Our Team
WHO are we?
We are an artistic swimming team, previously known as 'synchronized swimming'. Established in 2015 in San Jose, California, we primarily train youths with cognitive and/or physical disabilities in our sport. Operating as a private boutique co-op team during the school year, we are currently coaching up to 10 swimmers for the 2026 season, and subject to the availability of our coaching staff every season with a MAX. of 16 for our entire team. We offer highly specialized training for success. We operate as a strategic opportunity team that ensures equitable access for youth swimmers with disabilities. We always consider applicants who are non-disabled and qualified to participate with our team as beginner Novice swimmers if we have openings in that category. Sometimes, disabled and non-disabled swimmers wait as long as 1 or 2+ seasons to join our team.
KEY Activities & Team Focus
1) Inclusivity and Para-sports: The team's primary mission is to provide opportunities for athletes with disabilities (AWD) ages 7 and up, who often have fewer options in mainstream sports. 2) Training and Development: We offer coaching and long-term athlete development programs to help swimmers progress from basic swimming skills (note: we do not teach or instruct for initial swim lessons) to advanced techniques across six different levels (Tiers). 3) Competition: Swimmers participate in various competitions, including local, regional, state, national invitationals, and international events, within the para-sports categories. The goal is long term athlete development and to help athletes reach to higher levels in competitions. 4) Advocacy: Our team works with our local advocacy organization, Artistic Swim AWD-USA for the inclusion of artistic swimming for disability competitions and future Paralympics. 5) Volunteer-Based: The team operates with a dedicated volunteer coaching staff who invest significant time in athlete development. The team aims to empower young people with disabilities through sport, helping them gain self-discipline, confidence, and teamwork skills that benefit their daily lives.
WHY we DO what we do...
Over the years, it has been observed that swimmers with disabilities and impairments have fewer opportunities with community swim teams and other mainstream sports. Athletes with disabilities/impairments often struggle to progress in sports unless they already possess advanced skills, such as speed swimming, water polo, etc. Our focus is on artistic swimming, and we have seen our long-term athletes successfully join high school and collegiate water polo and competitive swim teams, with some moving on to Paralympic Swimming. We are committed to helping young swimmers who wish to incorporate artistic swimming or other water sports into their lifelong physical activities. While not every swimmer will reach professional levels—approximately 5% of non-disabled athletes do, and even fewer athletes with disabilities achieve this—so we take pride in making a difference in the lives of young people with disabilities/impairments by teaching them with skills that benefit their daily lives through our team program. Currently, we do not provide masters training, but we do coach young adult swimmers with disabilities/impairments, with certain exceptions. Older adults with disabilities may find opportunities with artistic swim teams that offer Masters programs. For more information on Masters swimming, please visit the USA Artistic Swimming website at: www.usaartisticswim.org
