Risk Management Magazine

Every hunting season brings new stories about successful outings, big trophies and near misses. Unfortunately, it also brings tales of serious mishaps — most of which could have been avoided with a little common sense and proper safety equipment.

Looking back, I realize there were steps we should have taken to prevent or mitigate these injuries. For example, we could have done more to prepare our players for the demands of sprinting and quick changes in direction. This could have included incorporating more agility drills and plyometric exercises into our practices to improve our players' speed, power and flexibility.

In all of these horrific occurrences, the current or wave action usually causes the boat, person or object to drift farther than expected and the retriever drowns. Obviously, these individuals couldn’t swim as well as they thought. Many people aren’t aware of the differences of swimming in natural waters (lakes, rivers, oceans) and swimming in a pool.