Clemson PV Coach Dies in Jet Skiing Accident

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=39666

Clemson, SC-Clemson assistant men's track coach Jarrett Foster died Saturday after suffering head injuries in a jet skiing accident on
Lake Keowee near Seneca, SC. Foster, 32, had just completed his seventh year as the field events assistant coach under Bob Pollock.

"Jarrett Foster was one of the top young assistant coaches in the country," said Pollock. "He did every phase of his job well. He had such a positive effect on our student-athletes, and we will all miss him. You could see that positive effect in the results on the
track and in the classroom. We just completed our best season ever in the field events, the area he coached.

" This is a deep loss for our program, our athletic department, our community and to me personally. What a great person, an outstanding
representative of this University in everything he did. Our prayers are with his entire family, especially his parents."

Foster had a great impact on the Clemson program over his career, coaching 12 All-Americans, 40 NCAA qualifiers, 23 ACC Champions and
55 All-ACC selections. During his time as an assistant coach Clemson had five top 20 team finishes and won six team ACC Championships.
Clemson's field event athletes had just completed their most successful season in history in many areas under Foster.

In 2006, he coached four All-Americans, five ACC Champions and nine All-ACC athletes. Clemson had an All-American in the pole vault (indoors),
the heptathlon (indoors) and the triple jump (outdoors) for the first time in school history, and had an outdoor decathlon All-American for
just the second time.

Additionally, Foster coached Danny Alge, who earned second-team Academic All-American honors in 2006. It was the third academic All-American Foster coached in the last five years.
Foster was a big reason Clemson finished second at the ACC Outdoor championships, fourth at the NCAA East Region and 26th at the NCAA
national meet in 2006.

Foster was named the East Region Assistant Coach of the Year for Jumps/Combined Events in 2005, by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTCA). He earned the inaugural award after coaching a long jumper and triple jumper to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as well as a high jumper, pole vaulter, and two throwers to competition at the East Region Championships.Foster served as an assistant coach at Western Carolina for three
seasons before coming to Clemson. At WCU, he was responsible for the throws, pole vault, high jump and multi-events.

Over the three years, the Catamounts claimed five Southern Conference team championships,
three for the women's team and two for the men. At Western Carolina, Foster developed three Southern Conference Freshmen of the Year and
28 Southern Conference individual champions, including two Southern Conference MVPs.

A three-year letter winner on the Western Carolina track and field team, Foster was chosen team captain and MVP his senior season.
Foster earned his bachelor's degree in parks and recreation management from Western Carolina in 1995 and completed his master's
degree in education at the school in 1997.
Details of a memorial service will be announced at a later time.



Same article:
http://clemsontigers.cstv.com/sports/m- ... 06aaa.html

[VTechVaulter]

this is just such a horrible thing to happen. As a member of the ACC we saw clemson quite often. He is a really nice, sincere guy. Best wishes to everyone down there...

[Borntovault]

I'm a vaulter from Clemson and a upcoming freshman and I've been here taking a few summer classes and everyone here is in shock. I know I didn't know him that well and I wish I knew him much better. He is the reason why I am here at this school, but the team is strong and we will do what he trained us to do. He is a great guy and I know he wants us to go on and do what he trains us to do. Coach Foster will be in our minds and in our hearts. Coach Foster everyone here loves ya.

Chris Spear

[SlickVT]

A great guy, always had a smile on his face. Great coach as well. Our thoughts are with everyone down at Clemson...

[rainbowgirl28]

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /607090344

Clemson assistant track coach dies in accident
Jarrett Ryan Foster was struck by watercraft on Lake Keowee

Published: Sunday, July 9, 2006 - 11:43 am
Last updated: Sunday, July 9, 2006 - 5:35 Pm


By Lorando D. Lockhart
STAFF WRITER
llockhart@greenvillenews.com

A Clemson University men’s track coach has died from injuries suffered in a jet skiing accident on Lake Keowee, the Oconee County Coroner said.

Coroner Karl Addis said Jarrett Ryan Foster, 32, of 121 Jasmine Lane in Pendleton, was pronounced dead at 9:36 p.m. at Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca.

