Oakland Barracudas

Archived Q&A and Reviews

---

Oct 2010

Hello! My 8yr old is interested in swimming and I'm interested in Oakland Barracudas, but the link appears to be broken. Has anyone had any experience with them? Thanks! Molly

---

My son swims with the Oakland Barracudas and he really enjoys the program and Coach Lael. They are currently updating their website www.oaklandbarracudas.com so go ahead and email Lael at Coachlael [at] gmail.com Joan

---

Feb 2008

Re: Introductory swim team for 7-year-old
The Oakland Barracuas Swim Team sounds like a good fit for your daughter. My son began swimming with the Cudas when he turned 7 (he's currently in his third year with the team) and it has been a very positive experience for him, and for me as a parent too. The team swims at Live Oak Pool next to Oakland High on MacArthur Blvd. To visit a practice or for more information, check out the Cuda website, www.oaklandbarracudas.com. Ask Coach John about the Junior Swim League, which is a great way for your daughter to swim with the team for an eight-week period and allows her to decide if she likes it without the pressure of having to make a huge commitment up front. And even if she decides to continue, the time commitment is very manageable for young swimmers, just one-hour practices, twice a week, participation in monthly meets encouraged but not required. Clarisse

---

Swim lessons for 7-year-old with Oakland Barracudas?

May 2007

Hello, Has anyone ever tried the Oakland Barracudas Learn to Swim Program? I'm looking for a good, and inexpensive, if possible, swimming classes for my 7-year old daughter. If you can recommend others, please feel free. (The ones on the web site are a little dated.) Thank you. Anon

---

My almost 9-y.o. son has been swimming with the Oakland Barracudas swim team for the past two years, and his younger brother took a session in the Learn to Swim program at Live Oak Pool earlier this year. I think it's a great program. Your child's swimming skills will be evaluated by one of the swim coaches or instructors on the first day, so she will be placed in an appropriate class level. Compared to other swim schools for kids her age, the CUDA's Learn to Swim program generally has a lower student-to-instructor ratio, so your daughter will spend more time actually swimming (and progressing) than waiting for her turn at the edge of the pool, and the level of instruction will be tailored to her abilities and needs. The CUDA swim instruction/coaching staff are positive and encouraging and great with kids. Also, because the CUDA age-group swim team practices at the same time that the swim lessons are held (in a separate pool), if your daughter becomes interested in swimming with the team (the youngest age group, the Bronze squad, is for 8 years old and under) and reaches a skill level to do so, her swim instructor can facilitate that transition for her.

My son really enjoys swimming with the CUDAs and our family has enjoyed being a part of the organization. I'd highly recommend checking out the Learn to Swim program. You can email me if you have further questions about the Learn to Swim program or CUDA swim team.

---

Sept 2004

We are looking at swim class options in Oakland for our 6-year- old, who is a strong swimmer for his age and loves the water. A country club membership is financially not an option. I saw the postings from 2002 on the website about the Oakland Barracudas, and am wondering if the organization is still thought of as positively now as it was a couple years ago. And we'd also love to hear any other suggestions about swim clubs we could look into. Thanks for any input. Wendy

---

My daughter was in the Oakland Barracudas for several years. We were very happy with the program. The coaches are great, the system runs well, and it is a wonderfully diverse population of kids and parents. My daughter really likes it. Barbara

---

Sept 2004

Re: Racially mixed swim club around Oakland
My daughter participated in the Oakland Barracudas swim team several years ago. It was the most racially diverse team we found- mostly white but with a significant number of African- American, Asian-Pacific, and other students of color. We all really enjoyed the experience. The coaches are awesome, the team members are very committed swimmers and nice students but not oppressively competitive. Check out their website at www.oaklandbarracudas.com Diane

---

Feb. 2002

Re: Daughter would like to join a swim team
Hello, About swim teams for kids: my daughter has been on the Oakland Barracudas for several years now and greatly enjoys it. See their website at http://www.cudaswim.com/. They swim at the Oakland High pool, near Park and MacArthur.

We've experienced several swim teams in the Bay Area and the Oakland Cudas offer a great ramp from beginning competitive swimming (kindergartners, even) to very skilled. And they have a masters program for adults.

We especially appreciate the friendly parents of the Cuda swimmers. They're not the pushy parent coaches screaming at the kids that you see in some local swim teams. Nice people. ~Randall