unwillingness to publish accident data or establish minimum safety standards for student rowers.
For the past ten years the purpose of this website has been to provide objective information on rowing safety issues, collect and disseminate information on rowing accidents, and provide occasional editorial comments. Principal among these editorial opinions have been:
- USRowing has the authority to set minimum safety standards for its members;
- USRowing has both the legal authority and a moral obligation to set minimum safety standards for children and underage minors rowing under its aegis;
- Minimum safety standards for children should include the requirement to wear PFDs under dangerous and life-threatening conditions;
- All rowers would be well-advised to wear lifejackets or PFDs on cold water (50f/10c) or potentially dangerous conditions;
- The failure of coaches and administrators to inform rowers and the parents of underage minors of the risks inherent in rowing and the availability of appropriate safety equipment, e.g., lifejackets and PFDs, is an abrogation of responsibility under the duty of care doctrine.
As USRowing begins to restructure its safety programs and collect accident data, RowSafeUSA will shift its focus to a broader discussion of safety issues. We encourage you to engage in this discussion with friends, coaches, and rowers of all ages.
Keeping the facts in mind, please, row safely, as hard as you like and as fast as you want. Or just for the joy of it.
Marc Messing, Ithaca, NY
December 31, 2022: Remembering those who died
2022 was a year in which no fewer than three rowers died in the United States. They should be remembered.
* Gavin Christman was a thirteen-year-old student learning to row.
* Langston Rodriquez-Sang was a twelve-year-old student learning to row.
* James Addison was fifty-eight years old, a retired naval officer, and an experienced rower.
We are deeply saddened by their loss.
December 29, 2022: In memoriam for Leo Blockley
Leo Blockley drowned on this date in 2000, while training with Oxford University in Spain. His death led to an inquiry into Oxford University’s attempt to coverup the circumstances of the accident, an overturning of the official inquest into his death, the eventual establishment of flotation standards for racing shells, and the Leo Blockley Memorial Campaign website, the forerunner of rowing safety information.
November 21, 2022: Lawsuit filed for negligence in rower’s death
The parents of Yaakov Ben-David filed suit earlier this month for negligence in the death of their son while rowing at Iowa State University in 2021. A related suit in the death of Derek Nanni has reportedly been settled out of court.
November 15, 2022: World Rowing Speaks to Climate Change
Climate Change — i.e., man-made global warming — is profoundly changing all aspects of life on earth. World Rowing addressed some of the ways in which it has already begun to affect the sport of rowing.
November 14, 2022: Safety Issues Unresolved in Florida Deaths
Official autopsy reports for the two young rowers who died following a lightning strike in Florida last month cite water submersion as contributing factors in their deaths — in addition to the lightning strike. These findings leave unresolved the safety issues regarding the duty of care to provide appropriate safety equipment for underage rowers.
October 11, 2022: In Memoriam for Leo Lehner
15-year-old Leo Lehner drowned on this date last year while rowing with his school crew team in Cincinnati.
October 2, 2022: Nikolay Kurmakov drowned on this date in 2020
Two years ago on this date Simmons College rowing coach Nikolay Kurmakov died while sculling on the Charles River in Boston, reportedly of a heart attack.
Since his death two years ago, seven rowers have drowned in the United States.
September 26, 2022: 12-year old Langston Rodriguez-Sane has died from injuries suffered in September 15th Lake Fairview accident
Official accident reports are not yet available.
September 20, 2022: 12-year-old remains hospitalized following lightning strike
A 12-year-old rower remains hospitalized nearly a week after his coxed four capsized following a nearby lightning strike that killed another member of the crew.
The screen shot above shows a lightning strike that occurred while news crews were on the scene of the accident (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpZ4cEbD6M)
September 17, 2022: Former Naval Officer James Addison Drowns while Sculling
James Addison, 58, drowned on the Mohawk River in New York on Saturday morning, September 17th. He was reportedly a retired Naval officer and was found unresponsive not wearing a lifejacket in his overturned shell. His death has been ruled an accidental drowning.
September 17, 2022: Vigil held for young Orlando rowers
The Orlando rowing community held a vigil on Lake Fairview, in Orlando, Florida, following the lightning strike that left one child dead and a second hospitalized in critical condition.
September 15, 2022: Lightning Strikes Middle School Rowers
A coxed four of middle school rowers was apparently struck by lightning — or capsized by a nearby lightning strike — in Orlando, Florida. One rower is missing while another has been hospitalized.
September 10, 2022: High School Rowing Coach Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse
Kirk Shipley, a three-time All-Met coach in metropolitan DC, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two rowers at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md.
August 21, 2022: Remembering Dzmitry Ryshkevich
On this date in 2019, Dzmitry Ryshkevich drowned while practicing at the World Championships. His drowning is particularly noteworthy because there were coaches and professional rescue crews on the water who witnessed his capsizing — but were unable to save him.
August 6, 2022: A man collapses and dies while rowing
In what appears to be a medical incident, a man was seen to collapse suddenly while sculling on the Merrimack River in New Hampshire and then fall into the water. Bystanders witnessing the event brought him to shore and performed CPR but were unable to save him. New Hampshire State Police have not released the name of the man at this time.
June 20, 2022: Yellowstone River Warning
Recent flooding of the Yellowstone River that forced the closing of Yellowstone National Park and caused serious flooding in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho carries with it a warning to rowers elsewhere: global warming is causing dangerous changes in the environment.
News sources have characterized this flooding as extreme, historic, and unprecedented. The US Geologic Survey characterized it as a 1-in-500 year event. The National Park Service called in a one-in-one-thousand-year event. Those are statistical characterizations based on historical records.
Looking forward, rowers should be aware that global warming is causing more frequent, extreme weather conditions that can affect the safety of rowing on many rivers and lakes under a variety of conditions.
June 15, 2022: Remembering John Steve Catilo
John Steve Catilo was twenty years old when he drowned on the Potomac River on this date in 2004 while coaching novices at his high school club. His death led to two changes in USRowing’s written safety policies — although those policies are often treated lightly both by USRowing and many clubs.
John Steve was an experienced rower and strong swimmer who fell from his coaching launch while starting a balky engine. As his launch drifted away and another coach came to help him he surfaced briefly twice and then drowned. The young novices in the boat he was coaching were unable to help him.
Following a lawsuit bought by his parents against USRowing and the Alexandria Crew Club a settlement was reached leading to the recommendation that all coaches wear life jackets or PFDs and safety cords (kill switches) to stop the motors when drivers are not in control.
May 24, 2022; Rowing suspended following fatal accident
All rowing has been suspended indefinitely on lake Rabindra Sarobar following the drownings of Pushan Sadhukan and Souradeep Chatterjee on Saturday, May 21.
The Lake Club, Calcutta Rowing Club (CRC), Bengal Rowing Club (BRC) and West Bengal Rowing Association — in consultation with the Kolkata Police and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Association — all agreed on the suspension until better safety mechanisms can be determined and set in place.
May 21, 2022: Rabindra Sarobar 14-year-old Rowers Drown in India
Two 14-year-0ld rowers drowned on Saturday when their coxed-four was overtaken by a squall on Rabindra Sarobar Lake in the Indian state of West Bengal. They were rowing with a long-established club, unaccompanied by a launch, not wearing PFDs, and unaware their boat had internal floatation when they abandoned it and swam for shore.
