Non-profit swim team Occcoquan Swimming (OCCS) now has a new home in Manassas.
The OCCS team’s new headquarters will be at the Central Park Aquatic Center at 10371 Central Park Drive.
“After a year of using the facility for practices, OCCS has seen tremendous team growth and has created a vision that now centers their competitive swimming operations at the facility,” stated a release.
As part of the move, OCCS will be opening an “Occoquan Swim Academy” in the fall, which will include swim lessons, pre-team program, competition prep, a water polo club, and other fitness programs, according to a release.
The new location’s grand opening will take place on September 5. Several other area swim teams like the QDD Swim Team and Potomac Marlins also use the facility.
More on OCCS, from a release:
Occoquan Swimming the past seven years has grown from just over 250 year-round swimmers to almost 600 competitive swimmers training in six pools in Northern Virginia (Manassas, Prince William County and Warrenton). During this stretch of time OCCS has been climbing the ranks with USA Swimming’s Virtual Club Championships. Out of over 2500 swim clubs in the USA, in 2011 OCCS ranked 450th for the short course season; this year they rank as the 29th place team in the country based on performances from the top swimmers.
More on the new facility, from a release:
Central Park Aquatic Center boasts two 25-yard pools; one is 7 feet deep, 8 lane competition pool and another is 3 ½ feet deep, five lanes with warmer water. The competition pool provides training for over 300 swimmers from the team in a given week; while the shallow pool offers entry level swimming programs (lessons, pre-team, etc.) and provides a perfect environment for adult fitness and water therapy during the day.
Team offices will be at Central Park as well as practices for all levels of swimming and the one National Training Group for the team. Occoquan Swimming, Inc. is a non-profit organization and has many initiatives it plans to build on in the coming year to help bring more people in to discover the benefits of swimming.
“It has been a long journey, but we have added some amazing coaches during this time and they continue to be all-in with the team vision and helping kids reach the highest levels in the sport. We also have an amazing support group of parents that have also bought into our system and the swimming lifestyle. Over 93% of our swimmers competed last season in at least one swim meet and of those over 70% competed in at least six different events throughout the season; that compares to about 40% just five years ago,” stated OCCS Head Coach Aaron Dean in a release.
The swim center will host high school and summer swim teams, including:
High School Teams
Seton High School Swim Team
Brentsville District High School Swim Team
Battlefield High School Swim Team
Summer League Teams
Braemar Blasters Swim Team
Kingsbrooke Sealions Swim Team
Bridlewood Bridlewaves Swim Team
Wellington Swim Team
Ben Lomond Swim Team
Victory Lakes Piranha’s Swim Team
