Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Deporte. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Deporte. Mostrar todas las entradas
martes, septiembre 03, 2013
lunes, septiembre 02, 2013
'Never give up': Diana Nyad, 64, makes history with 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida
Video of an exhausted Diana Nyad, surrounded by an adoring crowd in Key West, Fla., after swimming 53 hours from Havana, Cuba.
Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad made history Monday, becoming the first person to swim the 110 treacherous miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage — at the age of 64.
Crowds of fans, cheering and blowing conch shells, waded into the water to greet a sunburned Nyad as she approached the shoreline of Key West just before 2 p.m. with a Coast Guard escort after nearly 53 hours in the Florida Strait.
"I'm beaming with pride," Nyad told NBC News as supporters mobbed her stretcher before she was taken by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation.
"Never give up," she told a well-wisher, according to NBC Miami.
This was Nyad’s fifth try since 1978 — and she had a few strokes of luck: favorable currents and fewer of the poisonous jellyfish that helped doom an earlier attempt, according to updates from her website and Twitter feeds.
The swim was not without extreme challenges, however.
Nyad was so cold on Sunday night that her handlers didn’t stop to feed her, figuring she would stay warmer if she kept going.
Her tongue and lips were swollen by sun and seawater, and she had abrasions in her mouth from a special silicone mask meant to keep the jellyfish at bay.
At two miles out, Nyad seemed to realize that she was on the cusp of success and she paused to thank assistants gathered on 10 boats.
"I am about to swim my last two miles in the ocean," she told her handlers as she closed in on Key West, according to the blog.
"This is a lifelong dream of mine and I'm very very glad to be with you," she added, praising her team. "So let's get going so we can have a whopping party."
Even President Obama, via Twitter, congratulated Nyad.
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Andrew Innerarity / Reuters
U.S. long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, 64, completes her swim from Cuba as she arrives in Key West, Florida, September 2, 2013. Nyad has become the first person to swim from Cuba without a shark cage.
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"Congratulations to @DianaNyad. Never give up on your dreams," the president's account posted, although it was not signed "-BO," which means he did not personally write it.
According to Nyad's Twitter, she officially spent 52 hours, 54 minutes, and 18.6 seconds swimming.
The Florida Strait has been conquered only once, by Australian Susie Maroney, who used a protective cage during a 1997 swim.
Just this past June, Australian Chloe McCardel abandoned an attempt after 11 hours when she was badly stung by a jellyfish.
Nyad — who swam around the island of Manhattan in 1975 and a from the Bahamas to Florida in 1979 — departed on Saturday morning and arrived a day earlier than original estimates.
NBC News' Christopher Nelson, David Wyllie of BreakingNews.com and Reuters contributed to this report.
sábado, agosto 31, 2013
Endurance swimmer Nyad sets off from Cuba to Florida
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simpatico que cubadebate reproduzca el reporte de prensa latina que a su vez lo toma textual de reuters sin citar la fuente. no tienen un plumifero a mano para cubrir el evento?
Update from Navigator John Bartlett: 6pm
Update from Navigator John Bartlett: 6pm
Diana has swum 11.85 statute miles and is currently stroking at 50 strokes per minute.
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(Reuters) - U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad jumped into the calm turquoise waters of Cuba on Saturday and began making her way toward home, Key West, Florida, in pursuit of a dream that she says nearly took her life in an attempt last year.
"I've learned that if you see a beautiful calm sea like this you don't say that is the way it is going to be forever ... I admit I'm scared, I know what's out there," Nyad, 64, said, as she prepared to enter the water at Havana's Hemingway Marina, just west of the capital.
"I've learned that if you see a beautiful calm sea like this you don't say that is the way it is going to be forever ... I admit I'm scared, I know what's out there," Nyad, 64, said, as she prepared to enter the water at Havana's Hemingway Marina, just west of the capital.
Her biggest challenges during the 103 mile (166-km) swim, apart from fatigue, will be the poisonous jelly fish that float through the Florida Straits, the sharks, the man o'wars, storms, waves and the powerful and unpredictable Gulf Stream, the mighty ocean current that flows west to east between Cuba and Florida.
If she succeeds, Nyad, who has failed on four attempts to make the crossing, would become the world record holder for the longest unassisted open ocean swim, meaning no shark cage or body suit to protect her. She was not using flippers.
Nyad said on Friday that jelly fish stings were one reason for her undoing on an attempt last year, but this time she would be wearing a protective silicone mask to ward off their paralyzing stings.
She said the custom-made mask slows her and makes it more difficult to breathe, so it may take up to three days to complete the swim.
Nyad will have a small fleet of five support boats and a crew of 35 to keep her on course through the strong Gulf Stream current, provide food and water and keep away sharks.
She told reporters on Saturday this would be her last attempt.
"This is the last time, this is the end of the journey as they say, 100 percent," she said.
The treacherous body of water known as the Florida Straits is the holy grail for marathon swimmers. It has been conquered only once, by Australian Susie Maroney, who used a protective cage at age 22 during her 1997 swim. The cage glided on ocean currents and enabled her to make the journey in just 25 hours.