April 21, 2022: Man sentenced for killing of boater
33-year-old Jeffrey Joe Hampton has been sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter in the killing of a 14-year-old boater on Lake Palestine, Texas. By his own admission he was driving his bass boat while highly intoxicated at the time of the accident.
The US Coast Guard has reported an increase of approximately 25% in the number of boating accidents and deaths between 2019 and 2020 (the most recent year for which data is available.)
April 10th, 2022: Remembering two young rowers
Glenn Hayes, 19, drowned on this date in 1983. He was rowing in a fund-raising regatta that set out on the Oyster River in New Hampshire under clear skies, but despite warnings of heavy winds that overtook and capsized the boats.
Mohammed Ramzan, 20, drowned on this date in 2017. He was rowing with Northwestern University’s crew team on calm, 40f waters when his oar handle hit him in the face and knocked him from the boat. He was accompanied by a coach who witnessed the accident and dove in after him, but Mohammed couldn’t swim and drowned before he could be reached.
April 1, 2022: $50k for Safety?
A posting on Reddit noted that USRowing’s Board of Directors gave CEO Amanda Kraus a fifty-thousand dollar bonus at its January meeting. Presumably, that is a performance bonus for her first full calendar year as CEO — during which more Americans died rowing than in any previous year on record. The Reddit comments can be found here.
March 28th, 2022: In Memoriam
Derek Nanni, 19, and Yaakov Ben-David, 20, drowned on this date last year while learning to row with Iowa State University’s Crew Club. Their unaccompanied, coxed quad capsized on cold water in high winds. Neither was wearing a PFD of lifejacket. Their deaths have caused the recognition of rowing as a “high-risk” club sport at the University with implications for nationwide safety standard reforms.
March 25th, 2022: Tom Rooks appointed Safety & Well-Being Associate
This past week Tom Rooks assumed his new position as safety director for USRowing’s expanding safety program. Rooks is a long-time rowing coach recently retired from a US Coast Guard career in which he specialized in water safety and rescue. He is an avid proponent of increased rowing safety.
A full description of the new position can be found here.
March 17th, 2022: Covid Is Still a Concern
The emergence of continuing corona virus variants and growing knowledge of long-term Covid-19 effects strongly suggests that rowers remain vigilant about pandemic precautions. In December the CDC warned of the potential rise in infections from the omicron variant and that seems to be playing out both here and in Europe. The demographics of infection are also changing as well as our understanding of long-term effects — even among the vaccinated and asymptomatic.
March 10th, 2022: ISU Recognition of Crew as “High Risk”
Following the deaths of Derek Nanni and Yaakov Ben-David last March, Iowa State University has defined rowing as a “high risk” club activity. That recognition should reverberate through other scholastic programs from middle schools through colleges and universities. In today’s press release the University proposed recommendations that “will reduce the number of high-risk clubs and implement other changes to improve student safety.” It expects to have new club rules in effect this fall.
Beyond the Boat — An Editorial
Beyond the world of rowing it is important that we not lose sight of the world around us. It is the policy of RowSafeUSA to focus squarely on the physical issues of rowing safety. In recent years the accelerating effects of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have justified comments on those issues as they relate to rowing safety.
The invasion of Ukraine is similar. Unless the conflict is resolved more quickly than most analysts expect, fuel prices will quickly rise significantly. Increases in food prices will follow. And there will be societal disruptions that add stress to the lives of many rowers in unforeseeable ways.
Rowing provides us with a respite from these issues, but it should’t isolate us from them. The sport of rowing – and the privilege we all enjoy in being able to row – exists in a larger world of inherent inequities, changing climate, and growing conflicts. It is important that we keep informed, involved in the world around us, and sensitive to the lives of others not only in our boat, our team, and our club, but the world around us.
March 5th — In Memorium
Coach John Hooton, age sixty-six, drowned on this date in 2018. He was a swim coach as well as a rowing coach and was rowing with another single when he fell from his shell on Lake Natoma in California. Newspaper accounts reported that the water was cold and he was not wearing a PFD.
February 28th, 2022: USRowing Safety Associate
On February 15th USRowing announced a job-opening for a Safety and Well-Being Associate who would be responsible for a wide range of safety and safe-sport activities.
February 23rd — In Memorium
On February 23rd, 1976, Columbia University sophomore Stephen Abbey drowned when his eight capsized close to shore during training. Abbey’s boat had left the dock ahead of the launch with instructions to turn around at a pre-determined point and wait for the launch it if hadn’t caught up to them by then. As the coach struggled to start a balky motor the eight capsized in heavy waves as it tried to turn around. The water temperature was 35f…
February 18, 2022: Rowing for Charity
Charismatic British Olympic Gold Medalist (in synchronized diving), Tom Daley completed a grueling four-day athletic challenge for charity. In a story posted by British Rowing he can see smiling broadly in Swift single wearing a foam PFD as he trained with British Rowing Coach Nicola Benavente, and an inflatable PFD as he rowed a six-mile stretch on the Thames. (Copyright pictures of “Tom Daley Rowing” are available on internet.) He was later met by Sir Steve Redgrave at the GB Training center.
He did, incidentally, find the rowing segment of his challenge technically challenging and capsized on the Thames, which is currently about 4C/40F. He was, at the same time, closely followed by technical rescue crews and quickly helped back into his boat.
February 14, 2022: webinar correction
The February 2nd item (below) should be clarified. The Webinar was not about USRowing’s Expectations, per se, but was intended as a discussion of safety considerations by the Safety Committee.
February 2, 2022: USRowing Safety Webinar
USRowing held a webinar with members of its Safety Committee going over its current safety “Expectations.” The “Expectations” — a term USRowing has adopted in lieu of minimum standards — reflect growing concerns over rowing safety and emphasized three issues: 1) need for an improved culture of safety in rowing, 2) the use of PFDs for juniors, 3) and greater attention to rescue practices.
Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to rise throughout the world, including in the United States. While rowing, cycling, and other outdoor sports are relatively safe in terms of Covid transmission, the group activities associated with them remain a source of public health concern. Focussing on the ebb and flow of Covid-variants should not obscure the fact that more than 800,000 Americans have died from Covid-19 in the past two years and this number could surpass 1,000,000 by the end of the year. The end is not yet in sight.
January 28, 2022: USRowing CEO awarded bonus
USRowing’s Board of Directors gave CEO Amanda Kraus a fifty-thousand dollar bonus at its January meeting. This follows a year in which four rowers died in three separate accidents.
January 27, 2022: Covid Remains a Public Health Concern
As rowers look forward to a new rowing season we should be aware that rapid viral mutation and transmission, like increasingly unstable and severe weather, are part of our changing world. Rowing safety requires adjusting to these realities.
January 26, 2022: Death on the Atlantic
Rowing-in-Europe.Com reports that Jean-Jacques Savin has died after celebrated his 75th birthday while attempting to row solo across the Atlantic. His body was found in the cabin of his boat several days after distress signals were sent out. (Photo credit: Portugese Maritime via Rowing-in-Europe).
