Silos and Smokestacks
Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation
On October 23, 2010, a good friend and former teammate of my brother Luke, Fran Crippen, died while competing in an elite open water swimming competition in the United Arab Emirates. The event was the final competition in a series of World Cup events and Fran was competing both to support himself as a professional athlete and in preparation for the 2012 Olympics – an event that would have been the culmination of Fran’s lifelong dream.
We were all devastated by Fran’s death and, in the wake of the tragedy, his friends and family established the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation (www.francrippen.org). The mission of the foundation has three parts: to advocate for safe competitive environments so that preventable accidents do not become tragedies; to provide resources to athletes who embody Fran’s character so they can pursue their dreams; and to establish an international fellowship program through which US and foreign athletes and coaches can train, coach, and learn alongside one another.
On the anniversary of Fran’s passing next Sunday, a group of Fran’s family and friends will commemorate his life in the most appropriate way – by competing with one another in a race outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, where Fran nurtured and pursued his dream for so long. While Team Fran will compete in the Tough Mudder of Virginia to celebrate Fran’s life, we are also using the event as an opportunity to raise funds that will support the mission of the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation.
Please consider supporting these efforts by making a donation to the foundation. Any amount you can contribute, no matter how large or small, will be tremendously appreciated and will go a long way in helping to honor Fran’s legacy. All donations are tax-deductible and should be made payable to the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation, which will issue you a receipt. If you’re able to contribute something, you can donate through the foundation’s website or by sending a check to:
Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation
c/o John Farmer
128 Westwood Circle,
Charlottesville, VA 22903
If any of you have any questions – about Fran, the foundation, or anything else – please ask away. For those of you who have not heard Fran’s story, there are all kinds of articles that can be found online, but one of the best was written by another friend and former teammate of Fran’s and can be found here: http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201104/beyond-limit-friend-and-competitor-tries-make-sense-loss-swimming-star
