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Sports Autobiography
William J. Slaughter
Bill Slaughter’s participation and leadership in a broad spectrum of competitive and recreational sport has lead to an extensive knowledge of the ‘whys” and “how’s” of physical fitness and of the motivational, organizational, and logistics requirements of organized sports activities. He has been influential throughout the country in establishing sports and fitness programs for large organizations and in motivating the public toward healthy lifestyles.
Bill’s lifestyle clearly demonstrates his lifelong commitment to sports and fitness. This commitment began in high school where he was a member of the tennis, track, and wrestling teams and was an active outdoor enthusiast in such sports as mountain climbing and snow and water skiing. In college, he remained active and competitive in sports and began a history of tournament successes in handball and racquetball. By his senior year, he had won University championships in both sports. After joining the Air Force in 1967, he continued to add to his list of sports accomplishments. These included 19 championships in racquetball, handball, and badminton at the local, state, and Air Force levels. During those early years he also earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do karate and competed in several martial arts tournaments. In the last 40 years he has competed in 21 marathons and 16 ultramarathons including two “Ironman” length triathlons; 6 Pikes Peak marathons; a 24 hour relay marathon; two each 35, 50, and 62 mile races; and 2 successful completions of the Leadville Trail 100 mile Endurance Run. Other sports participation included soccer, golf, free-fall parachuting, white water rafting, and SCUBA diving.
Bill has also maintained his interest in outdoor sports by leading/participating in over 200 climbs to mountain summits above 14,000 ft. These include all 54 Colorado “14ers” (22 of which have been winter climbs), 5 winter ascents of Mt Rainier, 18,000 ft Mt Popocatepetal in Mexico, and 2 climbs of Denali (Mt McKinley) in Alaska. He has climbed Pikes Peak a total of 127 times.
In addition to his active participation in Sport, Bill has assumed leadership roles in promoting health and fitness. While in the Air Force, he regularly lectured to military and civilian groups on fitness and nutrition and wrote articles in military publications throughout the world. He was Officer-in-Charge of the Cadet Mountaineering club at the Air Force Academy from 1977 to 1982 where he taught classes in rock and ice climbing, alpine and winter mountaineering, and ski mountaineering. During this period he also served as a Post Committee Chairman for a High Adventure Explorer Post for the Boy Scouts. Bill was certified as a Fitness Specialist by the internationally respected Aerobics Center in Dallas Texas and has twice been nominated for the US Jaycees Outstanding Fitness Leader of America Award. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Pikes Peak Challenge Foundation and helped plan and lead that organization’s annual hike up Pikes Peak for brain-injured survivors for 16 years. Bill is currently on the Board of Directors for Barr Camp where he spearheaded all fundraising activities for the restoration and capital improvement of this important local public service facility. Bill currently works as the Outreach Coordinator for the Colorado Springs REI store. In this capacity, he teaches classes in a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities including: Backpacking, snowshoeing, winter mountaineering, traveling light, etc. Bill also currently serves on the Board of Directors of both the Catamount Institute and the Trails and Open Space Coalition.
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