Sunday 12 March 2000
Mickey Dumont, Calgary Herald

Canadian record holder Tara Sloan

Calgary's swimming community is in shock today following the death Saturday morning of international competitor and Canadian record holder Tara Sloan.

 


Tara Sloan
Her parents, Fred and Gayle, Saturday agreed to remove her from life support after she failed to show signs of coming out of the coma.

Sloan, 20, was injured March 4 when her minivan rolled several times after swerving off the highway near Medicine Hat.

She was going to visit her grandmother in Saskatchewan when the accident occurred.

Her van crossed two lanes of traffic before heading into the ditch. She was taken by STARS to Calgary Foothills Hospital where she remained in a drug-induced coma until she died.

The accident was just two days before Sloan was to accompany 40 Calgary swimmers to Etobicoke, Ont., to compete in the national championships, part of the process to select the Canadian National team and later the Olympic team.

The young swimmer is a five-time Canadian breaststroke champion. She holds the women's 100-metre breaststroke national record in the short-course pool. She had competed in world championships, the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games. At her best, she was rated ninth in the world.

Mike Blondal, her coach of eight years, said, "The Sydney Summer Olympics were on her horizon."

Sloan's parents had kept up a bedside vigil praying and hoping for their daughter. Her lungs were bruised, she had numerous broken ribs, a broken hand and shoulder blade, but the biggest worry was brain damage: There was no way of knowing what damage had been done.

Doctors had been keeping Sloan in a coma to reduce brain activity.
S, girls body image,where to play sports, girls self-esteem, girls soccer, girls cycling, girls and nutrition, nutrition for active girls, Canadian Association for women and sport, girls@play, snowboarding, skating, boarding, girl site, sports girl, extreme girl, mountain biking, skateboards, surfboards, X Games"> The family has had many phone calls and visitors sending best wishes and hopes. Their home was filled with flowers and cards from those sending get well wishes.

The family now asks that no flowers be sent.

Plans are being made for a memorial service and the family has established a Tara Sloan Memorial Fund. Donations can be made at any Calgary Royal Bank.

 

 
Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity
contact us