About Us

Ace Aquatics was formed during the COVID-19 Pandemic in July of 2020 by Jackson Buyers and Katherine Larrea. We began with fourteen swimmers (all under the age of fourteen) swimming at Lakeside Elementary School. In that group of kids we had four JOs qualifiers and zero qualifiers for senior zones and beyond. For an entire year our team trained and grew in a six lane, two-and-a-half foot deep, thirty-five yard pool. However, Ace Aquatics was able to thrive throughout all of these challenges. 

In July of 2021, Ace Aquatics, against all odds, placed fourth overall and second in our LSC at Central California Junior Olympics. That was behind Sandpipers of Nevada, Clovis Swim Club, and North Coast Aquatics. Ace Aquatics' small group of twenty-four kids were able to final is seventy events, finish in the top three in twenty-two events, and also had nine relays in the top three. We also finished with eight athletes qualifying for Senior Zones, and four athletes qualifying for Sectionals. 

While Ace's first year performance was outstanding, Ace Aquatics' felt far more pride for the family they created. At Ace Aquatics we believe that the team, and the values our team displays are far more important than any sort of training plan or athletic performance. We believe that teaching kids what is necessary for a person's success in everything from school/work/athletics to relationships is the surest way to success in the pool (read more about our values by clicking "Our Mission" under "Team Information"). 

Why Ace?

Communication and Transparency 

Here at Ace Aquatics we want parents to be involved in our program just as much as your kids are. We strongly believe that the education of parents is just as important as the education of athletes. It is a lot easier to accomplish our mission if we are able to build a community that is built around a shared goal or shared values. We send out weekly newsletters regarding meet performance, education of athletes/parents, and swimmer motivation. We try our best to communicate as early and as often as possible. 

Balanced Approach to Swimming, and a Value Centered Philosophy

In recent years we have been able to watch many successful athletes come from all walks of life, training plans, and philosophies. It just goes to show that athletes can be successful in any program. Here at Ace Aquatics we balance our program for a well rounded athlete. We are not an Ultra Short Race Pace Program (made famous by Michael Andrew), but we do hold practices that utilize ideas from this program. We are not a high yardage program (used by Katie Grimes who swam several weeks at 70k yards), but there is a time and place to crank up the yards. Our athletes primarily train for the 200 Free and 200 IM, until it is time to specialize. We believe that by training for these two events, our athletes will be prepared for all events. As athletes grow older, we will specialize athletes based on their wants and needs. 

Our main focus is on learning our values. If an athlete is coachable, disciplined, and positive, nothing can stop them. 

Individualized Program 

We want our athletes to be able to succeed in all aspects of life. We put a heavy focus on coach assisted goal setting, so that we can put an importance on individual athletes goals. We know and understand that not every athlete wishes to be an Olympic or even a College level athlete. We just want every athlete to be able to succeed in their own eyes, not our own. 

The Dog That Started It All

The name "Ace" came from Jackson and Katherine's dog. Ace (the dog) put in an equal amount of work in the formation of this club. Ace sat by the side of Jackson through out quarentine and gave the needed love and support to keep his owners happy while working long days and nights. While he is not allowed on deck at our new facility, Ace used to participate in morning practices with our athletes. Ace defines the values we wish for our coaches and athletes. 

Our Logo

The Ace of Spades orgin is a little less PG. One of Katherine and Jackson's biggest supporters served in the military. When it came time to choose a logo we were informed that the Ace of Spades was used as a calling card for the US Army. In other cultures, the Ace of Spades was used to intimidate enemies and as a moral booster for US troops.