Yasemin Dalkilic: new WR attempt on Dec 27, 2009

[trux]

I just learned through Avida Dollar's website PSM Cafe about the comeback of Yasemin Dalkilic to competitive freediving. After having successfully fought back a pancreatic cancer, she is preparing for the record attempt on December 27, 2009. Unfortunately I did not manage to find out yet, what depth discipline it will be, and whether it will be under F.R.E.E. or AIDA rules. Anyway it is a long time I did not hear anything about F.R.E.E., so I wonder whether it is still functional. But perhaps it will be revived just for that purpose. In any case, I do not see any record announcement in AIDA's calendar, so it does not look to go to be an AIDA record. It then remains only CMAS, but they do not do officially any depth records (though, on the other hand, there was a CMAS "world record" in CWT sanctioned by the Turkish national branch last year).

You can find more info, and some videos from the preparation on Yasemin's website:
Return to the Depths Yasemin Dalkilic

[cebaztian]

Lovelly.
Those two just married and dissappeared (Rudi/Yasemin).
Nice to see her not only healthy but also motivated for depth.
It will I guess be VWT (if they want to beat Aidas easiest WR)
I wonder if they will honor the Aida results or just do some Guiness
WR style thing.
FREE does not really exist. Not even the instructors of FREE have been
able to contact Rudi it seems like.
Maybe FREE will spring to life just for this record. Rudi calls in
some friends :-)

What I find interesting is the come back thing. How much freediving is still in her. What will she and Rudi be able to squeeze out of her. Back in 2003 I met Rudi and found him to be one of the smartest guys in freediving. His methods was somewhat ahead of the Aida community back then.

Sebastian

[trux]

Personally I think they will go for a CMAS record. Reviving F.R.E.E. for just this purpose would be way too much ridicule. Although Rudi and Yasemin live in the USA, this record attempt seem to be a purely Turkish affair - Yasemin even writes about "An All Turkish Team" (although I do not know what they'll do with Rudi in that case ). The most funny on the story is that Yasemin accepted the challenge after being asked by the Turkish Prime Minister "if she’d be interested in a comeback record attempt to bring attention to our country". I appreciate that the Turkish government values freediving so high, that they think a freediving record can improve an image of a country! Let's hope for more of such wise politicians

And since there is no AIDA Turkey (AFAIK), and freediving is organized under the CMAS there, I suspect she will go for a CMAS record, similarly like her compatriot Devrim Cenk Ulusoy did last year. Not sure where the female CMAS record stands today, but since CMAS does not officially sanction any depth records, it will be likely in a reachable range.

Well, but let's wait for the real announcement - perhaps I am completely wrong, and Yasemin plans to beat Natalia.

[BennyB]

Originally Posted by trux

The most funny on the story is that Yasemin accepted the challenge after being asked by the Turkish Prime Minister "if she’d be interested in a comeback record attempt to bring attention to our country". I appreciate that the Turkish government values freediving so high, that they think a freediving record can improve an image of a country! Let's hope for more of such wise politicians

True story - back in 2005 I was asked to escort the Turkish Prime Minister around Sydney to do some freediving when he was here visiting. Unfortunately at the time I had a horrible flu and was pretty certain I would be useless in the water. Othewise I would have definitely chucked a sicky at work to go out diving! Seems the Turkish PM is an avid water enthusiast.

I think it's amazing news to see Yasemin back at it. I had no idea she was fighting pancreatic cancer - that is a very very aggressive cancer that not many people survive. What a great story.

Cheers,
Ben

[trux]

OK, so there is now a new post from Rudi, on Yasemin's website with quite a lot of interesting information. Yasemin is going for the Variable Weight record of Tanya Streeter (122m), and wants to do 125m. Have a look at the article, it is worth of reading:

Our Goal: 125 meters Variable Ballast Yasemin Dalkilic

[Kars]

I've just come across this thread, great news! - and what a story too! I like the reporting and video's very much too. And the Record itself is something really impressive! The dive time they go for is also very fast; around 3 minutes.

Great to see that they have some serious backing, by the prime minister no less!

I'm looking forward to their next postings!

Love, Courage and Water!

Kars

[trux]

So Yasemin had to postpone the December record attemp to the spring 2010 for various organisatory reasons. More details about it can be found on her website:

Record attempt moved from December 27 to April 2010 Yasemin Dalkilic

Though, the most interesting information in the article is that the attempt is to be done under the F.R.E.E. rules, so no AIDA sanctioned record. It looks like nobody knew F.R.E.E. still existed. The old website on divefree.com is defunct, but since 2007 it resides on divingfree.org. Although we do not really use to hear about their activity, there are still apparently some F.R.E.E. instructors active and teaching freediving courses.