A native New Yorker, Nyad was raised in south Florida by a French mother and Greek-Egyptian stepfather.
She is an advocate of improved U.S.-Cuba relations and says she repeatedly sings the Cuban song "Guantanamera" as she strokes her way toward Florida.
"I want to be a little part in the relations between Cuba and the United States," she said on Friday.
Her long-distance accomplishments include swimming around Manhattan island and a swim from the Bahamas to Florida in 1979.
(Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta; Editing by Vicki Allen)
viernes, agosto 30, 2013
Diana Nyad intentará por quinta vez cruzar a nado el mar entre Cuba y Florida
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| www.diananyad.com |
La Habana, 29 ago.- La nadadora estadounidense Diana Nyad se lanzará al mar abierto el próximo fin de semana desde el Club Náutico Internacional "Hemingway", de La Habana, para intentar por quinta vez cruzar a nado el mar que separa a Cuba de Florida (EEUU), un año después de que fallara en ese propósito.
Nyad, de 64 años, está previsto que llegue mañana viernes a Cuba para iniciar el recorrido el próximo sábado si las condiciones del tiempo se lo permiten, según dijo a Efe una fuente del Club Náutico, situado al oeste de La Habana.
Nyad tuvo que abandonar ese objetivo en agosto de 2012 cuando había avanzado más de 60 de las 103 millas del Estrecho de Florida (96 de 160 kilómetros) debido a las picaduras de medusas que sufrió en la travesía.
De haberlo logrado entonces, Nyad se habría convertido en la primera persona en atravesar los mares entre La Habana y Cayo Hueso a nado y sin jaula protectora de los ataques de los tiburones.
La veterana nadadora emprendió el primer intento de realizar esta hazaña deportiva en 1978, pero lo abandonó tras casi 42 horas en el agua a causa de un mal tiempo. Luego repitió en 2011 y las últimas dos veces con diferencia de solo unas semanas fueron el año pasado.
Nyad ha manifestado que esta aventura marítima "ha sido siempre el sueño de tratar de llegar a nuestra otra orilla, sin importar lo que cueste, y ese sueño sigue".
Durante su carrera deportiva, Nyad se convirtió en la mejor nadadora de larga distancia del mundo y cumplió varias plusmarcas, incluida la de siete horas y 57 minutos alrededor de la isla neoyorquina de Manhattan, cuando tenía 50 años.
Hace dos meses, la nadadora australiana Chloe McCardel se lanzó a las aguas con el mismo fin, pero las picaduras de medusas se lo impidieron, y en junio de 2012, la británico australiana Penny Palfrey también trató, pero tras bracear más de tres cuartas partes del recorrido, una fuerte corriente marina la obligó a desistir.
sábado, agosto 03, 2013
Surfista estadounidense logra cruzar el Estrecho de la Florida
Venus Carrillo Ortega
Tras 28 horas de remar, parado, en una tabla de surf, el norteamericano Benjamin Friberg arribó a las costas de Cayo Hueso (Estados Unidos), hecho que lo convierte en el primer hombre en cruzar el Estrecho de la Florida en estas condiciones.
Según la página Ninety North en la red social Facebook, el atleta logró llegar a tierra en una travesía inédita, hazaña que comenzó este jueves en horas del mediodía, al salir desde la Marina Hemingway, de La Habana.
Con esta aventura a mar abierto, Friberg, músico de jazz y amante de los deportes extremos, impone un récord en esa modalidad, conocida como paddleboarding o stand up paddle surf.
Este viaje es para promover la paz, el amor y la amistad entre los pueblos de Cuba y Estados Unidos, así como también un estilo de vida saludable, afirmó el atleta en la capital cubana. En su recorrido, fue escoltado por una embarcación, donde navegaron especialistas —un capitán, un camarógrafo, una nutricionista y una enfermera—, quienes velaron por la seguridad del surfista.
Originario de Chattanooga, en el estado de Tennessee, Friberg practica deportes de remo desde hace 20 años, pero hace solo cuatro comenzó a experimentar en la especialidad de paddleboarding, que solo admite remar de pie.
El cruce del estrecho de la Florida, partiendo desde Cuba, se ha convertido en un reto para varios atletas del mundo, en especial del país norteamericano. En junio del 2011, un salvavidas de Miami Beach completó el trayecto en paddleboarding en poco más de 29 horas, acostado sobre una tabla y braceando.
jueves, agosto 01, 2013
When did A-Rod turn into a villain?
Joe Posnanski/
My best guess is that this happened in May 2002, but the thing is it could have been one of a half-dozen other days. I clearly remember it was the day when Alex Rodriguez hit two home runs against the Kansas City Royals. But when I went back into the archives to find that particular game, I saw that Rodriguez actually hit two home runs against the Royals SEVEN times. That doesn’t include the time he hit three home runs against the Royals.
