Masters Spotlight: Laura Val a Force to be Reckoned With

By Emily Sampl

BOULDER, Colorado, September 8. LAURA Val, 56, of Tamalpais Aquatic Masters in San Rafael, Calif., has been on a tear, rewriting the record books and crushing everyone in her path this year.

Last month at the United States Masters Swimming (USMS) National Long Course Championships, she shattered five world records in the women's 55-59 division, eclipsing the previous marks in the 100 meter free, 50 meter back, 50 meter free, 50 meter fly and 100 meter fly.

The domination doesn't stop there. In the most recent USMS Top 10 rankings for short course yards, Val sits on top in the women's 55-59 age group in the 50 through 1,000 yard freestyles, 50, 100 and 200 yard backstroke, 50 and 100 yard butterfly, and 100, 200 and 400 yard IM.

Her success in such a wide range of strokes and distances is surprising given that she mostly trains freestyle.

"We train mostly free, and I like free," Val said. "My favorite event is probably the 100 free. But, I also like a little variety. I like doing the sprints a lot, but I also like to throw some distance in there."

Based on her accomplishments, one would probably assume that Val has been swimming her entire life. Surprisingly, this isn't the case. Like many swimmers, she began competing at age 10 and stayed involved in the sport until age 21. Back then, however, there were no women's collegiate swim teams or Masters teams, so she was forced to drop out of the sport. After launching her career as a registered nurse and having two children, she was finally able to join a Masters team in 1985. Ever since then, it's been a steady stream of swimming and fun for her.

"I mostly swim for the fitness aspect and because it helps you look good and feel good too," Val said. "Plus, how many people in their 50s can say they swim 5,000 meters a day?"

Val doesn't plan to give up swimming anytime soon, and she's already set some goals for the upcoming season.

"I don't like to set time goals," Val said. "I'd just like to keep doing what I'm doing, be healthy, and have fun."

Whatever she's been doing sure seems to be working.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use