The Tired Swimmer: A Case Study
Modified from: http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/detail.asp?case_id=202&id=202 ~45-60 min
Part I—Meet Annie
Annie felt despondent. Her teammates were being kind to her,
...
The Tired Swimmer: A Case Study
Modified from: http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/detail.asp?case_id=202&id=202 ~45-60 min
Part I—Meet Annie
Annie felt despondent. Her teammates were being kind to her, but she knew that she was the
reason that her team lost the swim meet against the neighboring college. How many people
could lose with a four-second lead against someone they had beaten so easily last year? As
she walked out of the locker room she noticed that the blurred vision and eye strain had returned,
even though she was wearing glasses instead of her usual contacts. Her eye strain had become
worse over the past month. Over the last week she had had mid-term exams and papers to write
and recently typing made her hands and fingers ache and they felt weak. Even swim practice, which
helped relieve her stress in the past, had become taxing. Her coach noticed that her times were
getting worse, even though he could see that she was working hard in practice.
As Annie walked out of the locker room she looked up and she saw her boyfriend, Matt, waiting for
her. As they walked back to her dorm, Annie thought how nice it was to have Matt to support her
during such a tough time. Annie was gasping for air and felt weaker than ever after they had walked
up the two flights of stairs to her floor. She told herself that she must set some time aside next week
to do something about this constant fatigue.
Annie had already packed her bags for the trip home and Matt was able to carry all of her stuff to his
car in one trip. When he returned to the room he found Annie reclining on the bed with her eyes
closed. He asked her if she was ready to go. “Sure, just can’t keep my eyes open these days. I am
sure I’ll be better when we’re home.”
Matt knew that Annie liked to drive, so when they got to the car he handed her the keys. She tried to take them, but her
fingers didn’t seem to work and she dropped his keys on the ground. Matt grabbed the keys and opened the passenger
door for Annie. As they set off for home, Matt asked, “Are you feeling okay? You’re not usually so exhausted after a swim
meet, and you seem to be having trouble catching your breath. I am worried about you.” Matt thought that this was
probably the best time to suggest that she see a doctor.
1. Summarize the setting (background) for this case
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