Fun (or not so fun) fact: Alex Rodriguez had 60 multi-homer games in his career. SIXTY. That’s more than Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder COMBINED. It’s more than Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente COMBINED. It’s a lot.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure this game happened in May 2002 because, as I scramble for details in my mind, I think Kansas City had just hired Tony Pena to be it’s manager.
Ah, Tony Pena: one of my all-time favorites. You know, the day he took the job he told the Kansas City players: “I’m the new DJ. I play the music. You are to dance. If you don’t know how to dance, get off the dance floor.” No, nobody knew what the heck he was talking about, but it was inspiring all the same.
A few days after he started, the Royals went down to Texas to play in a weekend series against the Rangers -- who were lousy -- but A-Rod was their shortstop. Friday night, the Royals’ starter was Jeff Suppan, and in the first inning Rodriguez launched a long home run -- one of those high fly balls that sail deep into the stands.
Then, in the fifth inning, Rodriguez came up again against Suppan and he hit another home run. If I have my date right, this is the homer I think about all the time. Rodriguez was kind of fooled by the pitch, did not get a good cut at the ball and he appeared to pop it up.
Only, the ball would not come down.
The outfielder -- Carlos Beltran, I think -- coasted back for the ball like he was going to make an easy catch. Then he kept going, but still in an unhurried way, as if the ball was going to come down on the warning track. Beltran kept going, now getting ready to time his jump, climb the wall and try to steal the home run. However, the ball probably went 25 feet over Beltran’s glove and landed in about the 33rd row.
It remains one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on a baseball diamond. I think about it all the time -- the easy swing, the way the ball repelled off that bat, the way that baseball kept going like it was one of those remote control helicopters. Yes, of course, I know that Alex Rodriguez was cheating. Yes, I know that his strength was, literally and figuratively, unnatural. Yes, I can -- everyone can -- draw a pretty simple timeline from that moment when A-Rod was a superhero to the present, where Alex Rodriguez is disgraced, despised and doomed.
2003: Alex Rodriguez hits 47 homers, wins a Gold Glove at shortstop and takes MVP award for last-place Texas Rangers. He is, at this moment, making a clear case for himself as one of the 10 best players in baseball history.
2004: A-Rod willingly takes a large pay cut so he can be traded to the Boston Red Sox. The Players Association scotches the deal. Instead, A-Rod is traded to Yankees. He moves to third base in deference to Derek Jeter.
2005: A-Rod hits .321 with league-leading 48 homers and 124 runs to win MVP for the Yankees. He becomes the Yankees first MVP in two decades. But he hits .133 in playoffs as Yankees are beaten by the Los Angeles Angels in five and he is booed.
2006: A-Rod hits 35 homers, makes All-Star Team, and hits .071 in playoffs as Yankees lose to Detroit. He develops a reputation -- fair or unfair -- as a postseason choker. He is booed.
2007: He wins his third MVP Award in five years with 54 home runs. He also goes on 60 Minutes to say that he never used steroids or any other performance-enhancing drug because, “I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I’ve always been a very strong, dominant position.”
At the end of the year, Rodriguez opts out of the richest contract in baseball history to go for an even richer one -- an announcement made right in the middle of Game 4 of the World Series between Boston and Colorado. Eventually, he signs a 10-year, $275 million deal making nobody on earth happy, except himself and his agent.
2009: Sports Illustrated reports that Rodriguez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. Two days later, Rodriguez admits that he used steroids while in Texas because, essentially, he felt overmatched on the baseball field. But he’s quick to say he no longer feels that way and did not use when he was with the Yankees.
The Yankees win the World Series for the first time in almost a decade, and A-Rod hits .365 with six home runs in the postseason.
2010: A-Rod hits .190 in the playoffs. He is booed.
2011: A-Rod hits .111 in the playoffs. He is booed.
2012: A 36-year-old and obviously-injured Alex Rodriguez hits .120 in the postseason and is pinch-hit for twice and finally benched. Yes, of course, he is booed.
2013: The Biogenesis stuff. The injury stuff. The squabbling. At last check, it is being reported that Major League Baseball has evidence Rodriguez not only used PEDs but steered others toward it and tampered with the Biogenesis investigation.
The Yankees, stuck with an insane contract they never should have signed, want Rodriguez out. Major League Baseball, stuck with a player who is even more unpopular than Barry Bonds (at least HOMETOWN FANS like Bonds) want A-Rod out. Fans want him out, of course. Story after story advise him to get out. Baseball is reportedly threatening Rodriguez with a lifetime ban if he doesn’t leave quietly. There are conflicting reports about what Rodriguez will do, though the latest suggest that he will cut a deal to salvage as much of his contract and self-respect as he can. It seems the prudent move if MLB really has as much evidence as they suggest.
After all that, we are left with a shell of the superhero. There never was going to be a happy ending for Alex Rodriguez, but now (and this is true no matter where this goes from here) he is doomed to be discharged from the game as one of baseball’s all-time villains.
On that day in May, just more than a decade ago, Alex Rodriguez was unlimited. He was 26 years old. He was a brilliant defensive shortstop. He could draw “oohs” from the crowd by simply throwing a baseball across the diamond -- that’s how strong his arm was. He could run. He was a .300 hitter. He was seemingly invulnerable -- playing every day.
