Swim Team in Lamorinda

We had officially drunk the Kool-Aid. That was the realization my husband and I came to one year after our move to Lamorinda. We first arrived as newbies to town the week of OMPA. OMPA who? You might think Oompa Loompas gone wild as I did, but it stands for Orinda Moraga Pool Association and some might say it represents the single most All-Consuming Sporting event of the Summer in Moraga & Orinda. However... if you’ve ever seen an Oompa Loompa and an OMPA swimmer, you’ll realize the appropriateness of the analogy - little people filling every nook and cranny with their bright-capped heads and colorful bodies covered with tattoos and Sharpies, chanting and cheering.

 
But I digress. Comprised of every swim team in the association, OMPA is the culmination of the swim season in one gargantuan swim meet held at Campolindo High School’s pool, Soda Aquatic Center. That first week driving into the area, we were caught off guard and perhaps somewhat frightened by the aquatic animals topping or covering the cars – sharks, marlins, gators, dolphins & piranhas everywhere we looked. One thing was clear to our family... swimming was a big deal in this town! One short year later, we couldn’t help but laugh at ourselves as we drove the town with our fluorescent-painted car... and had a blast at our first OMPA initiation experience! Note to self: wash your car right after OMPA to avoid your car permanently painted several alternate colors...

 

Why all the fuss about the swim team? We certainly hadn’t considered the swim team before becoming Lamorindians. My impression of the “swim team” was early morning daily practices and all-day swim meets – neither of which got me excited. But, in Lamorinda, swimming is not just a sport, it is a social event – and for many kids, it is the bulk of their social scene each Summer. For our family, swim team has given the kids regular, daily physical activity (their practice is mid-morning for the young ones, so no painful early mornings until they get older and hopefully live biking distance from the pool ), goals to achieve beyond Summer reading & math, a mad-confidence in their swimming ability, weekly social activities they looked forward to (it’s like having pre-arranged play-dates), and new friends (for us parents, too!) from other nearby elementary schools. 

 

Initially, joining a swim team was a little intimidating as most kids join as pre-schoolers and ours were already elementary-age. Thankfully, our team that first year was very welcoming (as are most) and not hyper-competitive so the self-imposed pressure dissolved quickly. Each swim team in the area has a different feel, and some are more competitive than others. Depending on where you live, what your goals are, and how serious you want to treat your commitment will help determine what is the right fit for your family. Some are associated with club pools that you need to join to join the team, HOAs with some outside swim team members, while others are swim teams requiring no long-term commitment.

 

Registration for the Summer season begins in late Winter, so if you choose to join one of the swim clubs outlined below, most likely you’ll need to be a member before registering for the team. Many clubs have a waitlist, but in some cases that list opens up in the off-season, so don’t wait until registration time to pursue joining a club. If it’s a club you’re interested in, contact them right away to find out the process of joining and the expected wait time. Based on that, you may choose to join a swim team that is not your first choice but does have immediate availability... and you may even like it enough to stay there long-term. The following list represents the OMPA swim teams in the area and a little bit about each club.

CCC: Campolindo Cabana Club—An HOA-owned pool for the Campolindo neighborhood (the only swim team associated with an HOA in the OMPA), the CCC Marlins are typically the smallest in the league at roughly 150+ swimmers. Although designated for families living in the neighborhood, they welcome outside families who are sponsored by a neighborhood family. Boasting 2 lap pools, this can be a great place for a family who may want a more casual swim team experience with the opportunity for their child to swim more often in meets due to the team’s small size. Practices are weekday mornings during the Summer, with a Spring and Fall swim program option. Some Moraga families may choose to swim here for a year before getting into a waitlisted club that is nearer to them.

MRSC: Moraga Ranch Swim Club—Affectionately termed “The Ranch” and located near Camino Pablo Elementary & JM Middle School, the waitlist for this club pool can be up to two years as they limit their membership and members tend to stay around for a while. The pool is open from May to October and includes a wading pool and basketball court on the grounds, with a
The spring swim program is available as well. Also, a smaller team atmosphere is a family-friendly atmosphere where you can be as competitive as you choose, as well as “B” swimmers having more opportunities to swim at meets. The Piranhas practice weekday mornings with an optional late afternoon practice option 3 days/week – a nice feature if your children are in Summer day camp any week.

MCC: Moraga Country Club—To join this swim team, you must be a part of the country club year-round, whether you live in the community or not. This country club has a golf membership option, as well as a swim/tennis-only option, but can be a long wait to get in if one doesn’t live in MCC. The pool is open year-round, with Spring & Fall swim program options as well. The MCC Waves typically have 300-400 swimmers, often giving fewer opportunities for “B” swimmers at meets.

 

MSC: Miramonte Swim Club—The Gators meet at Miramonte High School and are open to whomever would like to join for the Summer, Spring, or Fall session – no pool membership required. Practices are in the late afternoons during the Summer making them more friendly for kids who are in camps each week in the Summer. Families at Miramonte tend to like the no-pressure mentality of the team. This can be a good option in the interim for families on the waitlist for their desired club.

 

MSTC: Meadow Swim & Tennis Club—Meadow is a private club and swim team available for its 275-member families on the south side of Orinda, near Glorietta Elementary. Neighborhood kids enjoy walking to the club with its proximity to the elementary school. Club membership is year-round and their swim team, the “Dolphins”, is considered to be more on the competitive side. Their pool is gutterless, making it a “fast” pool (kids... or should I say, parents, enjoy the faster times they may get in gutterless pools), as well as offering a diving pool and shallow play area. They also have a Summer day camp for 5-10-year-olds, incorporating daily swim and tennis.

MVP: Moraga Valley Pool also known as Moraga Valley Swim & Tennis Club—MVP is a private club in Orinda, just past the Moraga border near Del Rey Elementary, and its swim team, the “Marlins”, is limited to its member families. Offering both swim and tennis, they also hold a day camp for participants in its swim and/or tennis programs, ages 5-12. They proudly boast 3
former swim Olympians from their ranks. Their pool is open for recreational use from April to October with swim programs available from March – November.

 

OCC: Orinda Country Club—A long-standing country club originally built in the 1920s with golf options – its swim team is also for members only. The pool is open year-round and offers an optional Spring program, in addition to a Fall swim team program with a few meets included through December. The “Sharks” is considered to be a rather large and competitive team, often
taking home the OMPA trophy.

 

OPP: Orinda Park Pool—First developed in the 1920s, OPP is on the North end of Orinda near Wagner Ranch Elementary and is proud of its long-standing history in the area, claiming the largest pool and surrounding natural area. The “Stingrays” swim team is only open to OPP members, and is available to all surrounding residents, although priority may be given to Orinda residents when the majority of its members are from outside of Orinda. While usually waitlisted in the Summer, opportunities to join may occur in the off-season. Practices are mostly in the morning, with supplemental practices offered in the afternoon.

 

SHST: Sleepy Hollow Swim & Tennis—Also located in the Northern end of Orinda near Sleepy Hollow Elementary, the “Legends” claim to be one of the top ten teams in Contra Costa County and take its swimming seriously. They offer swim programs from early Spring through December and day camps incorporating swim and tennis for ages 5-9. On the recreational side, their pools include a 15-foot slide and shallow play area.

 

Tip: Choose this team if you don’t want the inevitable pressure from your kids to have an aquatic animal on top of your car during OMPA.