January 13: In Memorium
On this date in 2021 Stephen Crouch drowned on the St. Lucie River in Florida. He was seventy-one years old.
January 1, 2022: A New Year Begins
December 12, 2021: Kentucky Tornadoes Reflect Changing Climate
The tornadoes that tore more than a 200 mile path through the central plains states on Friday and Saturday, with winds reaching 300 mph and killing scores of people, were another harbinger of a changing climate. Although it remains problematic to link specific weather events to global warming, rowers should be aware that rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures are will increase both the suddenness and severity of storms and squalls. Because rowing shells are particularly vulnerable to waves and winds, extra precautions should always be taken in response to any forecast of potential storm activities.
December 1, 2021: Walt Whitman HS Sexual Abuse Charges Revealed
The Washington Post has a front page story this morning detailing the complaints against long-time high school rowing coach Kirk Shipley that led to his arrest in August. He was arrested on sexual abuse charges resulting from a letter by seven female members of the Walt Whitman High School rowing team. This morning’s story by reporter Lizzie Johnson outlines the circumstances leading to Kirk’s arrest, including his long-time winning record with teams regularly medalling at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, his All-Met Coach of the Year honors, and the renewal of his $45,500 coaching contract following previous investigations into his coaching behavior by the crew team’s parents’ advisory board.
November 29, 2021: USRowing Convention begins one week from today
USRowing’s 2021 Annual Convention, rebranded ROWCON21, will be a virtual event beginning one week from today, on Monday, December 6th. Details and registration information are available here.
November 3, 2021: Official Report of 2019 Limerick Drowning Released
On 23 February, 2019, a coxed quad accompanied by a coach in a Safety Launch capsized in Ireland, trapping a 12-year old beneath the boat. She was rescued by a Fire and Rescue team that was training nearby at the time of the accident and revived with CPR but suffered permanent injuries. The full report of the Irish Marine Casualty Investigation Board is available here.
October 26, 2021; Severe Thunderstorms Threaten Rowers in Midwest and Southern US
Following completion of the HOCR races on Sunday a southern storm is heading toward eastern Massachusetts with winds projected to be around 60 mph and three-foot storm surges along the coast. These are volatile weather conditions that may threaten rowers.
October 25, 2021; Record-Breaking Weather Continues in US
As the Head of the Charles was finishing its rowing in Boston on Sunday, one of the strongest storms in recorded history was hitting San Francisco and Sacramento with record wind speeds (>110 mph) and rainfalls. In Sacramento a staggering one-day rainfall of more than five inches followed more than 200 days without measurable rain and broke the monthly record for rainfall in the city. This is a harbinger of increasingly dangerous weather conditions that rowers must take seriously.
October 24, 2021; US Rowing Deaths surpass Whitewater Kayaking Deaths
The four rowing fatalities that have occurred so far this year outnumbers the whitewater kayaking fatalities that have been recorded in the US. AmericanWhitewater, which has maintained an active safety program and accident database since the 1970s, has recorded three whitewater kayaking deaths this year, including one attributed to a health problem. Since 2011 they have recorded twenty-nine such deaths, including kayakers trapped by strainers, caught in dam hydraulics, and suffering fatal traumatic injuries.
October 21, 2021; ISU categorizes rowing as a “higher risk” activity
Two independent investigations commissioned by Iowa State University have both “concluded that the university failed to clearly define roles and responsibilities for effective oversight of sport clubs, especially for higher risk activities such as the Crew Club.” [Italics added]. In its press release the University announced that “Crew Club activities will be suspended at least for the 2021-2022 academy year” pending further decisions by the University. The report of the U.S. Council For Athletes’ Health: Independent Investigation Report is available here. The report of the University’s internal committee reviewing the accident is available here.
October 18, 2021: Leo Lehner’s Death
Leo Lehner, age 15, was buried on Monday, October 18th, marking the fourth time this year a US rower was laid to rest following a rowing accident. Leo was said to have loved rowing passionately and to have had a personal goal for himself of setting his high school’s all time record for community service. To honor his goal we are including a link here where you can contribute community service hours on his behalf.
October 11, 2021; Young Rower Drowns in Ohio
Leo Lehner, age 15, drowned after apparently suffering a seizure while rowing with his team in Dayton, Ohio. According to the Dayton Daily News Leo’s father told police that Leo “had a long history of epilepsy and had seizures ‘during his most calm moments.‘” He reportedly was not wearing a lifejacket or PFD.
October 3, 2021: US Covid-19 Deaths surpass 700,000
More than 43,000,000 cases of Covid-19 have occurred in the United States since the disease was first reported in January, 2020, 700,000 people have died and the disease is still not under control. To curtail the continuing pandemic it is important that everyone, including rowers in club and team activities, be vaccinated and continue to practice social distancing and other CDC recommended Covid-19 protection measures.
October 1, 2021: Tornado brushes rowers
The BBC has reported that a Waterspout (tornado occurring over water) briefly hit the port city of Kiel, Germany, destroying a rowing shell (and several other boats) and throwing the rowers into the water. Reddit contributor NillaEnthusiast added that the rowers had just gotten into their eight and were still at the docks when the waterspout hit them, aiding in prompt rescue. Several were apparently hospitalized.
This may be viewed as a “freak accident;” it is also an example of the extreme weather events becoming more common as a consequence of global warming.
September 30, 2021: Coach sued following student death
A wrongful death suit has been filed against a UCSD rowing coach following the suicide of student rower in January. The coach is accused of “subjecting collegiate athletes to pervasive bullying and verbal abuse,” leading or contributing to the death of a freshman triathlete described as “a powerhouse endurance athlete with no previous history of mental illness.” [Source: San Diego Union-Tribune]
September 14, 2021: ISU suspends rowing
Iowa State University has released a preliminary summary of two
investigations conducted for the University into the rowing accident
that led to the deaths of Derek Nanni and Yaakov Ben-David.
The summary acknowledged “an inadequate level of health and safety
oversight, training, and support for the Crew Club and other higher risk
sports clubs.”
The University has suspended all Crew Club activities for the 2021-2022 academic year while working to implement recommendations of the investigations. It indicated a full report will be released “after appropriate student-privacy measures have been applied” and that a more complete action plan will be completed by January 31, 2022.
9/11 Remembrance
On September 11th, 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center were struct by terrorists. 2,996 people were killed. Untold numbers of survivors and first responders have since died or are currently living with the health effects of the dust clouds and debris inhaled in the aftermath of the attack.
Less known, perhaps, is the water rescue that occurred that day.
“Calling all boats. All available boats. This is the United States Coast Guard. Anyone wanting to help with evacuations of Lower Manhattan report to Governors Island.”
Like the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, commercial boats and private boats of all sorts responded to the call. The Coast Guard estimated that 500,000 people were successfully evacuated by boat from Manhattan that day. [from Vice News; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyS-tYoOj6g]
August 24, 2021: Rowing Coach Arrested
The Washington Post has reported that “a longtime coach at a community rowing club was arrested… and charged with engaging in an illegal relationship with a teenage student who had been on the crew team.”