And he could hit fly balls that just kept going and going and going. He was as thrilling to watch as anyone. We will never know how much of that genius for baseball was his own talent and hard work and how much of it was in the chemicals he injected into his body. The sad part is that most people don’t care to know. They don’t care enough about him to think about it. They just want him to go away.
Benjamin Friberg inicia travesía Cuba-EE.UU en una tabla de surf
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| es.noticias.yahoo.com |
El estadounidense Benjamin Friberg inicia travesía para cruzar el Estrecho de Florida sobre una tabla de surf y remando de pie, desde el Club Náutico "Ernest Hemingway" en La Habana. Cuba
jueves, julio 25, 2013
American Man To Paddle From Cuba To Key West
By Katie Elzer-Peters
Ben Friberg is attempting to Standup Paddleboard from Cuba to Key West.
Sometime this weekend Ben Friberg, from Chattanoga, and creator of the Chattajack 31 Standup Paddleboard and Kayak Race, will paddle from Cuba to Key West. It’s 90 miles as the crow flies, but paddleboards don’t have wings.
This is a channel crossing that others have made or attempted before him, including some swimmers and a traditional (prone) paddleboarder, but only one (Cynthia Aguilar, in 2011) has successfully made the crossing on a Standup Paddleboard. (Which seems like and advantageous way to go to me, given that at least on a standup, you should, hopefully, not be in the water with the jellyfish, which seem to put an end to many crossings of that channel.)
I caught up with Ben before he and his team left Chattanooga. He sounded prepared, but nervous about the weather. “There are still so many variables with the weather. I will be more comfortable when I get there and people who understand what the the weather challenges and conditions are there. Right now, there is a system coming off the coast of Africa that the NHC says has a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm. Moving 15 miles per hour.” (As of press time, this storm has been named Tropical Storm Dorian, and is projected to hit the area near Cuba sometime around Tuesday.) He said “There so many things at play here. We could really experience a ‘calm before the storm’, or there could be a brutal headwind coming toward Cuba. I’ll feel better when I’m there, standing, looking out at the water, ready to paddle.”
GETTING THERE
Ben will be taking a team that includes his boat captain, cook, navigator, medic, and some additional helpers. Five people are driving from Chattanooga, three are flying, and the rest are down in Key West already. It has taken months and months of wading through red tape and regulations in order to receive the permits to go to Cuba. “I didn’t want to do a lot of publicity before we secured the final permit, in case the trip was a no-go.” In addition to his team (details below), he’s getting help from sponsor Kokatat, a U.S. manufacturer of outdoor water gear located in Arcata, California.
The team will take two days to sail from Key West to Cuba. Once on Cuba, they will most likely leave to paddle back to Key West as soon as possible. “Captain Bob doesn’t like to stay on Cuba for too long because he says that the weather can change quickly for the worse and you’ll end up having done all of this preparation for nothing.” The crew is looking forward to any time they are able to spend in Cuba in order to soak up the culture that few Americans get to see.
THE TEAM
Ben said “Everybody going along on the trip is so inspiring. It is fantastic to have this group of people that are really great at what they do. All of them are very down to earth and humble people. Very team-oriented. They’re all amazing in their own element. That serves as a great inspiration to me.”
Here’s who’s going to Cuba:
“Captain Bob Olin (Key West, FL) Capt Bob has assisted individuals looking to cross from Cuba to Key West six or more times. He has assisted numerous world-class swimmers (Penny Palfrey, Dian Nyad, Chloe McCardel) and both Cynthia Aguilar’s prone expeditions.
Ben Friberg (Chattanooga 20 years paddling whitewater, four years SUP, Chattanooga Native
Russell Friberg (Chattanooga) Ben’s dad. Russell is one of the happiest go lucky so and so’s in this life. He’s always cracking jokes and trying to get a laugh out of ya. He’s not an endurance athlete but he knows how to laugh and stay positive all day long.
Kathy Zerkle (Fayetteville, W.V.) Kathy is our team medic. She has assisted many unique adventures and is in high demand by teams needing a medic.
Kimberley Sutton (Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach, N.C.) Kimberley was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago till age 14, then moved to Manhattan, upon graduating high school she moved to Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach, N.C. She is experienced in endurance endeavors having completed an Ironman, paddled the entire coast of North Carolina (2013), and is no stranger to podium finishes in a multitude of SUP races.
David Hughes (Fayetteville, W.V.) David Hughes is a whitewater veteran of 25 years and has chased adventures for the majority of his life. He founded the New River Academy, a high school for kids fortunate enough to travel the world kayaking while completing an accredited high school curriculum. David was Ben’s counselor at the YMCA Camp Ocoee in the early 1990’s.
Hunt Jennings (Chattanooga Hunt is the youngest member in our group. Hunt was a student at McCallie High School until his Junior and Senior year, both of which he spent traveling, studying, and kayaking throughout the U.S. and internationally with David Hughes’ high school New River Academy. Hunt is now a top athlete amongst kayaking’s elite and as humble as they come.
