Youth swim teams in Denver area (Aurora, Arvada: month-to-month, houses, neighborhoods)

[aearle]

Hi! We will be moving to the Denver area in June. I am in the major research frenzy right now of schools, neighborhoods and the like. Our daughter is 8 years old and has been on swim team in our neighborhood here in California for 3 years. We really enjoy it both as a great athletic activity for her, as well as the social aspect.

Can anyone help me understand whether most elementary aged kids in Denver do "year round" vs "summer league"? We want to be in a neighborhood where summer league would hopefully be walkable, but I can't tell if the neighborhood swim clubs are where summer leagues are housed? Or do both year round and summer leagues house out of the various rec centers and/or high school facilities?

Any guidance on identifying the swim teams that are very active would be appreciated. While being on a top performing swim team is always fun, that is not crucial. It is more important to us to have a team that is welcoming, with a good coach, good team spirit, fun social activities, etc. We are looking throughout South Denver (Centennial, Littleton), Western/Foothills area (Ken Caryl through Golden), and Northwest (Arvada, Broomfield, Superior, Louisville). We work from home, so location and commute are quite flexible for us, and are looking at houses up to around $800K.

[history nerd]

Many neighborhoods in the suburbs have summer swim teams at the neighborhood association pool.

I know a few people who coach recreational teams through CARA in Centennial/Southeast Aurora.

[SkyDog77]

In the city I know Skyline, Eastmoor, Virginia Vale and Crestmoor all have summer club teams.

[randomparent]

In the Centennial/Lone Tree/Littleton/Aurora, you'll find a variety of year-round and summer league teams. In year-round, many kids participate in the Aquawolves, which practices at Cherry Creek High School; the Stingrays, which practices at Colorado Athletic Club; and ACES, which practices at several different locations based on the level of the swimmer. There are others, but those are the three that come immediately to mind. For summer leagues, you'll find that many neighborhoods sponsor teams. My own neighborhood has three of them! There is also South Suburban Parks & Recreation (SSPRD), which sponsors the Wahoos. They practice at the Cook Creek Pool in Lone Tree and their registration is open to all.

For reference, here are links to the Mountain-Hi Swim League and the Rocky Mountain Swim League, where you can find a list of summer teams available in this area.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by randomparent

In the Centennial/Lone Tree/Littleton/Aurora, you'll find a variety of year-round and summer league teams. In year-round, many kids participate in the Aquawolves, which practices at Cherry Creek High School; the Stingrays, which practices at Colorado Athletic Club; and ACES, which practices at several different locations based on the level of the swimmer. There are others, but those are the three that come immediately to mind. For summer leagues, you'll find that many neighborhoods sponsor teams. My own neighborhood has three of them! There is also South Suburban Parks & Rec, which sponsors the Wahoos. They practice at the SSPRD facility called the Cook Creek Pool in Lone Tree and their registration is open to all.

For reference, here are links to the Mountain-Hi Swim League and the Rocky Mountain Swim League, where you can find a list of summer teams available in this area.

Can’t believe Aquawolves is still around!!! I swam on that team with the founding coaches in the early 90s.

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Can’t believe Aquawolves is still around!!! I swam on that team with the founding coaches in the early 90s.

I had swimmers at Creek, and the Aquawolves practiced after the Cherry Creek teams were done for the day. Creek has a new pool, and it's great for the swimmers, although the spectator seating kind of sucks.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by randomparent

I had swimmers at Creek, and the Aquawolves practiced after the Cherry Creek teams were done for the day. Creek has a new pool, and it's great for the swimmers, although the spectator seating kind of sucks.

Yep. We practiced at Creek. It was a nice pool 25 years ago too.....Much nicer than the city pool my high school used anyway. I’m sure it was due for an update though.

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Yep. We practiced at Creek. It was a nice pool 25 years ago too.....Much nicer than the city pool my high school used anyway. I’m sure it was due for an update though.

As high school pools go, the one I like the best on this end of town is Smoky Hill.

[NorthDenverGirl]

On the North side you will find Louisville Dolphins and Lafayette Seals to be good swim teams. Flatiron Swimming has a successful team too. Swim teams are actually quite popular here in Colorado and most towns/cities have one either through their rec center or as a separate group.

Broomfield is a very family friendly town, you could get a nice house for your price range there and schools are rated well.

[randomparent]

I also wanted to mention that South Suburban Parks and Recreation (SSPRD) also offers year-round swimming for the under-15 set who are not interested in the highly-competitive environment of other year-round teams. And it's pretty affordable, too! They meet at the Lone Tree Rec Center on Monday and Wednesday and swim for 90 minutes or so. There is also a Saturday morning session at a different rec center on the south end of town. The program is low-key, registration is month-to-month, and it's a great way for kids to get regular pool time with the flexibility to take time off for other sports and activities if desired. I imagine that other rec centers around the Denver metro have similar programs.