July 25, 2021: Weather Disrupts Olympic Rowing
The predicted weather effects of global warming again disrupted scheduled Olympic rowing events, potentially “bring(ing) high winds and strong gusts creating unequal and potentially unrowable racing conditions.” https://news.yahoo.com/olympics-rowing-organisers-delay-more-055142544.html
July 23, 2021: First Responder Olympic Athletes
As the games of the XXXII Modern Olympics begin in Tokyo we would like to recognize several first responders — firefighters and emergency medical technicians — who have represented the USA as Olympic athletes in recent years and thank EMS1.Com for bringing these people to our attention.
Lea Ann Parsley, Professional Firefighter, 2002 Olympic Skeleton Sled
Jimmy Watkins, Professional Firefighter, 2012 Olympic Sprint Cycling
Lovie Jung, Professional Firefighter/Paramedic, 2010 Olympic Softball
Cathy Marino, Professional Firefighter, 1988 & 1992 Olympic Kayaker
Casey Wickline, Professional Firefighter, 2018 Olympic Bobsled
Ian Rawn, Volunteer Firefighter, 2017 Special Olympics Figure Skater
[credit: Rachel Engel, EMS1.Com https://www.ems1.com/olympics/articles/7-olympic-athletes-who-are-current-or-former-first-responders-QwgqYnL8n9htWoJ7/?utm_source=EMS1&utm_campaign=4b30bb4940-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_07_23_05_39&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_13aebf8568-4b30bb4940-89688436 ]
July 19, 2021: Covid-19 Continues to Spread in Tokyo Olympics
Despite all precautions taken and the Covid-19 state of emergency declared in Japan, the virus has infiltrated the Olympic Games. As reported by the New York Times, “On Saturday, officials reported the first positive test — for an organizer — inside the village, where thousands of people will be staying. On Sunday, they reported that two athletes had tested positive inside the village. A third athlete tested positive while in quarantine. Other cases were reported outside the village this weekend, involving officials, contractors and members of the news media.”https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/18/world/olympics-covid.html
July 18, 2021: US Tennis Player withdraws from Olympics with Covid-19
Coco Gauff, a seventeen-year-old American Tennis player, announced that she has tested positive for Covid-19 and is withdrawing from the Olympic Games. https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/07/18/coco-gauff-withdraws-tokyo-olympics-positive-covid-test-tennis
July 17, 2021: First Covid-19 case infection reported at Tokyo Olympics
The first case of Covid-19 at the Tokyo Olympics has been reported in a “games-concerned personnel.” https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/1st-covid-19-case-confirmed-tokyo-olympic-village/story?id=78901974
July 11, 2021: Olympic Athlete Safety vs. Olympic Revenue
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Mike Wise has written about the balancing act between athlete safety and the increasing amounts of money — both public and corporate — vested in nominally amateur athletics. https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/07/18/coco-gauff-withdraws-tokyo-olympics-positive-covid-test-tennis
June 26, 2021: Condo Collapse Reveals Safety Risk Analysis
The catastrophic collapse of a condominium Florida reveals the cost, in this particular case, of ignoring the identification of known risks. Several years before the accident that has claimed more than one hundred lives, engineering analysis had documented the potential risk of building collapse and decisions were made to defer corrective actions. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/engineer-warned-major-structural-damage-years-florida-condo-collapsed-n1272445
June 7, 2021: Disinfecting PFDs for Covid-19
With the cold-water/PFD season behind us for most of the US, the international Life Jacket Association has updated its guidance for cleaning, disinfecting, and storing PFDs. This in turn follows a recent brief by CDC on Covid-19 transmission. As in the past, the emphasis for Covid-19 containment is on regular handwashing and social distancing in outdoor environments and the emphasis in regard to PFD maintenance refers users back to manufacturers’ instructions.
June 1, 2021: Another Cautionary Note About COVID19
A new study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association “found that removing NPIs while vaccines were distributed resulted in substantial increases in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.” NPIs are non-pharmaceutical interventions — in other words, masks and social distancing. This is a cautionary note as we resume pre-COVID19 rowing and social interactions.
May 21, 2021: An encouraging COVID trend
The following chart is one of the first, solidly encouraging signs of the US getting a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 18, 2021: Tokyo Doctors Concerned about Olympics
“A top medical organisation in Japan has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Summer Games.” See the story here. The issue is of concern not only due to the current situation in Japan, but because of continuing concerns about the spread of infections and mutations in India and China.
May 16, 2021: Olympics proceeding despite protests and concerns
Olympic officials continue to make preparations despite protests and concerns about further Covid-19 outbreaks that could complicate the games, according to CNN Sports.
May 14, 2021: It’s OK to Row (for now)
NBC is reporting, along with other news outlets, that “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said masks and social distancing are no longer necessary for people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.” The CDC pages verifying this are hard to find, but we trust the multiple news outlets that CDC recognizes that outdoor activities for people who have been fully vaccinated should be Covid-safe.
What’s next? The prognosis is promising but still uncertain. This milestone reflects a significant accomplishment for modern medicine and, belatedly, functional government. It is unlikely, however, to be the end of the story. The darkest clouds on the horizon are the India, Africa, and South America, where mutations of the virus will continue to emerge for sometime among large, unvaccinated populations. We are hopeful that vaccine modifications for Covid-19 will keep pace with these mutations and public health precautions will resemble flu precautions by the fall or next spring.
May 12, 2021: Remembering Doug Melvin
Hear the Boat Sing has a very nice remembrance of Doug Melvin, a rower’s rower and gentleman who died at the age of 92. It’s worth reading. (HearTheBoatSing.Com)
May 7, 2021: Tokyo Emergency Declaration
“Japan announced that it would expand and extend a state of emergency in Tokyo through May 31 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This decision comes a little less than three months from when the Olympic Games are scheduled to begin,” according to CBS Sports News.
May 6, 2021: Dutch Eight Goes for a Swim
It has been reported that the Dutch National Team took on more water than planned and had to abandon ship. All rowers safe, apparently no damage to the boat; only perhaps, to the egos.
As one person commented on Reddit/rowing “I love the sight of these giant men in bow fruitlessly bailing water with their hands; I can feel their disgust at the idea of going for a swim. A little water in the boat on a rough day is never an issue so it doesn’t register right away, and when they start to bail you can tell they already know its too little too late, and its just a matter of time before they’re swimming.
“It’s just like those slow motion flips in small boats where you have just enough time to go through all seven stages of grief and accept your fate.”
April 14, 2021: More boating deaths without Life Jackets
“Pennsylvania’s boating accident reports reveal a sad, yet preventable, trend. In 2020, there were 11 boating-related deaths across the state. None of the individuals who lost their lives were wearing a life jacket. Already in 2021, three unfortunate fatal boating incidents have occurred — all on private ponds without life jackets onboard—proving that tragedy can strike in your own backyard. Many of these deaths could have been prevented by simply wearing a life jacket.” [ https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/fish-and-boat-commission-details.aspx?newsid=380 ]
April 14, 2021: One in a million chance of serious side effects
Six people have had serious side effects and one person has died among the seven million people who have received the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccination. As a consequence, the vaccines have been suspended pending a thorough investigation. There has been no pause in rowing activities following the death of two rowers at Iowa State University. This is not to make light of either situation or suggest a precise analogy; only to draw attention to the nature of low probability/high risk events, and the importance of thoroughly investigating fatal accidents regardless of how infrequent they may be.