Sam Silvey and Hugh Huffaker Sam’s and Hugh are both Chattanooga natives. Their element is rock, they climb. Together the two run Silvey+Huffaker Creative. Sam and Hugh will document the adventure as it unfolds.
The team also consists of a navigator and cook, both aboard the support boat. The team has two weather exerts stationed in Florida who will be communicating with the team via satellite phone.”
A 40 HOUR PADDLE?
“How long will this take you? Will you get off your board?” I asked. “I hope I can do it in less than 24 hours. I’m mentally preparing myself for 40 hours,” he said.
Let that sink in.
Paddling for 40 hours straight.
Why not get off your board and rest?
He answered “Nobody has set a set of rules for channel crossings on paddleboards. Swimmers, however, have a very strict set of rules for channel crossings that are based on the English channel crossing. They go shore to shore, no wetsuit, no getting on the boat and resting. You can stop and eat and tread water. You can’t climb on the boat and take a breather. I think we should try to stick to those rules. You can fall off, climb back on board, can sit on the board for a feeding break, but c’mon, it’s standup paddleboarding. Let’s stand up.” He continued, “If a great white shark shows up, you might have to get on the boat. You can take a look at where you are on the GPS, and when you get back out on the board, start at the GPS coordinates.”
Someday, if travel restrictions to Cuba are lifted, and people who live in Key West can get on a boat, paddle over, and complete the crossing when the Gulf Stream, swell, and wind are all perfectly lined up, he thinks the crossing will be completed in 17 or fewer hours. “I don’t think I will get those conditions,” he said.
THE BURNING QUESTION
“What will you eat to paddle for 40 hours?” (I always want to know what everyone’s eating.) “I have three phases of food strategy,” he said. “I start with solid foods like sandwiches and fruit and stuff. Before my stomach starts to get weird. I kind of decide in the moment. I might have some Cliff bars. They’re not my favorite by they work ok for me. I eat a lot of carbs and protein in the beginning.”
“Once my stomach starts to tell me that it is getting fatigued, I will switch to endurance foods like blocks and gels.”
“After about 12 hours, my stomach has about had it. At that point I eat soft carbs that I can get down. During the 24 hour Yukon paddle last year, what kept me going after hour 12 were kid’s vanilla pudding snacks and blueberries. They’re easy to digest and gave me instant energy.
I think it’s important to have a variety of foods. People on the boat can ask what you want to eat.”
In terms of hydration, he drinks mostly water and takes Hammer electrolyte pills, or might add a supplement to his water pack. “I like the Nuun grape flavor,” he said.
PREPARING FOR A 40 HOUR PADDLE
Ben said his main fitness goal is “To be able to get up off the couch and do whatever I want.” Most people don’t want to get off the couch and paddle from Cuba, but I see where he’s going with that.
He said “I don’t do a strict training program. I like to cross train and do lots of different activities. I do have a personal trainer so that I can do whatever I want. I might not make the podium, but I want to just have fun out there doing it.”
Mental preparation has a lot to do with getting ready for such a huge endeavor. He said “I think that my biggest strength going into this is, and it comes from having kayaked for 20 years, is the ability to suffer. When you kayak in Tennessee, the best season is in the middle of the winter when it is super cold and really miserable. If you’re doing a 10 or 15 mile paddle and its 30 degrees, and you crash and you get wet and really cold, and borderline hypothermic, inside a gorge with cliff walls, you can’t just quit. You have no choice but to go to the finish line where you car is. You’re managing what your problem is. Core temp is dropping, vision is slowed down, can’t feel fingers. You can always say “this sucks, but I’ve had worse.”
From a recent trip to Hawaii, he learned a lot about how to use swell, depending upon its direction—using it to the advantage and lessening the impact of it being the detriment. He also prepared by very carefully selecting the people that will go with him. “I’ve made sure that they’re positive and inspiring. None of these people are selfish people. They have all solved crisis situations and know how to adapt to a tough situation.”
EXCITEMENT BUILDS
“I’m really excited to experience the culture of Cuba and see Havana. I’m also really excited to be immersing myself in the dynamics of a really cool group of people going with us. I look forward to being out in the frontier of the open ocean and everything that comes with that. Also, for me, while doing long paddles, I look forward to hours eight and nine when you’re still feeling really good, have come a long way, and you can sort of see the how things are going to fall the rest of the way. When you’re in a good steady paddle and place. A zen place. Moving forward. I like to grab some headphones and put them on and go into a happy place. Can only get to after you’ve been paddling that long and you know how much you have to do. Assuming that the conditions aren’t completely miserable.”
Best wishes for fair skies and calm seas, Ben. We’ll talk to you on the other side!
Follow them as they progress here: http://cubasup.com/
- See more at: http://distressedmullet.com/paddling-cuba-key-west#sthash.jzm8F74K.dpuf
viernes, junio 14, 2013
Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again
The Australian who gave up her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida because of painful jellyfish stings said Thursday that she will not make another attempt.