“Mr. Foster reportedly fell from a personal watercraft on which he was a passenger and was struck by a second personal watercraft that was traveling close by,â€Â

[saraf]

This is terrible to hear. we have had many meets with clemson and i just send all my condolences to the clemson team and his family

[rainbowgirl28]

More details on the accident:
http://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/ ... pstoryview

Members of the track team spent part of Monday afternoon remembering their coach. A wreath was put up at the school's outdoor track with a sign that said the facility would be closed until after Foster's memorial service.

There will be one on Clemson's campus Tuesday, with a second service to be held Wednesday in Forest City, N.C., where Foster's parents live.

"I want people to remember him not just as a track coach but as a special person," said Adam Linkenauger, who has won Atlantic Coast Conference indoor and outdoor high jump titles in his first three seasons at Clemson.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.thetigernet.com/view/story.do?id=5989

[Carolina Extreme]

Jarrett Foster will be missed. He was doing a great job with all of his athletes in each of his event areas. We have lost a friend. Our prayers are with his family and the Clemson team.

His funeral will be held at 11:00 AM Wednesday, July 12th, at Floyd Creek Church in Forest City, NC. There will be a memorial at Floyd Creek Church at 1:00 PM. Directions to Forest City off of I-26 are to take Hwy 74 East. Hwy 74 is just across the SC state line in NC.

Rusty Shealy
Univ of South Carolina
Pole Vault Coach

[rainbowgirl28]

Address to send condolences:

Jimmy and Linda Foster
187 Old Henrietta Road
Forest City, NC 28043

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentin ... 509357.htm

Clemson lineman fined in coach's death
PETE IACOBELLI
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Clemson offensive lineman Roman Fry has been fined by the state Department of Natural Resources, but won't face more serious charges in the accidental death of assistant track coach Jarrett Foster.

Foster, 32, died July 8 when he was struck in the head by the WaveRunner that Fry was operating on Lake Keowee. The accident occurred after Foster fell off the WaveRunner he had been riding, according to the DNR.

Fry was fined $257.50 by the agency for reckless operation of a watercraft, Fry's attorney Beattie Ashmore said Wednesday.

Fry's teammate Nathan Bennett was fined the same amount by DNR for negligent operation of a watercraft. Bennett was driving a WaveRunner that Foster was riding.

Prosecutor Chrissy Adams said in a statement after reviewing the case, "the evidence does not substantiate any General Sessions-level charges."

Adams said Fry and Bennett pleaded guilty in magistrate's court.

Fry said following Clemson's football practice Wednesday that Foster and the events of that summer outing would never leave his mind.

"Jarrett was a hard working, great coach. He would want us to go on and go as hard as we can," said Fry, a senior. "We're playing for him."

Ashmore said the decision was reached after a month of "extensive negotiations" between DNR, Adams and Ashmore. He also said Foster's family had signed off on the decision and that Fry and Bennett - who attended Foster's funeral and memorial service this summer - would call Foster's family again.

"It's been a difficult and painful experience for them both," Ashmore said of the players.

DNR Lt. Rob McCullough said the agency considers the case closed. McCullough said alcohol was not a factor in the fatality and DNR's investigation showed that "neither operator was under the influence."

At the time, Foster's death was ruled accidental by the Oconee County coroner's office.

Fry underwent an hour of field sobriety tests at the scene of the accident, Ashmore said.

Fry referred details of the accident to Lt. McCullough and DNR. Fry said that Bennett, his best friend; and Foster's family were supportive through the ordeal. "All of us there knew it was an accident," he said.

Both watercraft were registered to owners who had ties to Clemson as athletic boosters. However, Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips said again Wednesday he did not expect the situation to prompt NCAA violations.

Phillips said the athletic department's compliance office has sent the report to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which forwarded it to the NCAA. The school has not heard back from the NCAA.

"We don't think it will lead to anything," Phillips said. "But we don't have the final say, the NCAA does."

Foster had spent seven years as field events assistant coach for the Tigers.

During Foster's years, Clemson had five top-20 team finishes and won six team ACC championships.

He was the East Region assistant coach of the year for jumps/combined events in 2005, chosen by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association.

Foster was also an assistant at his alma mater, Western Carolina. As part of the Catamounts' track and field team, he was a three-year letter winner, team captain and MVP during his senior season.

Fry said the accident put his life goals into perspective. "It makes you realize what life's all about," he said. "You learn to value every second. ... If Jarrett were here, that's what he'd tell me."