The thrill of victory is especially sweet when celebrated in front of a thousand or more fans, friends, family and competitors at the annual OMPA championships.
Shark-finned cars swarm Campolindo High School’s parking lot, while inside the Soda Aquatic Center, 2,000 swimmers, parents and fans bring the noise. And lots of it.
Yes, it’s the annual Orinda Moraga Pools Association (OMPA) championship meet, and it was the highlight of the July 31 weekend – if not the summer – for young Lamorinda swimmers.
More than 1,700 swimmers competed in 84 events for three full days at one of the top aquatic centers in Northern California.
“It is probably the best recreational swim meet in the country,” said Steve Haufler, head swim coach of the Orinda Country Club.
Haufler coaches the team that’s won the meet, and in fact the team that’s won it for the past 25 years. This year’s Sharks sent 277 swimmers to the starting blocks, and once again ruled the pool.
Their competitors didn’t go down without a splash, but the Campolindo Cabana Club, Meadow Swim and Tennis, Moraga Country Club, the Moraga Ranch Swim Club, Moraga Valley Pool, the Orinda Moraga Swim Club, Orinda Park Pool and Sleepy Hollow Swim and Tennis all fell short. Again.
“I don’t think anything really sets us apart,” Haufler said. “All the teams are organized, very spirited, and they have fun with their kids. Every coach here is an excellent coach.”
OMPA got its start back in 1956, and the meet has taken place nearly every year for seven decades.
Swimmers aged four to 18 compete in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly, both individually and in relays. Top 20 finishers in the individual races earn points for their team, as do the top nine places in relays.
The age-group competitions begin with heats, though seeding is determined by qualifying times from summer meets leading up to the big weekend.
The nine clubs take turns organizing the tournament, and this year, the task fell on Moraga Valley Pool (MVP). MVP parents Sara Megson and Katie Fagundes were the meet directors, and MVP-affiliated OMPA club representatives Jamie Delaney and Mimi Cohen were OMPA presidents for the year.
Securing a permit for 2,000 attendees presented the biggest hurdle for the 2026 organizers. Last year, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD) began enforcing an occupancy cap at 1,000, which was the limit for the aquatic center.
But swim clubs know how to make things happen both in the pool and out of the water.
When OMPA parents found that the occupancy number came from outdated blueprints, they took matters into their own hands.
“We hired an architect and got them to redraw blueprints for the pool deck,” Megson said. “We’ve been working with the fire marshal all year, and we were finally approved for an increase in occupancy to 2,000.”
Hundreds of parent volunteers, like Megson, work as announcers, photographers and timekeepers to make OMPA possible.
“It’s the best community event of the year,” OMPA President Delaney said. “The energy is contagious and magical.”
The tournament’s spirit extends beyond the pool. In the week leading up to the competition, swimmers and families participate in car decorating, movie nights and team dinners.
Meadow Swim and Tennis Club member Kate Liu swam her 11th and final OMPA meet this summer. She just graduated from Miramonte and will attend the University of California, Berkeley in the fall.
For Liu’s final OMPA event, she and her Meadow teammates swam the 200-yard medley relay, and Liu swam her fastest 50-meter freestyle ever. Her team won the 2026 Girls’ Most Outstanding Relay award for their performance.
“It was very bittersweet,” Liu said. “Winning that heat with my friends and teammates was really exciting.”
But even though she’s off to college, Liu isn’t done with Meadow or OMPA. She plans to return next summer to continue coaching.
For many, as with Liu, the legacy of OMPA lasts beyond their swimming years.
Delaney competed in the meet for 10 years as a young swimmer, and today, her son swims for the same club. Delaney still keeps in touch with a handful of her childhood swim team friends.
“Some of my best childhood memories happened in the summertime at Moraga Valley Pool and at OMPA,” Delaney said. “You don’t necessarily remember the races or if you won or lost – it’s all about the friends that you make.”
Contributing Writer Ashley Dong can be reached at ashelydong2028@gmail.com.