Chloe McCardel told The Associated Press that she had picked June because the jellyfish danger was supposed to be low. But about 11 hours and 14 miles into her expected 60-hour, 110-mile journey, she found herself in a swarm.
"I had one coming out of my mouth. I was pulling it, this tentacle out of my mouth, but I don't remember this moment. My kayaker told me that I was doing this, 'cause I have no recollection.
I'm not coming back. That's it," she said.
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| "Excrutiating" pain: Chloe McCardel. Photo: AFP |
The 28-year-old from Melbourne became the latest endurance athlete undone by the strong currents and fierce jellyfish of the Florida Straits on Wednesday night, abandoning her attempt to become the first person to swim across nonstop without a shark cage. The jellyfish caught her by surprise.
"I got smashed with them coming from every direction," she said. "I would not have gone to all this trouble if I had known they would be out in such numbers in June."
She was pulled out of the water and taken by one of her support vessels to Key West, where she was resting at a hotel Thursday. She said the trip back to land was excruciating.
"It was two and a half hours of the worst pain, continuously, every second, of my whole entire life. It's like fireballs in every fiber," she said.
It was the fifth failure involving three women who have tried to make the marathon swim the past three summers. Jellyfish stings and strong currents have been the main impediments.
Diana Nyad tweeted her commiseration. The endurance athlete has failed three times trying to make the same crossing and says she'd like to take another shot this summer.
"It's a tough night for Chloe McCardel, a superior swimmer and an exemplary spirit," Nyad wrote.
Endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey has also tried and failed to make the swim.
Australian Susie Maroney successfully made the crossing in 1997, but she did it with the benefit of a shark cage.
McCardel had twice made a double crossing of the English Channel, but the most time she had spent in the water continuously was 25 hours.
She attempted her Cuba to Florida swim under English Channel Marathon rules, which meant she could not touch her support boat or hold on to anything. She also wasn't allowed to wear a full-body wetsuit, which would have helped protect against jellyfish.
McCardel and her team spent nine and a half months planning the trip and studying others' attempts.
The repeated failures raise the question of whether the Cuba-to-Florida swim without a cage is even doable as a 2.5 day swim is stretching the physical limits of even elite endurance athletes. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest open water swim without flippers was 139.8 miles (225 km) by Croatian Veljko Rogosic, who swam between two Italian cities on the Adriatic Sea from Aug. 29 to 31, 2006.
Dr. Clifton Page, a sports medicine specialist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said he thinks the Cuba-to-Florida swim can be done, although there are several physical obstacles to overcome. He has advised Nyad on her swims.
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| Chloe McCardel shows jellyfish stings: "It's like fireballs in every fibre." Photo: Reuters |
Adding to the swimmer's strain are the Florida Strait's currents. Villy Kourafalou, a University of Miami oceanography professor, said that the swim from Cuba to the Keys "is very challenging as the currents are not only very strong but also extremely variable."
But, she said, modern computer models that utilize information from satellites, buoys and ships allow the swimmer's support team to better predict the currents and help the members decide the best time to start the swim, the best route to take and then make adjustments along the way.
jueves, junio 06, 2013
¿De qué huye Bud Selig ahora?
Por Andrés Pascual
Este Comisionado del Beisbol que ha “estremecido las bases de juego” no se parece al Selig que conocemos, adicto a “tapar los escándalos y desviar la atención de sus fullerías” ¿Tendrá remordimientos? ¿Estará próximo su encuentro con el Creador, por lo que decidió comenzar a purgar sus pecados para llegar “más ligero de equipaje”?
El individuo siempre fue ventajista, cuando se interesó por el beisbol, lo primero que hizo fue ganarse “el cariño de los Bravos de Milwakee” para que lo ayudaran en su presentación en sociedad.
Para lograrlo, le ofrecía gratis por un año la renta de un automóvil de su dealer a todos los jugadores del club… después compró a los Cerveceros de la Liga Americana. En la foto de abajo, el antesalista cubano Mike de la Hoz, que fue beneficiado por esa política.
Cuando los dueños decidieron liquidar la moral del juego botando al entonces Comisionado independiente Fay Vincent, los propietarios, gangsters de los tiempos modernos, sabían a quién debían colocar que los representara indignamente, entonces Selig renunció a la presidencia de su equipo, nombró a su hija al puesto y aceptó acabar con el pasatiempo… En la foto Fay Vincent con George W Bush, durante su época como dueño del Texas Rangers:
Yo no sé cómo no se produjo una intervención federal para salvar por segunda vez al beisbol, porque, del Escándalo del XIX lo sacó dando tumbos y casi noqueado, precisamente, un comisionado independiente nombrado al efecto: el juez Kennesaw Mountains Landis (foto debajo), que gestionó y logró la representación del mismo por un senador en el Comité de Relaciones Exteriores.
