Well, heres a weird Olympics story. Team USA synchronized swimmer Tammy Crow, based out of Santa Clara, will be competing on tonights taped telecast. (No, we wont spoil it for you, but just to warn, some of the articles linked here might). However, after Crow gets back, she's doing 90 days in jail in Tuolomne County, right by Yosemite. Her sentence starts on October 25.
In December 2003, Crow lost control of her car on a snowy road going up a mountain, and crashed into two trees, killing her boyfriend and a 12-year-old boy that her boyfriend was tutoring in phys ed. Crow herself broke her arm and back. Crow claims it was just an accident, but Crow had been drinking earlier that day, and the police report that she "smelled of alcohol." A blood test taken three hours after the accident showed no alcohol in Crows system, but the DA proceeded to press charges against her based on her drinking earlier in the day and then speeding while tired. Crow pled no contest to a vehicular manslaughter charge, and was then sentenced to 90 days in jail. The judge agreed to postpone the sentence until after the Olympics.
Crow then petitioned the Olympic Committee for permission to compete, sending in letters from her coach, teammates, clergy, her attorney, and the swimming team itself. The request was granted, so youll be seeing Crow tonight, performing in the free routine to the music of the Lord of the Rings. Crow is a "flyer," meaning that she does spins and jumps out of the water for the team. After she finishes up her sentence, she hopes to go back to Cal and finish her degree (she has to finish a thesis on "The Olympics as Political Tool."). SFist is interested in seeing how Bob Costas is going to present this life biography.
