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Show Local swimmers make a splash : -.day, December 23, 1982 Page C5 in AAU masters program Old college swimmers don't just fade away. They move on to new glories in the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) masters program for those who want to keep swimming competitively for the rest of their adult lives. Just ask Hank Louis and Dennis Cowan. These two locals have been competing in the AAU's masters division for years and loving every minute of it. "It's a national program," says Louis. "There are six or seven regions including the Intermountain. They hold a meet every month from Nov. until April somewhere in the area. "The masters program is great for people like me who swam competitively while growing up and are looking for an outlet after leaving college," he says. "It gives you a reason to stay in shape and keep your swimming style intact. It gets the competitive juices flowing." Louis stresses that even those who have not raced before should consider involvement. in-volvement. "It's basically open to anybody," he says. "About the only requirement is that you join the AAU. They break down the competition compe-tition by age groups to make it fairer. Everybody should try it." Cowan echoes Louis' enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. "The masters is a great program," he says. "It really pushes me to stay in shape. I'm 29 now but my times are only slightly slower than they were in college. It's a good feeling knowing that you can still basically do what you were doing at age 18. Cowan and Louis got into the masters competition simultaneously about tnree years ago. "I've been working out five days a week for a long time," says Cowan, who specializes in long distance racing. "Three or four years ago I met Hank at the Prospector Athletic Club and learned that he was into it just as seriously as I was. We started working out together and then we heard about the masters races and decided to give it a shot." Both Cowan and Louis have enjoyed considerable success at the meets. "We pretty much smoke 'em," laughs Louis about the duo's winning ways. "At the last meet at the Cottonwood Heights pool in November, I won the 200-yard butterfly, the 100-yard individual medley med-ley and the 100-yard freestyle. free-style. Dennis entered four events and won two as well as getting a second and a third." The years of practice apparently pay off. "I started racing when I was about ten in Phoenix in a place called Dick Smith's swim gym," explains Louis. "I then swam with the Arizona Desert Rats. After competing for a year back East in prep school, I swam for USC. "They had a tough team there," he continues. "My specialty is distance freestyle. free-style. We had four guys on the team who previously held the world record. "This competition was very tough. I quit after my sophomore year," he explains. ex-plains. "I never really swam again until I moved to Utah a few years back. I started up again to help rehabilitate an ankle I had injured in a motorcycle accident. Then I met Dennis and we got into the masters program and I've been having a great time ever since." Cowan's background is similar. "I swam competitively in high school in San Diego," he says. "And I kept on doing it while attending San Diego State. The AAU races give me a chance to keep in touch with the sport." Now living in Kamas, Cowan runs the pool at the South Summit Middle School. "We've got a real nice pool here," he enthuses. "I wish that more people would cume by and use it. It's got six racing lanes and is an excellent facility. For 50 cents on Saturdays people can come out and use the pool and take a sauna afterwards." Cowan also urges all interested area swimmers to participate in the AAU races. "The next race is Jan. 22 at the University of Utah he says. "People can call me for more information." His number is 783-2423 during the day and 877-5546 evenings. Factory Authorized Repair Freeze Protection Solar Spa Heating I V Spas yO Saunas . Hot Tubs NX Steam Rooms 'A . 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