[trux]

I am trying to persuade Yasemin and Rudi that they should let AIDA validate the record. Although I agree with Kars, who wrote on Yasemin's blog, that having a healthy competition between AIDA and F.R.E.E. could be good for the sport, I do not think that resurrecting the extinct F.R.E.E. just for the purpose of sanctioning the record can be called healthy competition. I may be wrong, but currently it does not look like F.R.E.E. plans doing anything of what AIDA does - organizing education, safety, and competitions for thousands of freedivers worldwide.

I am afraid the record will not gain the recognition it would deserve. On one hand, the VWT is not very popular discipline, not a competitions discipline, and the record of Tanya Streeter is quite old and done under different rules than we have today. So from this point of view, there is barely something to object. On the other hand, we already had several other freedivers doing their "private" records, and it usually stirred quite a lot of criticism against them, and resulted in mutual animosity.

I think it would be pity if Yasemin's record attempt finished in the same way. If you share my opinion (or even if you have another one), do not hesitate to voice it on Yasemin's blog. I believe, she and Rudi need to hear from us - they were way too long cut off from the community, so I am sure they need not only encouragements, respect, but they also need to realize they are part of our community. Unfortunately it also means respecting the rules the rest of us has to accept too (although we do not always like them too).

Blog & News Yasemin Dalkilic

EDIT: Rudi just answered, and explained his stand with more details, with some points that make sense, others perhaps less, but it looks like they won't change their decision

[Kars]

Hi Trux, I have replied to your and Rudi's replies with the following in mind:
"He who travels softly, travels far" (Chinese saying).

[pehtran]

I just wanted to say that I almost entirely agree with Rudy's view of the nature of our sport and therefore share his views regarding the protocol. After all I wrote some posts in the past on this forum with the same opinions about PBMM and sambas and what not, but I was very surprised how little support this ideas are getting especially if you take into the consideration the number of athleets on the competitions who openly opose existing rules about protocol in informal conversations.

It was a sad case in Zagreb when on briefing prior to the competition we were getting extensive explanantion from Bill about very clear rules that we all understand very well but when a question poped up about PBMM he almost did not want to talk about it as if the question itself was stupid.

Miha

[trux]

Miha, I do not know why you are telling you were surprised by little support of your view. In fact I do not remember anyone among freedivers supporting the PBMM rule. The only people I remember did support it, was Bill, and perhaps Linda. Well, I guess there must have been more people on the Board or in the Assembly, otherwise it would not be approved. But generally, among competitors, I do not know about anyone who would not want to get rid of this stupid rule.

[pehtran]

No, Ivo, there is plenty of support in direct conversations.... but here on DB it was hardly any.... it is well documented.... But even if I am wrong... there was never, never any serious debate over the protocol.... who decides then? If we the competitive freedivers are unhappy with the rules, we should have some saying.... At competitions it is always the same answer: PBMM rule is good, we do not see any problems with it, it is easy to observe and judge.... Although real life situations prove time and time again that it is not so. Miha

[trux]

Well, there was a discussion here on DB about the PBMM for example in the following threads, and as you can see there are documented plenty of voices against the PBMM rule:
Surface Protocol: changes needed?
Discussion on Surface Protocol

We come back to the problem of transparency at AIDA. We regular competitors, have no idea what the Board or the Assembly are discussing, and hence have no way to influence it by putting pressure on our representatives. And there is also no mechanism in the national AIDA branches that would guarantee that they have to inform us, or that they have to listen to us. Well, we always have the possibility not to vote for them at the next elections, but since there are generally no alternatives, and the new leaders won't have any obligations either, there is little chance it changes anything.

I firmly believe that we need new statuses which would allow not only much better transparency and information flow towards the member base, but which would also empower more the regular members, giving them a way to participate more actively on decisions. Today we cannot even follow or anticipate the decisions, not alone having our opinions heard. This must change.

[pehtran]

I agree with you, Ivo.... as a competitor it is so frustrating: you can not even voice an opinion - you can only whine when it is too late since (as you write) you can not anticipate the decisions of te board. Miha

[chrismar]

The PBMM rule came out of the messy collapse of the technical commitee, where several members objected to Bill's behaviour and the TC collapsed. The rule changes as Bill saw them were then taken to the assembly to be voted on as a whole (you get the lot, or you get nothing) and were approved. Some countries objected and I wrote a long piece stating my personal objections to some of the changes and suggesting others. Unfortunately there was no reply.

When the new EB & TC is in place, this will be one of the rules I will ask to be reinvestigated.