I am a native of the South Bay. I grew up in competitive swimming. As an “age group” swimmer, I started with the "Hawthorne Otters" which later became known as “the South Bay Waves” and now “SOBA.” I practically lived at the Hawthorne pool and eventually became a swim instructor and the Senior Lifeguard there where I worked summers while I was in college. During that time, I swam for Surfside a couple of summers, training for the annual Pier-to-Pier swim. During my freshman year in college, I competed for UC Irvine. I have also enjoyed Masters Swimming off-and-on as my busy “Mom” schedule permits.
I have 2 kids on the team. Both are “Seniors” swimming with John now but they started the sport at the ages of 6 and 8. I became involved with Surfside shortly after my kids joined the team because I want to help keep the tradition at Surfside going strong. Surfside is about the joy of swimming as a lifestyle. That is what sets Surfside apart from other swim programs.
