Slover preps for world water polo event

by Gary Franchi | Feb 06, 2006

Slover preps for world water polo event

February 6, 2006 Fit to be Tied Column from the Pueblo Chieftain
by Gary Franchi

If you said Carrie Slover was born in the water you wouldn’t be far off base. She was raised in swimming-rich San Francisco, was a member of synchronized swimming teams from the age of 5 until she graduated from high school, swam laps in college just for fun and exercise and even took a water polo class while attending California State University. Today, the 53-year-old Beulah resident makes her living as an aquatics therapist for Centura Rehabilitation and swims regularly with the Pueblo Masters Swim Team.

“I live in water and I play in water,” the soft-spoken Slover said with a laugh recently.
She’s been playing in it a lot more seriously recently. Slover, you see, has been selected to be the goalie for the women’s masters water polo team that will be competing in the FINA World Championships to be held in August at Stanford University’s Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

This month, she and her team wil be attending the Masters Festival training camp scheduled for Feb. 17-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. Upcoming in June are the nationals in San Diego. To say Slover is chomping at the bit to get going would be an understatement. She’s been combining Pueblo Masters swim workouts with some water polo drills for several months, has been doing weight training and can’t wait to get started. “I’m ready. I can tread water until the cows come home,” she said. A cross trainer, Slover runs road races regularly and competes in triathlons. As a swimmer, she has been competing in masters swim meets around the state, and last April she took first place on total points in the women’s 50-54 age division in the state championship meet held at Denver University. In her most recent competition at a meet in Highlands Ranch, she took first place in her age bracket in all four of the events she attempted – the 500-yard freestyle and 50, 100 and 200 backstrokes. Last August, she swam the Wingshadow 2.4-mile open-water swim in Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. At the FINA World Championships, she also will compete in the 400 and 800 freestyles and the 50, 100 and 200 backstrokes. This actually is Carrie’s second trip to the masters world water polo event. In 1994, she competed in Montreal as a goalie and as a swimmer. Including among her swimming events there was a 5K open-water swim that she completed in 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Running
The 10-mile race of the Spring Runoff on March 5 is part of the 2006 Colorado Runner Racing Series that includes 18 races from throughout the state. One of the criteria for a race to be included in the points series is excellent race organization, and the local Southern Colorado Runners club provides this admirably in the Runoff. The series began with the Oatmeal Festival 5K in Lafayette in January and concludes with the 37K Rim Rock Rock in November in Grand Junction. Marv Bradley of Cañon City finished second in the 60-and-over division of the series last year.

Registration for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon that are scheduled in August will begin on March 1 and will only be available online on active.com. Getting into the marathon requires immediate action since it fills in a day or two. The Pikes Peak Marathon website has all the details.

Multi-sport
Initially, local triathletes might get excited by the new, nearby “sprint” event – the Prospect Lake Triathlon set for June 25 in Colorado Springs. With distances that include a 750-meter swim, 13-mile bike and 5K run – the race is doable for many. However, the event carries a steep $70 price tag (plus a $9 one-day USA Triathlon license fee), and that’s if you register before April 1. After that, the entry fee rises. Since there is an elite division that will compete for $5,000 in prize money, one could say that the non-elite triathletes are paying the prize money for the elite field. In contrast, the Colorado State Games Triathlon, also a sprint event at Prospect Lake to be held in August, has a much more affordable early entry fee of $38.
Cycling
Registration for the 21st annual Ride the Rockies bicycle tour will begin this Sunday for those hoping to be one of the 2,000 cyclists selected by lottery. This year’s tour will take place from June 18-23, starting at Cortez, finishing in Cañon City and covering 419 miles. The registration cost is $290, and registration forms are available at ridetherockies.com. For the first time, the tour will leave Colorado, dipping into New Mexico briefly to the city of Chama.

Upcoming Pueblo-area races

  • Saturday – Valentine’s Twosome, 1.6M both partners, 9 a.m., City Park (947-3682).
  • Feb. 19 – Spring Runoff Tuneup (Prediction Series race), 6M, 9 a.m., City Park (564-0847).
  • March 5 – Spring Runoff, 2M walk, 5K, 10K, 10M and 1M kids fun run, 9 a.m., Dutch Clark Stadium (547-2777).
  • March 18 – Trail Mix (Prediction Series race), 10+M, 9 a.m., Nature Center (564-3170).
Send comments and fitness information to Gary Franchi via e-mail at [email protected].