Joy Ward Climbing the Masters Ranks

By Emily Sampl

BOULDER, Colorado, April 28. THE recently completed 2008 FINA Masters World Championships displayed some of the top Masters swimmers in the world, as dozens of world records fell by the wayside over the course of the nine-day meet. Though she did not compete at the meet, 65-year old Joy Ward of Oregon Masters has proven of late that she's among the top names in the sport.

In the 2007 Top Ten rankings for short course meters, Ward holds top times for 65-69 year old women in seven events, including the 50 (41.82), 100 (1:31.22) and 200 back (3:17.17), 50 (38.06), 100 (1:40.75) and 200 fly (3:42.91) and the 200 IM (3:30.76). Based on these times, Ward likely would have placed very well in her age group at Worlds.

She'll have to wait a couple more months to prove herself, however, because the next major meet she plans to attend isn't until August.

"I'm not going to Short Course Nationals in May in Austin, so I'm more training towards Long Course Nationals in August here in Mount Hood," she said.

Ward said her preparation is going well, and her team recently began training long course to get ready for the summer season.

"We're training long course right now, and we usually get in around 3-4,000 meters. I usually train about 4-5 days a week," she said. "I mostly just train freestyle and backstroke, although I race the individual medley also."

Thankfully, Ward hasn't had to worry about any injuries in her career, and gives credit to swimming for helping her stay healthy and young.

"Swimming really is the fountain of youth," she said. "It helps me psychologically and physically. I tell people my age and they're like, ‘No you're not!' I work in the medical field, so I'm always working with older patients. Being around people my age and seeing how much better shape I'm in because of swimming is definitely motivating."

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