3 synchronized swimmers resuscitated at Kenmore pool

Three girls were resuscitated Monday after they nearly drowned while practicing underwater drills during synchronized-swimming practice at a pool in Kenmore.

The girls, who ranged in age from 11 to 14, were practicing holding their breath underwater during a routine drill about 5:30 p.m. Monday, said Rachael Hublou, a lifeguard at the pool at St. Edward State Park.

Hublou, 16, said she was teaching a swimming lesson on the other side of the pool when she saw the girls' coach jump in fully clothed.

"When the coach jumped into the water, I didn't think anything at first," Hublou said. "Then she came out with a girl that was completely limp and blue."

Hublou performed CPR on the girl, and the coach dived back into the pool to retrieve the two others still at the bottom of the pool. Two other lifeguards and a pool manager helped the coach resuscitate all three girls, she said.

All three girls were breathing and conscious by the time medics arrived. Two were taken to Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland, where they were in stable condition Monday night.

The third girl was taken to Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle. Hospital officials wouldn't release her condition.

A KING-TV news report Monday said the pool's chlorine levels will be tested at the request of King County health officials.