Facebook Logo The Caltech Masters Swim Club
Great swimming at Caltech, Pasadena CA

The Workouts

The Coaches

Membership

Social Activities

Contacts

Resourses

Gallery

Caltech Masters pool workout

Who we are:

    Caltech Masters Swim Club (CTMSC) has approximately 60 active members who enjoy coached group training. Team members' abilities range from getting-back-into-shape to competitive.
    Lanes are organized by speed and ability, however, you should be able to swim at least 100 yards comfortably.
    We swim in the Braun pool, which is located on the Caltech campus. It's a 25-yard, 8-lane pool and graduates in depth from 7 feet to 14 feet, with deck or ladder entry only.
    CTMSC is open to both Caltech and non-Caltech members. We offer a friendly, supportive atmosphere, and we always welcome new members!

Workouts:

    They typically include a warm-up set followed by a main set, kick set, pull set, and cool-down. You can also expect short or long sets, depending on the coach. Yardage per workout is up to you but generally falls in the 2000 to 4500 range. Coaches are happy to modify sets based on ability. Just ask!

Schedule:

    Braun pool Caltech Campus, every Tuesday and Thursday 7:00pm-8:30pm,
        June thru August, Monday and Wednesday mornings, 6-7 am
        Check the Facility Schedule.
    *Some are meeting at the Rosemead pool (9155 Mission Dr, $5 exact change) on Saturday mornings at 10:00am to swim and then go to lunch.
    *Many of our swimmers are avid open water swimmers and frequently can be found at Hermosa Beach on Saturday mornings. Feel free to join in for an ocean swim or take a walk on the beach instead and join them for breakfast afterward.

Location:

    Braun Athletic Center (Brown Gym)
    1200 E. California Blvd.
    Pasadena, CA 91106

Parking:

    You can park for free in the underground garage on campus or on Wilson Avenue.
    Check in at the Brown Gym (East of the pools).

Meet The Coaches:

    It has been said, "Every Masters coach I have ever met has been friendly, encouraging, and all around a terrific coach; the Caltech coaches are no exception" - Anonymous.

Kenny, in sunglasses, smiling on pooldeck Ken Grace

    Kenny has been coaching since the invention of water in 1978. He is currently coaching the Tuesday and Thursday evening workouts.
    Typically his sets consist of a combination of short and long distances totaling 2500-3500 yards in 1 1/2 hours. Slower swimmers should do about 70% of each set. He is famously known to throw in a Bon Bon at the end of the workout in the form of relay sprints.
        Warm up with 10 minutes of mixed swimming
        10 x 50-fast down easy back
        1 x 400 swim pick up pace last 100 yards
        Kick 6 x 75 with 20-30 sec. rest for each 75 done
        Pulls 6 x 200 30 sec. rest between 200s
        Swim 1 x 50, 1 x 100, 1 x 200, 1 x 100, 1 x 50
            with 10 sec. rest for each 50 done.
        (3050 yards + warm-up)

Si, in sunglasses, smiling on pooldeck Sian Romoli

    Si has been coaching since 2015 and has been an active member of the Caltech swim club, competing in Open water swims on a regular basis. She most often follows the usual pattern (just different yardage or repetitions - the goal is 3000-4000 yards in the 1 1/2 hours):
        500 warm-up
        8 x 50s (usually some sort of drill/scull or stroke to warm up)
        4x 100s (kick set)
        5 x 200s (pull set)
        4 x 125s (IM or stroke set)
        10 x 25s (sprints)
        (3050 yards + Cool-down)

Membership:

    All Caltech Masters team members are required to be current members of United States Masters Swimming. Current dues for USMS are $60 per year. When you join USMS, you will also become a member of Southern Pacific Masters Swimming (SPMS). List your club as CTM.
    Non-Caltech-affiliated members are required to pay a one-time fee of $10 for a facility entrance ID card.

Club Social Activities:

    We typically have two social gatherings a year, one in the summer and one in December. They vary in location (this year's summer event was in sunny San Clemente!), but they're usually held in a private home in the Pasadena area, and they're always fun.

Interested in Joining Caltech Masters?

    If you would like a one time free session trial or join, please contact us by filling out and emailing back this membership Inquiry form.
    USMS contact/membership & Caltech Liaison: Suzy Dodd
        CaltechLiaison at CTMSC dot org
    Membership, Roster and Dues: Pete and Lisa Loeffler
        Membership at CTMSC dot org
    Treasurer: Dan and Lori Stein
        Treasurer at CTMSC dot org
    Coach Liaison: Jan Martin
        Coach at CTMSC dot org
    Caltech Student Coordinator: Rene Wang
        CTstudent at CTMSC dot org
    Webmaster: Tom O'Hara
        Webmaster at CTMSC dot org

Lap Swimming and Lessons Resources:

    Arcadia County Pool Norman Johnson Aquatic Center 405 South Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia (626) 821-5894. Cost: $15 for 5 entries or $80 for 30 entries on line only - Membership Sign Up. Pool open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11am to 7pm - call.
    City of Duarte Fitness Center 1600 Huntington Dr 626-357-6118. Mon. thru Sat. 6:30am to 8:00am, 8 lanes, 2 swimmers per lane with 45 min. limit if people waiting. Every day, 11am-1pm, 6 lanes available for lap swimmers + area for 12 self directed aerobics. Cost $2 per entry, $1 for seniors 55+.
    Rosemead Aquatic Center - 9155 Mission Dr, Rosemead, CA 91770 (626) 569-2273. 14 lanes. Currently, no reservation necessary, $3 residents, $5 non-residents, exact change. Mon. & Wed. 5pm-8pm, Tue. & Thu. 4-5:30pm, Sat 10:00am to 12:00pm.
    Sierra Madre Aquatic Center at Sierra Vista park 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre CA 91024. Phone (626) 355-2356. Call for hours.
    El Monte Aquatic Center - 11001 Mildred St, El Monte, CA 91731 (626) 580-2213. Senior Lap Swimming Mondays and Wednesdays 9am to 9:50am and 11am to 11:50am. Must sign up in person Monday mornings at 8:15am and prepay reservation for the week.

Other Links of Interest:

    Foothill Flyers Running Club. Fun walk/jog/runs Wednesday 6pm from REI, 214 N. Santa Anita Ave, Arcadia (cross street Santa Clara) - Next to the Arcadia Metro Gold line train station. Many local mountain trail maps and info on the Run Routes & Maps web page.

Gallery:

swimmers take their marks swimmers in the deep Braun Pool competition meet

La Jolla

La Jolla Cove 10 mile relay - September 2023

Short Course Nationals Irvine 2023

U.S. Masters 2023 Spring Nationals, Irvine

Club Holiday Party 2022

Club Holiday Party Dec. 2022

La Jolla

La Jolla Cove 10 mile relay - September 2022

CTM pooldeck group

Caltech pool deck after the 2017 Pentathlon. Much of the water was splashed by the swimmers on the timers.

beach group June 2019 beach group July 2020 Beach group November 2020

The Beach Group - click to enlarge images

CTM beach group

Don Burns 1 Mile Corona Del Mar Open Water Swim 2017.

summer nationals

Long-course Masters Nationals in Portland Oregon - August of 2016.


The domain of this page is CTMSC.org Copyright ©2023 Tom O'Hara. All rights reserved.
Last update March 7, 2024. Contact: webmaster at CTMSC dot org