About
The Junipero Serra Swim League (JSSL) is a summer recreational swim league governing teams from six neighborhood community clubs. During the swim season every team competes against each of the JSSL swim teams once in a dual meet. The season culminates in a day-long Championship Meet in which all teams will compete together.
Formation
Prior to the formation of the Junipero Serra Swim League (JSSL), swim clubs Add Janes' †, Cherry Chase ‡, Eichler, Saratoga Woods, and Laurelwood were members of the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) now-defunct Peninsula Athletic League (PAL).
Finding year-round swimming to require too much time and commitment, parents and coaches from three teams, the Eichler Gators, Laurelwood Dolphins, and Saratoga Woods Dolphins, decided to leave the PAL. They joined with the Greenmeadow Marlins to form a new, summer-only league for non-AAU swimmers.
All participating teams were associated with small neighborhood community clubs. The new swim league was conceived as a developmental league that emphasized team building and enjoyment of the sport, with two months of preseason training followed by two months of competitive swim meets.
On September 16, 1968, the Junipero Serra Swim League was officially established. The league soon expanded to include the Brookside Aquanauts, later known as the Barracudas and now the Waves.
By 1974, the league had expanded to six teams with the addition of the Belwood Dolphins.
The Los Gatos Swim and Raquet Club Stingrays later joined, and the JSSL reached its largest-ever size of seven teams.
In 1982, Los Gatos departed for the Valley Aquatic League, returning the JSSL to six teams.
In 1985, the Cupertino Hills Sharks joined the league from the Mission Valley League, replacing Belwood, which moved to the Valley Cabana Swim League.
In 2026, the Fairbrae Manta Rays swam a provisional season in the JSSL. Fairbrae had previously competed in the Silicon Valley Swim League, which disbanded after the 2024 season. That same year, Eichler requested a leave of absence from the JSSL, citing low membership numbers.
At the conclusion of the 2026 season, Eichler formally withdrew from the JSSL. Fairbrae subsequently became an official league member beginning with the 2027 season.
† Add Janes' Swim Club (named after Addison Janes) used to be located in Menlo Park on Willow Road. It opened in 1953 and has since been redeveloped.
‡ Cherry Chase Swim Club used to be located at the corner of Knickerbocker Dr and Brookfield Ave in the Cherry Chase neighborhood of Sunnyvale, along with a golf course of the same name. It has since been redeveloped.