7 year old escapes from Alcatraz

[Stinger]

Boy Swims From Alcatraz to San Francisco

By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 6 minutes ago



A 7-year-old Arizona boy swam from Alcatraz Island to the city in 47 minutes Monday, where his father lifted him from the chilly waters.

Braxton Bilbrey was joined by his coach and two other adults for the estimated 1.4-mile swim. The second-grader was greeted at the finish by reporters, photographers and well-wishers.

"I think it's pretty cool," the wetsuit-clad boy said shortly after his father grabbed him under the arms and out of the water, which was in the mid-50s Monday.

Braxton said his next ambition is 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.

Braxton, who lives in 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.

Coach Joe Zemaitis said Braxton, who has completed several short-scale youth triathlons, planned to rest up after his swim.

"He did great," said his dad, Steve Bilbrey. "He looked so strong. He did so awesome. I'm so proud of him."

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060522/ap_on_re_us/alcatraz_swim)

[ArrowheadHawk]

i can't even get my eight year old to clean her room

[JBucc]

And the "experts" said those two guys that escaped could have never made it to shore:rolleyes:

[Rain Man]

Why would you let a child that small try something like this? Even if you have a boat next to him, it seems a bit irresponsible.

It reminds me of the dimwits that were trying to get their daughter to be the youngest person to fly across the U.S. a few years back. It was going great until she crashed and died.

[Stinger]

i can't even get my eight year old to clean her room

ROFL ROFL

That was my first thought as well when I read this

[Rooster]

i can't even get my eight year old to clean her room


ROFL ROFL

[Ultra Peanut]

WHAT THE ****

[Donger]

Why would you let a child that small try something like this? Even if you have a boat next to him, it seems a bit irresponsible.

It reminds me of the dimwits that were trying to get their daughter to be the youngest person to fly across the U.S. a few years back. It was going great until she crashed and died.

Oh yeah, I remember that. What was her name?

[Eleazar]

And the "experts" said those two guys that escaped could have never made it to shore:rolleyes:

There was more than one time where someone made it off the island, but was eventually recaptured, or am I mistaken?

[Eleazar]

In 2003, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, the co-hosts of the television series MythBusters, sought to prove whether the escapees could have survived. Using similar materials to those used by the three convicts, they constructed an inflatable raft from a large quantity of rubber raincoats and made plywood paddles. Hyneman and Savage selected a date when the tide direction and rate matched that of the escape attempt. With another crew member, Will Abbot, standing in for the third prisoner, they were able to paddle with the outgoing tide to the Marin Headlands, near the North tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. Both Hyneman and Savage agreed that the escape could have succeeded, though the actual fate of the prisoners is unknown.

[Rain Man]

Oh yeah, I remember that. What was her name?

No idea.

I do remember that the whole thing was bogus, too. There was some setup where she was only flying a small proportion of the time that the plane was in the air, too. Apparently the wrong proportion.

[KcMizzou]

i can't even get my eight year old to clean her roomROFL
Nice.

[JBucc]

I guess it was three then. I saw that episode btw.

[Donger]

No idea.

I do remember that the whole thing was bogus, too. There was some setup where she was only flying a small proportion of the time that the plane was in the air, too. Apparently the wrong proportion.

Aha. Doesn't say she died, however:

In 1993, Victoria Van Meter, 11 years old, became the youngest girl to fly across the United States. Her flight instructor sat alongside her the entire way, but never once took the controls.

[kaplin42]

Hmmm, 7yr old in a wet suit, swimming in the cold pacific waters off of San Fran. You ever watch shark week where they show a great white shark come rushing up to the surfice after a seal and go rocket launching out of the water, sometimes grabbing the seal in mid-flight? I bet that in a wet suit, at about 7 yrs old, you probably look just like a seal. I wonder how pleased mom would have been then?

[Thig Lyfe]

Here's who everybody is thinking of...

Jessica Whitney Dubroff (May 5, 1988 – April 11, 1996) was a 7-year-old pilot trainee who was attempting to become the youngest person to fly a plane across the United States when, 24 hours into her flight, her small plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Dubroff was born in Contra Costa, California. During her flight, which included several stopovers, Dubroff became an instant media celebrity. Her flight was vigorously followed by supporters and media outlets such as CNN, ABC, FOX and others who monitored her flight every day for the duration of her trip, reporting each time she landed or took off, until the tragic ending of her "Sea to Shining Sea Flight."

Dubroff took off from Cheyenne in heavy rain and a sudden storm. These weather conditions contributed to the plane's crash within a few minutes of takeoff. Jessica Dubroff, her father Lloyd Dubroff, and her flight instructor Joe Reid (who was legally the pilot in command for all her flights and was apparently manipulating the controls during this particular flight) were killed in the crash. She spoke to her mother on the telephone moments before the crash with the last words, "Mom, do you hear the rain? Do you hear the rain? I just want to take off in the plane."

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that pilot Joe Reid had made an "improper decision to take off into deteriorating weather conditions when the airplane was overweight and when the density altitude was higher than he was accustomed to, resulting in a stall caused by failure to maintain airspeed. Contributing to the pilot in command's decision to take off was a desire to adhere to an overly ambitious itinerary, in part, because of media commitments."

A book about Jessica Dubroff's life has been published by her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway.

The accident, and its associated publicity, led to Federal legislation that prohibits anyone who does not hold at least a private pilot certificate and a current medical certificate from being allowed to manipulate the controls of an aircraft during any record attempt, aeronautical competition, or aeronautical feat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dubroff

[DaKCMan AP]

And the "experts" said those two guys that escaped could have never made it to shore:rolleyes:

did they have wetsuits?

[Rain Man]

A book about Jessica Dubroff's life has been published by her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway.


Wow. That's a book that would sell about four copies - one set of parents, two sets of grandparents, and one family friend who couldn't feign an appendicitis attack when asked to buy it.

[JBucc]

did they have wetsuits?they had a raft