[Southsider2k12]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columni...,2631678.column

Mary Schmich

August 8, 2012

Maybe it's because Lake Michigan is called a lake that it's easy to underestimate its violence.

Lake. The word sounds so placid, doesn't it?

An ocean roars. A river runs. A sea can roll so hard it makes you sick.

But a lake? It sounds as calm as the Buddha, as safe as a womb.

"A lake," begins the Wikipedia entry for the word, "is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water."

Relatively is the key word.

Over and over, Chicago's lake reminds us that it can be a terrible swift power. Just this past Sunday, the lake took the life of Donald Liu — a father, a husband, a University of Chicago pediatric surgeon, 50 years old — after he plunged into the water to try to rescue two boys who had fallen from a kayak.

The boys lived. Liu, sucked beneath the 5-foot waves by a rip current, didn't.

Liu was a hero. Calling him one is the best use of the word I've heard in a while. In a culture that has inflated the meaning of heroism, he was the real deal.

But it's the very nature of heroism that it may come with a high price for the hero, and despite Liu's courage, the lake overwhelmed him.

On Tuesday, I walked over to that lake, on the Chicago side. Far across the quiet water lay the Michigan beach were Liu drowned. Here at North Avenue, on a clear, hot day with a wisp of breeze, the waves weren't much more than a gurgle.

The beach was a festival of umbrellas, towels, balls, radios, all the totems of a carefree, lazy summer. In the distance, white sails skimmed along the aqua water. The only evident danger was the piercing sun.

On a day like Tuesday, it's hard to grasp how ferocious this lake can be, how high the waves can jump, how deep the currents run, how many lives have been lost in it. It's the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of lakes, and you can't be sure from one day to the next which one will appear.

Some days, unlike Tuesday, what appears are rip currents, seiches, waves that bring to mind tsunamis.

I got caught in one of those waves last summer. As I biked along the lakefront path, water crashed against the concrete barrier, a spray, taller than a high-rise, that looped across the pavement and sucked my bike to the elevated water's edge.

I'd heard the words "Respect the lake" before, but, wobbling away, drenched, I understood them in a new way.

Most of us go to the lake and come home safely. We swim, bike, boat, walk to the brink of piers, marvel at the grandeur and think: This is why I live here.

We underestimate the dark side of the grandeur until its dark side is revealed, again, and when that happens, we tend to pause and think harder than usual about how to stay safe.

"Check the forecast before you even leave the house," says Amy Seeley of the National Weather Service in Chicago. "Always be aware of the surroundings. Look at the clouds. Notice if things are changing. Look at the water. Is it becoming more turbulent? If you're going to be in a boat, wear your life jacket; don't drink, or have the skipper not be drinking. If you're swimming with your family, keep an eye on everyone in the water."

Good advice. But caution is never a guarantee, just as the gentle word "lake" doesn't do justice to the power of Lake Michigan.

mschmich@tribune.com

Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.valpolife.com/community/serving...unexpected-turn

Super Boat Race at Washington Park Takes an Unexpected Turn
Written by Caitlin Vanlaningham

MC-Boat-Race-2012-4Originally, I had gone to Washington Park in Michigan City to cover the 4th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix powerboat race. However, an unexpected event had this writer changing her story.

It was a gorgeous day at the beach at Washington Park. People of all ages had come out to play in the sand, splash in the surf and wait in anticipation of the big powerboat race that was about to take place off the shores of Lake Michigan.

Sunday’s race was part of a four-day event that kicked off on Thursday, August 2. The event was put on by Superboat International, a company created by John Carbonell in 1989. Superboat International is the most well-known powerboat racing promoter in the world.

MC-Boat-Race-2012-3Unfortunately, there was no race to be had that day. An emergency occurred when a young boy was reported missing. He was last seen in the water.

“A woman ran up to the tower and said someone was struggling in the water,” said Ryan Byers, head lifeguard at Washington Park Beach. “I headed out to the water with the secondary rescue.”

Fellow lifeguard Kaitlin Thomas was instantly at Byers side. According to Byers, all incidences are dealt with by him and a secondary rescue (another lifeguard).

“The current was really strong and pulling east, which was strange. I decided that a shallow line search was needed,” continued Byers. “That is where the citizens came in to help. There was also a deep line search that was done by the lifeguards only.”