April 13, 2021: USRowing launches harassment investigation
As reported by The Mercury News, “The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has hired a law firm to launch an independent investigation into questions surrounding the U.S. rowing program based in Oakland, according to letters to the athletes obtained by the Bay Area News Group.” [ https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/12/u-s-rowing-program-in-oakland-under-review-for-culture-of-fear-and-distrust-as-tokyo-games-draw-near/ ]
April 9, 2021: USRowing denies investigating ISU drowning accident
USRowing has denied that a it will be conducting an internal investigation of the ISU accident in a phone conversation with RowSafeUSA, but allowed that it might pursue an investigation by an independent party. [Note: In a letter dated April 7th, RowSafeUSA criticized the publicized announcement of April 1st, saying that it would represent a conflict of interest given the questions of safety procedures recommended by USRowing.]
April 1, 2021: USRowing to conduct investigation of ISU drownings
Several news outlets have carried a story announcing that USRowing would conduct an investigation of the ISU drownings. [Note: USRowing subsequently denied this, but left the door open for an independent investigation.]
March 29 2021: Two Iowa State University Rowers Drown
Two members of the Iowa State University Crew Club drowned after their coxed quad capsized on a small lake in central Iowa. (More information on the Accidents page)
March 6, 2021: Dramatic video of Cold Shock Drowning
On February 24th a surveillance camera captured dramatic footage clearly showing the instantaneous incapacitation that can result from cold shock.
Below the video is an annotated timeline.
Second 02: The dog falls through the ice. It does not surface! The water stills.
Second 06: A small motion can be seen momentarily on the water surface. At the same moment, the dog’s owner can be seen entering the screen on the right.
Second 12: The dog’s owner jumps in where the dog fell through the ice, doesn’t see it and begins feeling for it under the ice.
Second 32: The owner abandons the search and runs to get help (or call 911).
Second 36: The owner glances back, sees a dark form under the ice and returns to retrieve it.
Second 46: The owner gets hold of the dog and begins lifting it out.
Second 48: The dog’s head is lifted above the water. Approximately 46 seconds have passed since the dog fell through the ice.
Second 56: The dog is carried poolside and lain down in the snow. It appears to be lifeless and not breathing.
Second 67: The owner lifts the limp body of the dog and carries it inside where he resumes breathing and slowly revives.
In a subsequent interview (see link below) the owner provides her own commentary on the event. She noticed the dog, she recounts, when he floated up towards the surface beneath the ice (second 36). She said nothing about the dog struggling or trying to swim; only that it floated towards the surface. This implies both that the dog was fully incapacitated and that it had significant air in its lungs. (With little or no air in his lungs he might not have floated towards the surface. With air in his lungs oxygen exchange could have continued.) At the point where she carries him poolside (Second 56) she says didn’t know if he was breathing or if he had died. “All I could think of was that he had to get warm.” By the time she laid him by the fireplace she noticed he was breathing. A neighbor who joined them noticed that the dog’s gums and tongue were purple, indicating that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen and was going into shock. (This would be the systemic shock of post rescue collapse, as distinct from the cold shock of initial cold water submersion).
This video is extraordinary illustration of how sudden immersion in cold water can lead to virtually instantaneous incapacitation and death within moments. It also illustrates another important aspect of drownings: the victim’s body was not found where it entered the water. In this case it was located several feet from where it went through the ice. Rescuers trying to recover drowning victims are often unable to locate them even when they witness the accident and see them going under water.
Fortunately, in this case, the owner’s quick reaction, ability to get the victim’s head above water in less than a minute, and to begin warming moments later, resulted in a life saved.
Here’s her commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-GskD7Q-KE
March 4, 2021: ACRA Cancels 2021 Championships
“The Board of the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship has announced that the 2021 Championship, which was to be held May 21-23 in Oak Ridge TN, has been canceled,” according to Row2k.
March 3, 2021: 320,000 new powerboats are on the water
The National Marine Manufacturer’s Association reported the sale of nearly 320,000 new powerboats in 2020, with sales up forty percent in the last quarter of the year. This included fishing boats, runabouts, wake boats, jet boats, and yachts. https://www.nmma.org/press/article/23570
Rowers should expect increased traffic in the coming year and remember that training or licensing for motor boat operators is minimal in most states and non-existent in others.
February 26, 2021: USR CEO Amanda Kraus closes the door to members
In a reversal of a policy implemented by USR’s previous CEO, Patrick McNerney, new CEO Amanda Kraus has closed the door to members observing USRowing Board Meetings. Throughout McNerney’s tenure members were welcome to sit in on Board Meetings, and on occasion, invited to speak. Despite the “remote” conferencing of March’s Board meeting over Zoom, in which it would be easy to mute observers microphones and close the meetings for executive sessions, the decision was made to exclude member observations.
February 17, 2021: … And now for something completely different
A video trending on YouTube seems to run contrary to the cautionary advice offered on this site. The video is funny, fascinating, and raises an important question we’ve been unable to answer: what is the differential mechanism that triggers cold shock in some instances of sudden cold-water immersion and not in others. Here’s the video for your amusement and interest:
This example notwithstanding, rowers are advised to wear PFDs on cold water.
February 15, 2021: Declining Sports Participation
A new report on participation in youth sports found a surprising disinterest among teenagers in resuming sports they had previously played. This was distinct from a decline in participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “
“Having three in 10 kids who previously played sports no longer interested should be a major red flag for the youth sports ecosystem… That’s a frightening number for the viability of the youth sports system, but also for the health outcomes coming down the pipeline for kids.”
Crew was not among the sports surveyed; its participation was already significantly below the twenty-one sports included.
February 11, 2021: President of Olympic Organizing Committee Resigns
Four weeks after reports emerged from Japan regarding the country’s apprehensions about hosting the summer Olympics if COVID-19 is not better controlled, the President of the Olympic Organizing Committee, Yoshiro Mori, has resigned following offensive sexist remarks.
February 8, 2021: The Rowing Rescue Handbook is now available in print
The Rowing Rescue Handbook is designed to help you with the most critical actions when serious accidents occurs. It is printed on waterproof paper, opens easily, and fits comfortably in your pocket, first aid kit, or PFD. https://rowsafeusa.org/rowing-safety-handbook/
February 4, 2021: COVID-19 continues to be major rowing safety concern
“The United States and many parts of the world have now lost control of the Covid-19 pandemic owing to the respiratory spread of SARS-CoV-2 and to inconsistent adherence to effective public health measures, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 are frequently asymptomatic, yet they have high respiratory viral loads, and they are major purveyors of viral spread. These factors have led to the current explosion of Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths, with Covid-19 now a major cause of death in the United States. Our only hope is safe and effective vaccines that can be widely deployed to provide herd immunity that can control viral spread.” [Haynes, Barton F., “A new Vaccine to Battle Covid 19,” New England Journal of Medicine, 4 February 2021, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2035557?query=TOC ]
January 27, 2021: Boating Accidents and Fatalities are Rising
Boating fatalities increased substantially in both Tennessee and Louisiana, two of the first states to report accident statistics for 2020.
