Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Steamboat Springs Swim Team had a strong start to its summer season. Building off a fourth-place finish at August's seasonal state championships, 46 Steamboat swimmers headed to Rangely on Friday and Saturday and walked away from the meet with a win, edging out the Rangely Hurricanes, 2,187 points to 2,017. The Craig Sea Sharks took third.

"The competitions are always friendly and are always pleasant," Rangely coach Teresa Cady said.

Steamboat coach Essi Kenttala agreed the meet provided a friendly and "un-intimidating" atmosphere for the team to start its season and to record some fast times.

"Everybody did an outstanding job," Kenttala said, giving credit to the group of nine "excellent" coaches that help her with the 110 swimmers in the Steamboat summer program.

Steamboat had a number of overall point winners in individual scoring, including Jeannie Symons, age 7 girls, Keala Fraioli, age 8 girls, Finn O'Connell, age 8 boys, Malia Fraioli, age 9 to 10 girls, Amy Brodie age 13 to 14 girls and Michelle Lichtenfels, age 15 and older girls.

Steamboat resident finishes big in Alcatraz Tri

Joy Rasmussen had heard all the stories about convicts escaping from Alcatraz Island and trying to swim to freedom across the San Francisco Bay. But Rasmussen looked past the tales of sharks and rouge riptides after qualifying to race in the popular Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on Sunday.

"They haven't lost anybody in the 17 years they've been doing it, so I figured I'd be OK," Rasmussen joked.

After being dropped off in the frigid bay waters by a sternwheeler ship with the field of 2,000 racers, Rasmussen managed to stay on her course, in the right current, swimming the mile and a half to shore in a mere 36 minutes.

"You jump in the water at 7 (a.m.), the fog lays over everything, you're swimming and you see the backdrop of San Francisco - there's nothing like it," Rasmussen said.

From the beach, Rasmussen ran a half-mile to the bike transition, pedaled 18 miles through San Francisco and finished with an eight-mile run that featured a brutal climb up a set of "sand stairs." Rasmussen finished in a time of three hours, three minutes and 24 seconds. The time earned her a second-place finish in a women's 50 to 54 division that featured 15 racers.

Colorado Springs resident Andy Potts won the event in 1:59:34.

- To reach Dave Shively, call 871-4253

or e-mail dshively@steamboatpilot.com