In a line search, individuals join hands and form a line from the shore stretching out into the water. Then they sweep through the water, acting like a human net as they skim along the floor trying to feel for the victim, while keeping their eyes peeled above water. Once the line got to one end, everyone turned around, joined hands again and walked back through the water covering the area a second time. It was an awesome sight to see strangers coming together for the sake of one life.

“It feels good to live in a place where citizens are willing to help,” Byers said. “Tragedy brings out the true nature in a person.”

Luckily, the end was not tragic as the young boy was found and safely brought to shore.

“We were on our game like we should’ve been. The Coastguard, DNR, police - all the agencies responded well,” Byers stated proudly.

MC-Boat-Race-2012-2Meghan Quinlan, a second-year life guard, was the eyes and ears for the operation. “I saw that they needed help and I radioed to Tower One to get the people out of there so that we can go in and find the missing person,” she reported.

After that, Quinlan and another lifeguard started the aforementioned shallow line search. Then after about 30 minutes of searching, the boy was found and brought to safety. Rumors were heard about a woman who was also in the water, but after thoroughly searching multiple times, it was confirmed that there was no one else missing in the lake.

When asked what goes through her mind during situations like this one, Quinlan replies, “Everything just clicks. We’re all so close,” she said nodding to her fellow lifeguards. “We all know each other. We’re like a giant family.”

That is a bond that not everyone has. For a lifeguard, it is essential for everyone to be in sync with each other. How do the lifeguards maintain this camaraderie?

“Every day we do refreshers and one hour of training before work. We have to try out for this job,” Quinlan said.

This may sound rigorous and demanding, but it should put the readers’ mind at ease to know that these lifeguards work so diligently to make sure that the beach is a safe place to be. But we, the beach-goers, have to do our part as well. Byers gave two very easy tips to stay safe. “Pay attention to flags and signs, and keep track of your children,” he stated.

These flags and signs are color-coded warning signals that can be easily spotted all over the beach. If red signs are up, then the water is closed and unsafe for swimming. Yellow flags warn that there is bacteria in the water. Green flags mean that it is safe to swim.

Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to the incident, but the day was not in the least bit lost. There was an after party with live music, food from local vendors and a beer garden. Families still played on the beach (albeit more cautiously), and the powerboats were on display for all to admire.

MC-Boat-Race-2012-1This writer was very lucky to witness the events that happened that day. Hundreds of people, complete strangers, working together and doing their part to help. Next time you go to the beach, thank a lifeguard. These individuals put themselves at risk every day just by coming to work. The unsure conditions of the weather, water and other elements can mix into a deadly concoction, and lifeguards know the risk. Yet they take it anyway, putting others health and well-being above their own. They earned the title “lifeguard”. Without them, this story might not have had a happy ending. After all, they do guard lives.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.abc57.com/news/local/3-Almost-d...-165099646.html

3 near drownings at Washington Park Beach
By Jessie McDonough


MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- After two juveniles went missing and a 20-year-old man almost drown today at the Washington Park Beach on Lake Michigan, the Michigan City Police are warning parents to keep their kids out of the water with this strong rip current.

Police involved in the rescue today say with water this rough and this crazy rip current, parents should not be letting their kids in at all and some beach goers were pretty fed up too.

“Look at these waves..I mean really would you let your kids out there..I mean no”, said beach goer.
Beach goers say the 3 search and rescue missions should have never happened.

"Parents are letting their kids way out there. They shouldn't be there is a rip current," said beach goer.

Around noon, a 20-year-old man was pulled out of lake Michigan and rushed to St. Anthony's Hospital.

An hour later, a 13-year-old boy was missing.

"I heard there was some kid named Alex in a blue bathing suit, about 12, so I got in the line," said Brendon Murray.

Police, lifeguards, and even beach goers built a human chain to help find the 13-year-old.

One of those people helping was Becky Murray's son Brenden.

"I was actually out on the end of the line just kind of helping out," said Brenden Murray.

She thought he was missing and notified police.

Beach goers say all this confusion could have been avoided if people just listened to police and kept their kids out of the water.

"People have been told several times to get out of the water. Nobody is stopping," said one beach-goer.