Belly flop contest turns deadly

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Kindred

Permanent state of confusion...
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I know that I'm a horrible person, but this article made me giggle... Especially when I got to the part about how the guy could'nt swim.

Crews hunt body of Beloit man

By Ann Montgomery
Daily News staff writer

A Beloit man is presumed dead after a belly flop contest in the Rock River turned tragic Saturday.

Rescue crews from both sides of the state line spent the weekend searching the river for Dorl Gates, 52, of Beloit. Gates' body had not been found as of press time this morning, and the search was set to resume at noon, according to Town of Beloit Fire Chief Joe Holomy.

``We'll be back out there today,'' Holomy said. ``We're still working on it.''

According to information released by the Rock County Sheriff's Department, Gates was one of several men participating in a ``World Belly Flop Contest'' sponsored by Diamond Jim's Bar, 6530 S. Highway 51.

Three men had jumped about 20 feet from a bridge into the cold water Saturday shortly after 4 p.m., then Gates jumped. Witnesses told police the man surfaced briefly a few times, but was washed downstream by the river's current.

``He came up more than three times,'' said William Gifford, who was waiting for his turn in the contest. ``Then he went under and they couldn't find him.''

Gifford, of Janesville, said the contest was supposed to take place at the dock behind Diamond Jim's, but the other men decided to jump from the bridge.

Divers from three agencies searched and dragged the river for the man's body Saturday afternoon. They searched until dusk Saturday, then returned about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Rocky County Sheriff's Lt. Russ Steeber said.

The river is very cold and it has a strong undertow, Lt. Michael Mugnani said.

Police and fire crews are searching the water and shore for Gates' body. Rescue personnel from Beloit, Town of Beloit, South Beloit, Janesville and Roscoe, was well as Rock County Sheriff's Department, Winnebago County Sheriff's Department and the Central Wisconsin Search and Rescue team are assisting in the search.

Edward Quaerna, of Janesville, said he did not understand why his friend jumped from the bridge.

``He doesn't know how to swim,'' Quaerna said.

Participants in the belly flop contest had the chance to win up to $300 for the stunt.

A witness captured the event on video, which has been reviewed by investigators, according to the Rock County Sheriff's Department.

(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)
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Well...hmm...don't really know what to say 'bout that one...I feel bad for the guy but come on...he didn't know how to swim and still flopped?! What the heck was he thinking?
 
It may seem like i have a boring sense of humour but hey i don't care i feel sorry for the guy. Yeah he is stupid for even "floppin'" in there but he's probably died in a freezing cold river. Bet it don't seem very funny for him
 
Wow...that was just stupid of the guy... I feel bad for him, but I can't help thinking that "yea, well, the guy was an idiot..."
 
It wasn't really that funny.

This incident happened about ten miles from my hometown... and it brings back bad things that have always happened in the Rock River.

It's very dangerous and is not something to be laughed at.

You can't tell me that you've tried to do something that you've never been able to do before.
Honestly, I don't know how to swim, but I still go into water and go swimming. Maybe the guy could do enough to keep himself afloat. Remeber, even good swimmers can't always swim against currents and freezing cold water.

And what is even worse: How do you think his family feels?

It's called compassion. Ever heard of it?
 
It's terrible, true. I feel sorry for his family. But that was a pretty dumb thing to do. I'm a fairly good swimmer, and I know better than to jump into a river. And to not only jump in, but to do a belly flop...from twenty feet...that's about as dumb as it gets. I'm wondering if booze was involved. Wouldn't surprise me...the event was sponsored by a bar. Liquor is the great equalizer. It can turn the wisest person on the planet into a drooling knuckle-dragger. I guess the only good thing to get out of this is that this is one more instance that people can use to hammer into other people's heads....IF YOU CAN'T SWIM....DON'T JUMP INTO A RIVER!!!
 
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