Following a slight improvement in boating accident statistics and a decrease in boating fatalities in 2019, preliminary evidence from Louisiana and Tennessee show increases of 20 and 30 percent from the previous year. In Tennessee this represented the most boating fatalities since 1983. In both states the increased number of boating accident fatalities was attributed to increases in boating activities; and in both state alcohol was the single largest contributing factor. The matter is of particular concern to rowers insofar as the principal causes of boating collisions, in addition to alcohol and drugs, are “operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, and excessive speed.” The principal cause of death reported by the Coast Guard remains — overwhelmingly — drowning in the absence of a PFD.
January 19, 2021: Stephen Crouch drowned rowing a single in Florida.
Stephen Crouch, 71, was reportedly a skilled and knowledgeable rower. His boat was found upright with the oars in it and his body recovered several days later.
January 14, 2021: Covid-19 continues to be dominant concern for everyone
“The U.S. averaged 244,519 new cases per day over the past week, a 13% jump from the week before” (“Axios Vitals,” Caitlin Owens, Axios.Com, 14 Jan 2021). The confirmed death rate in the United States is now over 3,300 deaths per day, well above that of other countries.
January 13, 2021
COVID-19 remains the foremost rowing safety concern as we head into the new year. In addition to the record breaking numbers of infections and deaths in the United States and their impacts on emergency medical services, concerns continue to grow regarding the new variants that are emerging. This past week Britain imposed its most stringent lockdown since last March due to concerns about the highly contagious new variant (with twenty mutations) circulating in England and already detected in United States.
January 10, 2021: Summer Olympics may be affected by COVID-19
The summer Olympic Games may be in doubt. The 2020 Olympics scheduled to begin in Japan on July 23rd now appear to be opposed by most Japanese citizens. USA Today has reported that a recent poll conducted by the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation indicated one-third of Japanese citizens now favor cancelling the games and another fifty percent favor postponing them due to concerns over COVID-19. [USA Today, 8 January 2021, 9:28am]
January 6, 2021: The United States continues to lead in Covid-19 infections
3,964 new COVID-19 deaths were reported in the US on Wednesday, January 6th, along with 255,000 new cases.
COVID-19 remains a serious safety risk for rowers as the United States continues to have one of the highest numbers of confirmed deaths, the highest number of confirmed cases, and the highest numbers of cases and deaths per capita, among the countries of the world.
At the same time the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate; it has become apparent that it can infect people of all ages, including healthy young adults; and there may be long-term cognitive effects from even mild infections.
It is not clear what this means for rowing competitions in the coming year.
November 23, 2020
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches public health officials continue to express concern about the spread of COVID-19 through the return of college students for family gatherings. More than 12,000,000 cases and 257,000 deaths have now been reported in the United States.
November 5, 2020
COVID-19 remains a serious safety concern with college campuses currently one of the loci of new infections.
November 1, 2020
Amanda Kraus, former CEO of Row New York, officially assumes responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer of USRowing today, on November 1st. More information is available from USRowing at https://usrowing.org/news/2020/8/24/general-amanda-kraus-named-as-usrowings-chief-executive-officer.aspx, and an interview with her is available on Row2k’s website at https://www.row2k.com/features/5195/Interview-with-Amanda-Kraus–Incoming-USRowing-CEO/
October 2, 2020
Simmons College rowing coach Nikolay Kurmakov reportedly died of a heart attack while sculling on the Charles River in Boston. Coach Kurmakov was 68 years old and a former Ukrainian rowing champion.
August 30, 2o20
At the end of August COVID-19 continues to dominate important rowing news. Confirmed cases in the US now exceed six million (6,000,000) and more than 185,000 Americans have died from the infection. There is no evidence that the virus is waning or under control in the United States at this time and there is concern that it may become more widespread or difficult to detect as the influenza season begins. The symptoms of the two diseases are often indistinguishable.
August 24, 2020
USRowing has announced the selection of Amanda Kraus to be Chief Executive Officer, to assume responsibilities as of November 1st. She is the founder and current CEO of Row New York.
July 27, 2020
At least twelve members of the US National Rowing Team contracted COVID-19 at the NJ training center in March. As Olympic gold medalist Emily Regan was quoted in an article published by the New York Times “the narrative that has been going around in some places is that you won’t get the virus if you’re young and strong, or if you get it, it won’t be bad, but we’re perfect examples of how that is totally not true… Look what the virus still did to us. It knocked us down pretty hard.”
Although the cases were categorized as mild by the team doctor, and the athletes were all world class competitors with outstanding lung capacity and efficiency, some athletes were still dealing with complications more than forty days after the onset of the disease and still trying to get back in competitive shape more than three months later.
July 4, 2020
Restrictions on rowing and other social activities were largely lifted during the month of June — against the cautionary advice of virologists and epidemiologists — and by July 1st COVID-19 infections had again surged, as predicted by scientists and medical professionals.
One of the most significant characteristics of this resurgence has been the increased infection rate among people in their twenties. (For additional information see our COVID-19 page)
June 1, 2020
Restrictions on social activities related to COVID-19 has now shifted to the states. A comprehensive, state-by-state, compendium of state executive orders and restrictions, is available at the Council of State Governments (https://web.csg.org/covid19/).
May 13, 2020
British Rowing today released the following guidance for its affiliates:
“Given further clarification of the UK Government’s advice, we advise that Affiliated Clubs may, if they wish/are able to, allow members to use club/shared boats (in addition to private boats) from their facilities subject to:
- having a club plan in place to support safe access to and use of equipment (e.g. boats/blades). This must follow all relevant Government guidance including hygiene and social distancing; and,
- continuing to follow all relevant UK Government and/or waterway authority restrictions.
“British Rowing is pleased that restrictions are starting to be lifted to allow people back on the water but we believe all rowers and clubs must act in both the spirit and to the letter of the Government guidance to protect the health of the rowing community, other rivers users and the wider public.
“It’s important to remember that this is not at all a return to normal operations or club activities – only the absolute minimum necessary areas of clubs should be opened and only to facilitate access to boats and equipment…”
May 6, 2020
It is currently believed that there are two dominant strains of the SARs-CoV-2 virus circulating and the BBC is reporting that “Researchers in the US and UK have identified hundreds of mutations to the virus which causes the disease Covid-19… The question is: which of these mutations actually do anything to change the severity or infectiousness of the disease?… Preliminary research from the US has suggested one particular mutation – D614G – is becoming dominant and could make the disease more infectious, and perhaps more severe.”
The ability of viruses to mutate — quickly — is one of the reasons medical professionals are cautioning about premature reopening of the US economy and resumption of normal activities.
May 4, 2020
Bloomberg News is reporting that blood clotting may be one of the effects of COVID-19 that could explain the variety of symptoms being seen, including both swift deaths in otherwise healthy people and the delayed appearance of symptoms in others; findings that Dr. Anthony Fauci is calling both “puzzling” and “enlightening.”
May 1, 2020
Approximately thirty states have begun relaxing COVID-19 restrictions, which now vary widely from state to state. At the same time, medical experts continue to warn about the likelihood of the viral threat continuing into the fall and beyond, and cautioned that resuming activities without appropriate precautions involves “really significant risk.”
