Posted on 11/01/2011 10:49:52 AM PDT by bgill
As first reported by the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia (Penn.) Episcopal Academy rowers James Konopka and Nick Mead made the ultimate sacrifice during their Under-17 doubles race at the Head of the Schuykill regatta on Sunday when they abandoned a promising start to help rescue two fellow competitors who had capsized.
With temperatures unseasonably cold and Philadelphia (Penn.) St. Joseph's Prep rowers Joe Leonard and Andrew Burrichter struggling with their boat and treading water in the icy river, Konopka and Mead made a snap decision to give up a promising start that could have landed them in the medals to help get the fellow high school rowers to safety, waiting with them until a safety launch arrived to get the St. Joseph's pair out of the frigid water.
"They had flipped," Konopka, a 16-year-old sophomore, said yesterday. "Nick said we should probably go back [to help them] and I agreed, so we turned around."
"They were yelling 'help' and one of the kids didn't appear as if he could swim too well," said Mead, a 16-year-old junior. "The water was cold and I'm sure their limbs were going numb."
(Excerpt) Read more at rivals.yahoo.com ...
Strange one wasn't able to swim well. That should be the first requirement for the sport.
God Bless ‘em. They followed the Code.
Good for them, but I don’t believe as the author does, that fishing someone out of the drink at a regata is exactly the “ulitmate sacrifice”.
God bless them both. They earned a higher award that will stay with them forever...where moth and rust cannot corrupt.
I rowed in college.
I know how easy it is to flip a shell.
I can imagine that the combination of the cold water, and the fatigue from rowing would make it difficult for Johnny Weismuller to tread on the Schukyll River in Autumn...
Poor journalism. I read that and assumed they died. Losing one of many high school races is nothing close to "ultimate"
Character counts for more than winning a race. A victory in the race would have been fleeting; the sportsmanship exhibited and heroic deed they did will last a lifetime..
Good work, men.
Good job.
This Country has a number of Service Men and Women that have made the “ultimate sacrifice” and not winning a rowing event is not it.
“Clearly, it was the right response, just as Mead and Konopka’s decision to help had been.”
Wow. What a great story. Thank you.
“They earned a higher award that will stay with them forever...where moth and rust cannot corrupt.”
Nicely put; and very true.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.