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Daily Pool Calendar

Upcoming Pool Events

5/27 - Live Music (Brooks Lundy), Chili Cook Off, & BBQ Buffet

5/27 - NOTE: Pool Will Run on Sunday Hours for this Holiday Day (9-12 adult swim, 12-7:45 pool open to all--no swim practices)

5/29 - Swim Team: Deadline to Register Your Swimmer for the 6/1 Swim Meet

6/1 - Swim Team: Swim Meet (OPP @ Las Trampas) (Don't Forget to Commit Your Swimmer to the Event and Strokes for This on SportsEngine)

Notable Events For the Week

Atma Yoga on 5/25 & 5/26 (9:00-10:00)

Swim Team Practices 5/28-5/30 (4:00-7:00)

Masters Swim on 5/27* & 5/29 (9:00-10:00)

*Double check this event for those enrolled

Let's Remember Our Heroes This Weekend!

We have a three day Memorial Day weekend ahead of us!  It might be chilly on Friday and Saturday, but it looks like the warmer weather should be returning on Sunday and Monday.  Regardless of the weather, we have plenty to offer throughout the weekend.  Be sure to be on the lookout for several activities covered below, and don't forget to reserve some lap lanes. Also, next week marks the last week of our Spring swim schedule.  Look for practice time updates and pool hour changes that begin in June in the calendar and schedule link on the OPP website.

A Documentary on Bay Area Swim Teams

In case you missed it, here's the link to the documentary on swim teams in the Bay Area.  A few people from OPP are prominently featured in it.  Definitely worth the watch.

https://www.flip-turns.com/documentary/watch-now

Practice Updates

We have a limited week of practice.  It's also our last week after afternoon practices.  Please be sure that your swimmer tries to attend, and that they put their best foot forward as we ramp up to our very first meet at Las Trampas.

8 and unders: 

Focusing on stronger starts and finishes--be sure they're ready to learn this week!

9 and ups:

Tuesday: Breast- Kicking

Wednesday: Fly-kicking

Thursday: IMs

Don't Forget to Register for the Las Trampas Meet!

Log into teamunify and register for the Saturday, 6/1, Las Trampas meet ASAP!  Don't be the parent that has to tell your child that they can't compete in their first meet because you forgot to register them correctly.

Thank You Huey!!!

A BIG Thank you goes out to Huey Hu for providing the parts and helping us repair the jumbotron that HE DONATED to OPP.  Above and beyond man!  This should allow us to better post times and additional information at all of our meets, and it gives us the chance to throw some additional epic viewing events at the pool during the swim year.

Official Cafe Opening Day on 5/25

One more quick reminder that the Cafe is officially in business starting this Saturday! Given the chilly forecast Chef Dave will have plenty of hot chocolate on hand (and a limited menu). Come on down to celebrate the unofficial start of summer!

Let's Review Monday, 5/27 

Brooks Lundy will serenade the pool with acoustic jams from 5-8 p.m. 

BBQ Buffet! No need to cook dinner at the end of the long weekend--Chef Dave has you covered with a special Memorial Day BBQ buffet featuring:

• baby back ribs
• barbecued chicken
• hot links
• corn on the cob
• coleslaw
• green salad
• hawaiian rolls

Price is $16 for adults (10 and up), and $12 for kids under 10. Please RSVP here so that Chef Dave can be sure to have enough food on hand for everyone.

Chili Cook-Off! Join in some friendly competition at OPP's Memorial Day Chili Cook-Off. Bragging rights and prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. 

All entrants welcome--even Chef Dave is getting in on the fun. Bring your favorite homemade chili in a crockpot/slow cooker/vessel of your choice. 

Entries should be dropped off at the designated table in the covered kids' camp area by 5 p.m., the tasting will begin at 5:30 p.m., and winners will be announced around 6:30 p.m. All members are invited to taste and submit votes for your favorite chili. Questions can be directed to carrimaas@gmail.com.

Some tips for entrants:

- Anything goes: beans, no beans, spicy, mild, meaty, vegan, or vegetarian, even green?!? All entries are welcomed. 

- Bring your chili in your own crockpot, slow cooker, pot, or bowl. Any quantity is welcome, but try to aim for at least 6 cups so that your fellow members can try your entry and vote for their favorite.

- Bring a ladle or serving spoon if you can as well. We'll have plenty of small bowls and spoons on hand for tasters.

- It'd be helpful if you can please label your vessel so we can be sure it gets back to you (keep those labels hidden as this is a blind entry--your vessel will be assigned a number for voting purposes).

- And, as a final incentive, our trophy case will get adorned with a new chili cook-off plaque. The 1st place winner's name will go down in OPP history.

Late Spring Schedule (5/4 to 5/31)

(Please Reference the Calendar on the OPP Website for the Swim Team Schedule)

Getting To Know Our Pool

.  Today, we get to meet a wonderful coach whose been with us for several years and whose focus has primarily been on the 10 and unders as we've been ramping up this Spring.

Q: What city are you living in over the summer?

A: Orinda

Q: Have you lived there your entire life?  If not, where else have you lived?

A: I have lived in the Bay Area--including Orinda, Moraga, and Oakland--almost my entire life. For the past 8 months I have been living in Washington, D.C for college.

A: I am a rising sophomore at American University's School of Public Affairs. 

Q: Where did you swim when you were younger?

A: I learned to swim at Acorn, but I have always been a swimmer at OPP! When I attended Miramonte High School, I swam for their team as well. 

Q: At what age did you start swimming?

A: I started swimming at OPP when I was six years old.

Q: Do you have any favorite strokes or aspects of swimming that you really like to teach?

A: My favorite aspects of swimming to coach are dives and turns. It's really fun to break down and analyze a swimmer's turn or dive and. It's always amazing when, after a long lesson or practice, we finally find something that just clicks and it makes a swimmer's face light up. 

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: I am a full-time college student, even during the summer, so a lot of my free time is taken up with readings, assignments, papers, and studying. When I'm not at the pool or doing homework, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, cooking, fashion, reading, and listening to music!  

Q: Do you have any family members that attend the pool regularly?

A: I'd say my dad attends the pool pretty regularly. My sister doesn't coach or swim anymore, but my cousins, Tiago and Matea Araya, both swim on the team!

Q: Do you have any advice for some of our newer swim families?

A: I would tell the newer families that OPP is really a big family. Before you know it, you'll feel like part of the family! It's not just a pool, it's a place where you are your kids will find life-long friends and make treasured memories. The coaches and parents who have been at the pool for years are here to support you, so trust us, lean on us, and welcome to the OPP family!

Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for some of our senior swimmers that are nearing the end of their OPP careers?

A: I was a senior swimmer last year, and it was one of my favorite summers at the pool. We all know how special the pool is, so try to take advantage of swimming and coaching here! Go to the 8 am 15-18 practice, swim at the meets, watch the League games, and start writing your OMPA party speech now!

If you have any questions or comments for us, please reach out to us at news@orindaparkpool.org.