CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER
Trophy presentation: Cheerleaders and members of
the Creston/O-M wrestling team show off their seventh-place trophy to Panther fans in the stands of Wells Fargo Arena Wednesday evening. The Panthers placed seventh in Class 2A at the State Dual Team Tournament. For more on the Panthers, see SPORTS, page 7A.
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SWCC golfer charts new path Medical disorder curtails Somers’ swimming career ■
By LARRY PETERSON CNA senior feature writer lpeterson@crestonnews.com
After hundreds of trips from Creston to West Des Moines and Waukee since she was a 10-year-old swimmer with collegiate dreams, Camryn Somers had finally made it. She was on the starting block in a 50-meter freestyle race for a Division I university. It was Oct. 14, 2016, and the University of Nebraska-Omaha women’s team was swimming against Colorado State in Fort Collins. The Creston High School graduate, who swam four years for Waukee High School, would also swim the 100-meter backstroke and the 200-meter medley relay. Her first race was the best of her life — career fastest 24.48 in the 50 freestyle. She twice placed in the top 10 in the Iowa state meet in that race in a best time of 24.54. (In all, Somers earned nine state medals in four years for Waukee, topped by anchoring the championship 200-meter freestyle relay her junior year.) All the dedication over the years was finally paying off. Somers was fulfilling
CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON
No longer a scholarship swimmer at Division I University of Nebraska-Omaha because of medical reasons, freshman Camryn Somers of Creston is now a member of the golf team at Southwestern Community College.
her dream of competing at the Division I level as a freshman. She was in the best shape of her life. But, her first collegiate meet would also end up being her last. The Mavericks were scheduled to have high-intensity workouts for two days after that meet, prior to a meet at Northern Colorado on Oct. 17. In the first workout on that Saturday morning, events would unfold that
ended Somers’ career as a competitive swimmer due to a previously undetected cardiovascular disorder. The combination of coming off a recent illness, working at oxygen-starved altitude in the Rocky Mountains and some of the most grueling practices of her life seemed to trigger the problems that ensued. “The morning after our meet I was swimming in our fall training camp there in Colorado, and I was feeling
great,” said the daughter of Matt and Deb Somers of Creston. “Then when I got to the wall and stood up, I passed out. A girl on my team caught me. It was right in the middle of our hard set of the day. They had to pull me out of the pool. I woke up and thought, ‘Oh, my God, what happened?’ I didn’t remember much.” Somers was taken to a hospital in Fort Collins for examination. “They said the EKG looked OK, and they kind of assumed that altitude probably dehydrated me after I’d been sick,” Somers said. “They gave me some fluids and told me to take the rest of the day off from training.” The next day, it happened again. Now concern was growing. The only times in her life anything like that had occurred were as an 8-yearold when her mother was styling her hair, and another time after a swimming race in seventh grade. However, in the latter situation she had suffered a concussion in a basketball tournament a week earlier and that was suspected as contributing to her distress. After the incident as an 8-year-old, Somers was diagnosed with a mild case of irregular heartbeat, with hopes she would “grow out of it.” Nothing happened SOMERS | 12A
GOP lawmakers hear from leaders on move to remake health law WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders on Thursday described plans for replacing President Barack Obama’s health care law to House GOP lawmakers, promoting a conservative approach dominated by tax breaks and a transition away from today’s Medicaid program. With their drive to reshape the nation’s health care system off to a sputtering start, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and other leaders were describing detailed options and gauging the rank-andfile’s re- Ryan ceptiveness in a private meeting. Lawmakers also heard from Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, a former GOP congressman from Georgia. The briefing came hours before a weeklong recess that will send Congress home to energized voters, mostly Democrats, who have recently crammed town hall meetings to complain about GOP efforts to repeal Obama’s law. Lawmakers
are eager to have something to show constituents. “It’s important for people to know we’re working hard on these things, paying attention to substance,” said Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., as he entered the meeting. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that by the end of March, his panel would start writing its part of a measure voiding much of Obama’s law and substituting GOP programs. That’s the most recent of several self-imposed deadlines that President Donald Trump and GOP leaders have set, but until now failed to meet, for reconfiguring the nation’s health care system. With Senate Republicans straining to coalesce around plans, Price met privately with GOP senators Wednesday, but participants said no specifics were discussed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said lawmakers and the White House are trying to decide who should release a plan to replace Obama’s law first — the White House or Congress. Asked to characterize HEALTH | 2A
Iowa reports rare sighting of predatory mammal: a fisher WAUKON (AP) — The Iowa Natural Resources Department has reported a rare, confirmed sighting of a predatory mammal known as a fisher. The department says on its Facebook page that a trail camera captured an image of one in November on a wooded hillside in Allamakee County. The department says
the photo is the first documented sighting of a fisher in Iowa in about 150 years. The department says the fisher likely came from southeast Minnesota, where Minnesota officials have said fishers are expanding. Mammalogists say fishers can weight up to 12 pounds and are primarily carnivores known for their fierceness.
CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN
Swooping: This eagle soars through the air Wednesday afternoon above McKinley Park on the western side of Creston.
There were no less than seven eagles swooping along the partially frozen lake and perching in trees in the park, several of which were juveniles.
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presents UNI THEATRE’S Palette of Possibility A friendly play developed for those on the autism spectrum & other developmental delays. Directed by Gretta Berghammer
February 17, 2017 • 6PM
Southwestern Community College Instructional Center, Room 180 Reserve your space by calling 641.782.3849