This is the 2nd time that an elementary school age kid wanted to swim from the Alcatraz prison to the City of San Francisco. I am beginning to think it was possible that those prison escapees did in fact, swim away to freedom
and hopefully started to live honest hard working lives. If a 7 years old kid then a 10 years old kid can do the job then I don't see why those prison escapees were able to swim away. Yes, there were powerful currents and Great White Sharks roaming those treacheous waters, even today. Great Whites are sometimes seen jumping out of the water leaping to catch seagulls for their dinner meals off the coast. I don't mean to say but I wonder how many people the U.S. Coast Guard or life guards or people that have pulled drowning persons from the water from those powerful water currents. I wonder how many people they pull from these waters per year. They probably keep official records somewhere on the internet. It would not surprise me if a few hundred drowning people are pulled from the water every year.
SAN FRANCISCO - A 7-year-old Arizona boy completed an estimated 1.4-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the city's Aquatic Park early Monday.
Braxton Bilbrey's coach and two other adults joined him in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay. He was greeted at the finish by reporters, photographers and well-wishers.
"I think it's pretty cool," Braxton said shortly after his father grabbed him under the arms and lifted him out of the water.
When asked what he wanted to do next, Braxton said he hoped to swim the English Channel.
Stacey Bilbrey originally wasn't sold on the idea of her son swimming from Alcatraz, but she accepted it once he proved he was dedicated to his goal.
"For a 7-year-old to be that motivated and stick with a goal that long is amazing," she said.
Alcatraz, once a notorious federal prison that housed some of the nation's infamous criminals, including Chicago mobster Al Capone, is now a tourist site that attracts about 1 million visitors a year. It also draws a fair share of swimmers who attempt the crossing as part of the annual Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.
The second-grader from Glendale, Ariz., got the idea when he saw a magazine story about a 9-year-old boy who made the swim. Johnny Wilson, a fourth grader from Hillsborough completed the swim in 53-degree waters last October.
Braxton, who has completed several short-scale youth triathlons, then asked his swim coach if he could do it.
"If you were to ask me if a 7-year-old is old enough to do it, I'd say maybe one out of 10 million," coach Joe Zemaitis said. "But he's that one."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060522/ap_on_re_us/alcatraz_swim
and hopefully started to live honest hard working lives. If a 7 years old kid then a 10 years old kid can do the job then I don't see why those prison escapees were able to swim away. Yes, there were powerful currents and Great White Sharks roaming those treacheous waters, even today. Great Whites are sometimes seen jumping out of the water leaping to catch seagulls for their dinner meals off the coast. I don't mean to say but I wonder how many people the U.S. Coast Guard or life guards or people that have pulled drowning persons from the water from those powerful water currents. I wonder how many people they pull from these waters per year. They probably keep official records somewhere on the internet. It would not surprise me if a few hundred drowning people are pulled from the water every year.
SAN FRANCISCO - A 7-year-old Arizona boy completed an estimated 1.4-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the city's Aquatic Park early Monday.
Braxton Bilbrey's coach and two other adults joined him in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay. He was greeted at the finish by reporters, photographers and well-wishers.
"I think it's pretty cool," Braxton said shortly after his father grabbed him under the arms and lifted him out of the water.
When asked what he wanted to do next, Braxton said he hoped to swim the English Channel.
Stacey Bilbrey originally wasn't sold on the idea of her son swimming from Alcatraz, but she accepted it once he proved he was dedicated to his goal.
"For a 7-year-old to be that motivated and stick with a goal that long is amazing," she said.
Alcatraz, once a notorious federal prison that housed some of the nation's infamous criminals, including Chicago mobster Al Capone, is now a tourist site that attracts about 1 million visitors a year. It also draws a fair share of swimmers who attempt the crossing as part of the annual Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.
The second-grader from Glendale, Ariz., got the idea when he saw a magazine story about a 9-year-old boy who made the swim. Johnny Wilson, a fourth grader from Hillsborough completed the swim in 53-degree waters last October.
Braxton, who has completed several short-scale youth triathlons, then asked his swim coach if he could do it.
"If you were to ask me if a 7-year-old is old enough to do it, I'd say maybe one out of 10 million," coach Joe Zemaitis said. "But he's that one."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060522/ap_on_re_us/alcatraz_swim
I wonder if they timed it to when the sharks were not around or active.