April 30, 2020
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US: 1,004,000. Confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the US: 60,966.
April 27, 2020
COVID-19 is likely to continue at least through the summer and fall according to several reports issued this past week. (For more details see our Pages “COVID-19” and “When Can We Row?”)
As many Americans have died from COVID-19 in the past five weeks (54,876) as were killed in combat at the height of the Vietnam War from 1965-1970.
April 25, 2020
The World Health Organization has warned “There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” in a statement issued April 24.
April 21, 2020
“USRowing Northwest Masters Regional Championships and the USRowing Southeast Masters Regional Championships scheduled for the weekend of June 26-28, 2020… All USRowing regattas through June 30 (with the exception of the virtual events) have been cancelled.” [USRowing] Events scheduled for July and later remain on the schedule.
April 22, 2020
New data indicates COVID-19 testing for the past month has been level at about 146,000 tests/day.
This is substantially below the rate of 500-700,000 tests per day estimated by Harvard University’s Global Health Initiative to be needed to reopen the country by mid-May.
At this rate it would take the United States more than six years to complete COVID-19 testing of the entire population.
April 20, 2020
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 related cases in the United States continues to grow. We are generally reporting the numbers from OurWorldinData [ https://ourworldindata.org ] which appear to be drawn from the European CDC. At this time the European CDC is reporting 42,539 deaths in the US. The US CDC is reporting 39,063 deaths (of which more than 4,000 are “probable.”) Johns Hopkins University is reporting 42,458 deaths in the US. All of thee numbers are subject to revision and it is recognized that COVID-19 deaths may be unreported when they are attributed to other respiratory or heart conditions without testing for COVID-19.
April 17, 2020
The European CDC today reported a sharp increase in confirmed US COVID-19 deaths, indicating a slightly greater number than confirmed by US CDC. (Such discrepancies, it should be noted, are common among WHO, CDC, ECDC, and Johns Hopkins, all of which have been tracking the data).
April 16, 2020
President Trump abandoned his claim of “absolute authority” regarding re-opening the economy on May 1st and instead offered non-binding guidelines for states make decisions regarding social distancing and economic activity. The CDC reported more than 630,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 27,000 deaths.
- 632,548 (632,220 confirmed; 348 probable)
- Total deaths: 27,012 (22,871 confirmed; 4,141 probable)
[source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html ]
April 14, 2020
Today the CDC has reported that more than 500,000 Americans have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 22,000 have died. The director of CDC reiterated in an interview on NBC News that much is still unknown about the virus and it “is very likely to come back very significantly in the next coronavirus season, which will happen next December, January, February.”
April 12, 2020
April 10, 2020
New data released by the CDC illustrates the increasing number of deaths from COVID-19 in comparison with the number of deaths from pneumonia and influenza.
April 9, 2020
FISA has cancelled remaining 2020 events:
1. The 2020 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Junior Championships have been cancelled and will not be re-scheduled.
2. The 2020 World Rowing Masters Regatta has been cancelled on the planned dates iand will be staged as the 2021 World Rowing Masters Regatta in September
3. The 2020 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and Coastal Championships regattas have been cancelled and will be staged in October
4. The 2020 World Rowing Tour in American Samoa has been cancelled and may be rescheduled in 2021 if possible.
——
As US deaths from COVID-19 approach 15,000 and projections about the number of future illnesses and deaths vary widely, comments by Dr. Janis Orlowski, Chief Health Medical Officer of the Association of America Medical Colleges, is worth noting.
“I believe that we’re going to return to a semi-normal life at the end of May — Memorial Day,” Dr. Janis Orlowski, told POLITICO Magazine. “But the other thing that I would say is that we have to prepare ourselves to go through a similar exercise in the fall, in the late fall. If you take a look at the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, we are (probably) going to go through this again.”
April 7, 2020
Reported COVID-19 deaths exceed 10,500. News reports suggest undercounting as a result of varying state procedures for reporting.
Source: The New York Times Updated April 7, 2020, 2:57 A.M. E.T.
April 2, 2020
Willie Black announced to USRowing’s Safety Committee last week that he would be leaving as of April 1st. It is a great loss to USRowing.
For anyone with questions about safety policies, Willie has been the person to go to for as many years as most of us can remember. He wrote and directed the Safety Videos, and wore several hats at USRowing, as Coaching Development Manager, Video Broadcaster, and Safety Committee Liaison. Just as importantly, he was always professional, gracious, and knowledgeable.
With cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, national events, and USRowing dues off by more than 75% in March ( https://usrowing.org/news/2020/4/1/general-amessage-from-usrowing.aspx ), staff cutbacks have been inevitable. The loss of Willie Black will be one we feel the most, and we wish him all the best going forward.
March 31, 2020
“The coronavirus death toll in the United States has exceeded 3,000, according to state and county health agencies … Health officials have warned that the virus could kill as many as 200,000 people in America, even ‘if we do things … almost perfectly.’ “[1]
[1] Noack, Rick, et al., “Live updates: More people have died in the U.S. from the coronavirus than in the 9/11 attacks,” Washington Post, 31 March 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/31/coronavirus-latest-news/
COVID-19 Deaths Continuing to Rise
March 30, 2020
Rowing Safety, Covid-19, & Social Distancing
The Covid-19 Pandemic poses a unique threat to all of us. The most important issues of rowing safety at the moment involve life and death questions of virology and epidemiology for which no one knows the answers. The science is preliminary and fast-moving; the anecdotal information alternately frightening, hopeful, conflicting, and uncertain.
Following is a summary of my personal understanding of these issues and news reports of most interest at this moment.
1. Exercise & Immunity: Among the many ways in which exercise is healthy is the fact that it can bolster the immune system. Or it can weaken it, depending in large part on the patterns of stress and recovery in your workouts.[i] Because the white blood cells and proteins used to rebuild muscles after strenuous workouts are used to fight diseases, proper exercise helps build health immune systems. “However,” Dr. Gabe Mirkin reports, “several recent studies show that if you don’t follow your hard workouts with easy ones, you may suppress your immune system (and) increase risk for developing infections such as colds…”[ii]
2. Covid-19 is a novel coronavirus: The fact that this is novel is important. Viruses are microscopic parasites[iii] that change continuously,[iv] may move from one species (e.g., bats or monkeys) to another species (i.e. humans).[v] In rare instances they can and do cause disease when they jump from one species to another.[vi] That is what has happened with the emergence of COVID-19 (also referred to as SARS-CoV-2). Although it is part of a large family of coronaviruses that are familiar to humans, and for which we have developed immunities, humans have no immunity to this newly emerged virus.
3. Contagion and Infection: All viruses require two things: hosts (in which they replicate) and vectors (to move from one host to another). They cannot survive without both. In order to survive and cause disease viruses must move from one host to another (contagion) and disrupt the host’s normal functioning (infection). In humans (and birds) coronaviruses generally cause respiratory infections and are transmitted in droplets from coughing and sneezing.[vii] They can survive for hours or days (or longer?) outside of hosts and they can be transmitted through physical contacts. These characteristics vary with each strain of virus and are not completely understood yet for COVID-19.
