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Pleasanton’s Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center on Black Avenue near Santa Rita Road is the host site for a large swim meet again today.
City staff is working with the swim meet coordinators to help with the impact on the neighborhoods surrounding the Aquatic Center.
A traffic flow system will facilitate the drop-off of competitors, and all participants have been notified of parking locations at the adjacent Gingerbread Preschool, and nearby Alisal Elementary School and Amador Valley High School.
The Pleasanton Seahawks Swim team will host the Senior 2, Long Course today, which is expected to draw about 700 swimmers and spectators from throughout the Bay Area, ending ar 3 p.m.
This is one of the last qualifying meets of the summer and includes age groups from 6 to 18 years of age.
The Pleasanton Seahawks is designated by USA Swimming as one of the top 20 swim teams in the nation.
Next weekend, the Tri-Valley Swim League championships are scheduled on Saturday, Aug. 3. This meet is expected to draw about 900 swimmers and spectators who will begin to arrive at 6:30 a.m. Competition starts at 8 a.m. and is expected to conclude by 5 p.m.
Both meets will require the exclusive use of the pool so the Aquatic Center will be closed for lap swims and swim lessons.
What about parking? You won’t be able to park over in the Safeway center nearby because they will rightfully tow your car. There is a small parking lot at the pool and limited street parking. The people who run these meets should really do something to address the parking needs. Maybe park over at the high school and walk the two or three blocks to the pool. Lord knows I see a lot of fatties at the pool watching the swim meets so I know some of you could use the exercise.
These meets have been going on for many years; people park on the neighborhood streets and walk. There are parents of the hosting team in the parking lot directing traffic when swimmers are dropped off, also the entry forms and publicity for these meets give specific information where to and where not to park.
The Seahawks team is famous among USA teams in Northern California and beyond for running a well organized meet and is also a great organization of swimmers, coaches and parents. The swimmers attending this meet are at an elite level and train very long hours to make the cut for this meet.
The Tri-Valley Champ is another exciting meet and these parents and coaches also have the event very organized. It’s a fun culmination to the summer swim clubs series of meets. Lots of friendly families and swimmers ranging in age from very young to recent High School grads.
My family spent many hours at the Aquatic center when my children were younger, both practicing and working and watching at meets. We had a lot of happy times watching them swim and lots of memories of working alongside other team parents.
DJ, if you’ve seen a lot of “fatties” you’ve obviously overlooked the spirit and pride that these families have when attending and assisting with these meets. Lighten up and enjoy these summer traditions at the Aquatic Center or avoid the streets around the area if you don’t want to attend.
Good luck to all swimmers and thanks to the many coaches and parents involved with all of the teams for their endless hours of work and planning for these meets!
i am a big supporter of the seahawks and other groups using this pool.
however, even with the construction going on at this facility, it still is sub-par compared to other top 20 team facilities. for example, the locker rooms. omg. pathetic. small, grungy, etc. why didn’t the city consider making improvements to these locker rooms? make this entire pool facility a spectacle for regional and national meets! you’ve got a terrific team and they deserve better.
My parents live around the corner from the aquatic center and for as long as I can remember, parking on their residential street is a nightmare when there are swim meets. It’s not just a few cars, but all down Alameda, the court at the end and surrounding streets. The city should enforce parking at the schools and ticket people that park on residential streets.