Todos los esfuerzos que se han hecho en 93 años para mantener el juego limpio de lacras, han tenido como finalidad que continúe cumpliendo su papel social como influencia de importancia, según el perfil vocacional, en la formación de la niñez y la juventud americana. Incluso sobre este negocio pesa la exención impositiva, que necesita ser revisada y eliminada.
Cuando los pandilleros que asaltaron la dignidad del beisbol, tan duramente sostenida en el tiempo, decidieron tomar las riendas del Beisbol Organizado, pisotearon el legado social del deporte sin importarles en lo absoluto el papel positivo para una sociedad necesitada de grandes cosas y mejores hombres como ejemplos.
Si se enumera, de “su carrera” repleta de MVP’s sucios y desleales, lo peor posible contra el beisbol tanto como perfecta en la gestión de acumular dinero y poder, buena para todos los propietarios, para el Sindicato y para los jugadores-fraudes del tiempo actual, nadie puede dejar fuera una suspensión del Juego de Estrellas, decretada a libre albedrío con la justificación de “no quedaban pitchers”, ni lo peor: asociarse con el partido demócrata y retrasar el comienzo del primer juego de una Serie Mundial para que Obama pusiera un material de propaganda electoral, en la foto con el Presidente presenciando un Juego de Estrellas:
Y quedan los otros, los raros y sospechosos que provocaron la explosión del Montreal y casi la del Minnesota pese a la fidelidad de su público, que involucró 10 millones de dólares y, en ambos casos, a Jeffrey Loria como acompañante.
Ahora se aparecen las Grandes Ligas reactivando el caso de una clínica de Coral Gables de un tal Tony Bosch (foto con jugadores que asistieron al local), de lo que nadie se acordaba y reinician el escándalo… debajo, descenso del rendimiento de Josh Beckett según un reporte de scout:
Y no es que no se deba, al contrario, pero esta forma de actuar, jugando a Mr Justicia, no es la normal de estos elementos, a ver ¿Por qué no dan a conocer el grupo de positivos que falta y son más de 100? Los 6 ó 7 primeros tampoco fue un gesto del grupo asolador del beisbol, sino responsabilidad de un periódico por cuenta propia.
Hay algo que tal vez no deseen los “padrecitos del beisbol” si dan a conocer los nombres delincuentes que faltan y estaría relacionado con que el 80 % de los estrellas del juego, quizás estén, lo que traería como consecuencia la pérdida de la poca credibilidad y prestigio que queda.
Si cualquiera es justo consigo mismo y analiza la actuación de Al Pujols en sus últimos tres años completos más este, tiene que estar de acuerdo en que pudiera ser uno de los pecadores protegidos por el Comisionado y su pandilla, porque no es posible la espiral descendente de su bateo desde que comenzaron a temerle al test por sorpresa y abandonaron, otros también, el consumo de sustancias prohibidas.
Yo no sé la razón por la que Selig armó este aspaviento con los peloteros que estuvieron en la clínica de marras, sin embargo, supongo que no sea por nada trascendental para el beisbol, incluso ni para dar una imagen de honestidad.
Para mí lo han hecho con el fin de quitarle a Alex Rodríguez de arriba a los Yankees, que no saben cómo hacerlo ni pueden por las cláusulas y la millonada, porque algo si está claro: los MULOS NO PUEDEN SUFRIR EL EFECTO NEGATIVO prolongado provocado por nadie ni porque sea un bandido, ni porque se hubiera metido la pata hasta la rodilla, como hicieron con el antesalista y la cantidad que le regalaron.
miércoles, junio 05, 2013
martes, junio 04, 2013
domingo, mayo 26, 2013
Australian woman preps for Cuba-to-Florida swim
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| www.heraldsun.com.au |
KEY WEST, Fla. -- An Australian woman is getting ready to try swimming from Cuba to Florida.
Endurance swimmer Chloe McCardel has a practice swim scheduled Sunday in the waters off Key West. Her attempt at swimming across the Florida Straits from Cuba to the Keys without a shark cage is set for June.
She's the latest swimmer to try the difficult crossing.
American Diana Nyad has tried four times: once in 1978 with a shark cage, and three times in the last two years without it. After jellyfish thwarted her most recent attempt, in August, Nyad all but ruled out a fifth try.
Strong currents forced Australian Penny Palfrey to abandon her attempt last July.
One Australian has successfully finished the swim. Susie Maroney did it in 1997 with a shark cage.
viernes, mayo 03, 2013
domingo, abril 28, 2013
Michael Jordan se casa con la exmodelo cubanoamericana Yvette Prieto
reutersonlinetv
Diario de Cuba
Diario de Cuba
Después de cinco años de relación, la leyenda de la NBA Michael Jordan y la exmodelo cubanoamericana Yvette Prieto se casaron este sábado en Palm Beach, Florida, informa la revista People.
Unas 500 personas asistieron a la ceremonia en la misma iglesia episcopal en la que Donald Trump se casó con Melania Knaussen en 2005.
Jordan, de 50 años, invitó a otras 1.500 personas a la recepción posterior, en el Bears Club, en la localidad de Jupiter, Florida, donde el exjugador se construyó recientemente una casa.
