Within the last 48 hours extreme sports athletes died while performing the athletic activities that they love. Killer whales (orcas) trainer, Dawn Brancheau and extreme skier CR Johnson both died.Both athletes died, knowing the risks. Brancheau was killed by Tilikum, a killer whale that had already killed a previous trainer and a vagabond on separate occurrences. Johnson had already escaped death once and was in a coma for two months.
Obviously, some humans like to live on an edge. They do not want to wake up when they are 70 and say they did not enjoy their lives when they had the chance. It is important that their deaths be cautionary tales, but their pursuits are not to be condemned either. It is honorable that they died while pursuing activities that brought them immense joy. We should take all applicable safety lessons from their deaths, but we should celebrate their accomplishments. In death, Brancheau and Johnson may have sealed their legacy as the greatest athletes since two Roman gladiators, Verus and Priscus.
Picture 1: Sea World trainers working with killer whales.
Picture 2: Extreme skier CR Johnson skis off of a cliff.
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