4. Social Distancing: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended maintaining distances of at least six feet between individuals – including those who show no symptoms of disease – to control the spread of COVID-19.[viii] This is based largely on the theory that virus containing particles from normal breathing are unlikely to travel that distance[ix] and advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) based on evidence from China.[x]
5. Social Isolation: In contrast to social distancing, recent reports from China[xi] and a more recent report from a town in Italy,[xii] have suggested that severe social lockdowns – restricting all non-essential human contacts – combined with comprehensive testing, can effectively control spread of the virus.
6. Aerosol Infection: On March 30th the LA Times reported that 45 out of 60 people attending a choir practice in Mount Vernon, Washington, on March 6th had contracted COVID-19 and two had died – despite the fact that no one in attendance had appeared symptomatic and recommended safety precautions in effect had been strictly observed.[xiii] This is contrary to WHO’s reading of the evidence from China.[xiv]
7. Who is at risk? Everyone. Almost half of the COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States have been for people below the age of 40 [Pam Belluck, “Young Adults Make Up Big Portion of Coronovirus Hospitalizations in U.S.,” New York Times, 18 March 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-young-people.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article], including fatalities below the age of 20 [Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-guidance-management-patients.html].
Percentage Fatalities by Age (CDC based on Chinese Data)**
Due to the preliminary nature of the available data there doesn’t yet seem to be a consensus about the fatality rate associated with COVID-19;[xv] however, there does appears to be a consensus that it is both significantly more contagious than the seasonal flu and and has a higher fatality rate. In the United States the CDC estimates approximately 60,000 deaths annually from influenza[xvi],with annual numbers ranging from 12,000 to 79,000 deaths.[xvii] The CDC has advised that people over the age of 65 and those with serious underlying health issues are at greatest risk from COVID-19.[xviii] As more data accumulates in the United States, however, there have been reports of people without other serious medical risks of all ages having died from COVID-19.[xix]
8. There is no vaccine and no effective treatment for COVID-19 at this time. On March 30 the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) took the unusual step of authorizing the use of an unproven drug for treatment of the the disease [Christopher Rowland, “FDA authorizes widespread use of unproven drugs to treat coronavirus, saying possible benefit outweighs risk,” Washington Post, 30 March 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/30/coronavirus-drugs-hydroxychloroquin-chloroquine/]
9. The difference between COVID-19 and the flu: Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care at University College London, offers a very clear explanation of the why COVID-19 is so dangerous. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg7RnPPKN48 ]
10. Further Reading: There are many books on infectious diseases, among which Plagues and People, by William H. McNeill, (Penguin Random House, 1977, remains a foundational book on the subject. It is dense reading. More current and probably more accessible to most readers, including myself, is The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry, (Viking, 2004).
** “Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-guidance-management-patients.html
[i] https://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/how-exercise-affects-your-immunity.html
[ii] ibid
[iii] https://www.livescience.com/53272-what-is-a-virus.html
[iv] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8439/
[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-species_transmission
[vi] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
[vii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus
[viii] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/correction-detention/guidance-correctional-detention.html
[ix] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973?query=RP
[x] https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations
[xi] CITATION NEEDED
[xii] James Melville, “Do try this at home: how one Italian town fought coronavirus,” Al Jazeera, 28 March 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/home-italian-town-fought-coronavirus-200326110756424.html
[xiii] Richard Read. “Choir Practice Turns Fatal; Airborne Coronavirus Strongly Suspected,” LA Times, March 29, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-29/coronavirus-choir-outbreak
[xiv] “Modes of Transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations,” Scientific Brief, 27 March 2020, World Health Organization
[xv] Dimple, Rajgor, D., et al. “The many estimates of the COVID-19 case fatality rate,” The Lancet, 27 March, 2020. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30244-9/fulltext
[xvi] CITATION NEEDED
[xvii] “Freuqently Asked Questions About Estimated Flu Burden,” CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/faq.htm#deaths
[xviii] Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): People who are at higher risk for severe illness. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fhigh-risk-complications.html
[xix] CITATION NEEDED
* * *
March 24, 2020
USRowing has announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until 2021.
* * *
March 19, 2020: COVID-19
CDC has released new data indicating that “As of March 16, a total of 4,226 COVID-19 cases had been reported in the United States, with reports increasing to 500 or more cases per day beginning March 14.” The report noted that 20% of hospitalized cases in the United States were in people between the ages of 20 and 44 and supported previous data indicating the significantly higher risk of death among those over the age of 65.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e2.htm?s_cid=mm6912e2_w
* * *
March 18, 2020: COVID-19
COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease 2019) is a highly contagious, potentially fatal, viral disease that has spread rapidly across the globe. Information is available from the National Center for Disease Control (CDC) [ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html ] and the World Health Organization (WHO) [ https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 ] and is constantly being updated as scientists and health officials working urgently to understand and control the virus.
Guidance about rowing and information about rowing events is available from USRowing [ https://usrowing.org/sports/2020/3/4/usrowing-coronavirus-information-and-updates.aspx ] and FISA [ http://www.worldrowing.com/news/update-the-coronavirus-covid ]
* * *
January 15th, 2020: Grace Rett
This day brings the sad news of Grace Rett’s death, riding in a van on her way to practice with her college rowing team. Grace had just celebrated her twentieth birthday.
Those who knew her grieve in personal and private ways. For those of us who didn’t know her, but share her love of rowing, the feelings of attachment and loss are felt through the common experiences we shared. We know the feelings of waking early to be on the water at dawn, or riding in a van with teammates to morning practice, and we know how it feels as we approach the final stretch of road or final bridge before setting up the boats and getting on the water. We know her through those feelings and her sudden loss affects us as a friend and kindred spirit.
* * *
January 1, 2020: ROWING SAFETY HANDBOOK
The ROWING SAFETY HANDBOOK: Rowing Rescue and Emergency First Aid is now available on this website in draft form for rowers and coaches. Please send comments, criticisms, and suggestions to RowSafeUSA-at-Gmail.com.
* * *
January 1, 2020
Beginning a new calendar year is a good time to re-evaluate our safety standards and remember that rowers continue to die from routine accidents. Official reports have not been released about the death of Dzmitry Ryshkevich at the World Rowing Championships and we don’t yet know the cause of his death; but the fact that he, like Mohammed Ramzan two years ago, slipped beneath the water within sight of rescuers suggests the need to review and improve our safety standards.
First, perhaps, we should reconsider the assumption that rowing is inherently safe. In fact, more rowers have died in training accidents during the past three years than professional football, hockey, and baseball players combined. The numbers are small, but they’re telling. Since the creation of USRowing’s Safety Committee in 1983 following the deaths of Stephen Abbey and Glenn Hayes, many rowers have drowned* — almost all in cold water — while NO professional baseball, football, or hockey player has died in the US or Canada from an accident in their sport during this period (although several have drowned or died in boating accidents).
What does this tell us? It should remind us that rowing is inherently dangerous. We are always at the mercy of other boaters, changing weather, and cold water. It should also remind us that other sports have overcome objections to minimum safety standards and appropriate safety equipment to reduce the risks of fatal injuries.
* * *
© 2022 RowSafeUSA.Org