"Ellos han estado planeando (la boda) por meses y meses", dijo una fuente citada por People. "Él quiere darle a Yvette todo lo que ella siempre quiso".
La cubanoamericana, de 35 años, conoció a Jordan en un club nocturno de Miami en 2008.
Este es el segundo matrimonio de la leyenda de los Chicago Bulls. Jordan y su primera esposa, Juanita Vanoy, se divorciaron en 2006, tras 17 años de matrimonio. La pareja tuvo tres hijos.
lunes, abril 15, 2013
Tiger Woods and the rise of the cheater
“Who cares if he cheated,” my friend, an avid golfer and golf enthusiast exclaimed. While watching the Masters on TV, I passionately declared that I did not like Tiger Woods.
My friend continued, “Fine. You don’t have to like him as a person but there’s no denying the man is a phenomenal athlete.”
The outburst from my friend resonated with me. Should we be able to disconnect the man from the sport?
It is your choice whether you want to buy into the Tiger Woods brand.
Woods has never cheated at his chosen profession although there was some drama that occurred over the weekend at The Masters. The usually fair and square golfer made a mishap that some claimed was intentional when he made a "bad drop" which resulted in penalty drop two yards behind his original shot.
Since I’m not a golf expert and even those that claim to know the sport inside and out can’t come to a conclusion if Woods knowingly did this, we have to assume it was accidental.
The golfer ended up finishing in the top ten.
So with that being said, his golf past has indicated that he has won fairly due to his talent, hard work and dedication.
Woods has never cheated his fans. He cheated on his wife.
In no way, shape or form did he pull a Lance Armstrong. He did not use performance enhancing drugs to achieve his victories, or dupe a charity organization nor did he lie under oath or conceal the truth to the public.
Even when his extramarital affairs came to light, Woods did not deny it unlike many other philanderers before him. He owned his mistakes even though those mistakes were within the context of his private life.
For some reason, we the public, myself included, feel that we have the right to be judge and jury of a public figure’s personal conduct.
Now, I am not a die-hard sports fan. I do not know Woods’ specific golf statistics however I am aware of the stats on his personal life: dozens of alleged mistresses, one betrayed ex wife, and two young children who one day will understand why their father went from being a beloved, commercially viable athlete to a man whose name is now synonymous with torrid infidelity.
As of late, it seems the tide may be turning for Tiger. After all, he did compete for another coveted green jacket and even more surprisingly did so with the beautiful blonde Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn cheering from the sidelines. Her support alone purifies Tiger’s muddy past; showing the world that the pro golfer could be worthy of a second chance.
Alas, it's still a very personal decision as to how you feel about his dishonorable behavior within his marriage. Woods' crime was not punishable by law. He broke a known moral code.
Is he a role model for being a good husband or partner? Hell no.
Yet, he is an inspiration to young athletes who have the eye of the Tiger. He has exhibited nothing less than an example that hard work pays off.
What he does in his bedroom should not be our business. Our business is what he does on the golf course.
There is a divide between the man and the sport.
It is your choice whether you want to buy into the Tiger Woods brand.
It your decision if you want to be a fan of his athletic prowess.
It is up to you whether to turn the television off when his face appears, or to buy what he is selling.
It is not Tiger’s moral obligation, unless dictated by a moral clause in a company contract, to live up to your standards.
Diana Falzone is a FoxNews.com contributor and the advice columnist for My Wingman Diana on Military.com
. Her work has been published in the textbook "Sexuality Education," distributed in universities across North America. You can follow her on Twitter @dianafalzone.
. Her work has been published in the textbook "Sexuality Education," distributed in universities across North America. You can follow her on Twitter @dianafalzone.BREAKING NEWS: At Least 3 Killed As Blasts Rip Boston Marathon Finish
DEVELOPING: Multiple casualties are reported after at least two explosions rocked the area near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the bloody chaos, while some witnesses reported seeing victims with lost limbs.
"Somebody's leg flew by my head," a spectator, who gave his name as John Ross, told the Boston Herald. “I gave my belt to stop the blood.”
Witnesses heard booms that sounded like two claps of thunder near the finish line inside the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel, according to multiple local reports.
The explosions occurred just before 3 p.m. Video of the scene showed a number of emergency crews in the area tending to victims and blood on the ground near the finish line.
"I saw two explosions. The first one was beyond the finish line. I heard a loud bang and I saw smoke rising," Boston Herald reporter Chris Cassidy, who was running in the marathon, told the newspaper. "I kept running and I heard behind me a loud bang. It looked like it was in a trash can or something...There are people who have been hit with debris, people with bloody foreheads.”
"There are a lot of people down," said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.
About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another thunderous explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
Runner Laura McLean of Toronto said she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
"There are people who are really, really bloody," McLean said. "They were pulling them into the medical tent."
Cherie Falgoust was waiting for her husband, who was running the race. "I was expecting my husband any minute," she said. "I don't know what this building is ... it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don't know what it was. I just ducked."
miércoles, abril 10, 2013
miércoles, marzo 20, 2013
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