Terrapins Swim Team

What Terrapins Swim Team does

Terrapins Swim Team (TERA) is a California-based 501(c)(3) non-profit competitive swim club founded in 1989 by Ray Mitchell and headquartered at Concord Community Pool in Concord, California. The organization operates a year-round competitive swimming program for youth ages 6-18 in Contra Costa County, organized into progressive training groups (Orange, Blue, Silver, Gold, Senior Development, and Senior) that span novice through Olympic-hopeful levels. Its members include athletes who have gone on to compete collegiately at a rate exceeding 90%, with 195+ High School All-Americans and 360+ NAG-ranked swimmers developed over the program's 35+ year history. The team is a member club of USA Swimming's Pacific Swimming Local Swimming Committee and has earned multiple USA Swimming Club Excellence GOLD MEDAL awards, plus Safe Sport Recognition for 2024-2026.

The organization's core product surface consists of year-round team membership, seasonal instructional offerings (Fall Technique Program, Summer Clinics, Orange Group entry track), and private stroke/turn/start lessons priced at $40-$60 per 30-minute session. Revenue is generated through recurring membership dues, private lesson fees, team merchandise (sold via Conejo Swim Works), and a diversified fundraising apparatus that includes TERA-hosted meets with mandatory family work requirements, See's candy fundraisers, Amazon Smile, Swim-a-Thon events, and meet program ad sales. The technology platform is built on SportsEngine's Sports Relationship Management (SRM) software (NBC Sports-owned), which powers the website, online registration, and member communications, supplemented by FastSwims and Swim Connection for meet entry and scheduling.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, relying on community outreach, summer league transitions, and word-of-mouth to acquire members in the Bay Area. Registration flows through the website and SportsEngine platform. The team is administered by a board of community volunteers and coaches, led by founder Ray Mitchell and Head Age Group Coach Doug Reed, with most coaches having worked together for over 20 years.

Name

Terrapins Swim Team

Legal name

Terrapins Swim Team

Website

https://terrapinswim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Terrapins Swim Team (TERA) is a Concord, California-based 501(c)(3) non-profit operating a year-round competitive youth swim program (ages 6-18) with progressive training groups from novice to elite levels, serving families in Contra Costa County under USA Swimming's Pacific Swimming LSC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Competitive Swim Team Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF), Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Youth competitive swimming
• Swim team training
• Private swim lessons
• USA Swimming club
• Seasonal swim clinics

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Lessons: One-on-one instruction offered by coaching staff at $40-60 per 30-minute session
2. Year-Round Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for competitive swimming program including practice access, coaching, and meet participation
3. Fundraising Programs: TERA hosted meets (family work requirements), See's candy fundraiser, Amazon Smile, Swim-a-Thon events, and meet program ad sales
4. Team Merchandise: Custom logo items including team suits, jackets, parkas, backpacks, hats and training gear through Conejo Swim Works

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Terrapins Swim Team is a 501(c)(3) non-profit USA Swimming competitive swim club based in Concord, California, providing year-round competitive swim team membership organized into progressive training groups (Orange, Blue, Silver, Gold, Senior), plus seasonal technique programs, summer clinics, and private swim lessons for youth athletes. The team also hosts sanctioned swim meets and runs fundraising/community events to support operations.

Product overview

Terrapins Swim Team is a California-based competitive swim team and non-profit organization (501-c3) offering a comprehensive youth swimming program from novice beginners to Olympic hopefuls. The organization operates primarily as a member club of the Pacific Swimming Association of USA Swimming, with the main website serving as the digital platform for team communications, registration, and member management powered by SportsEngine. The core offering consists of year-round competitive swim training organized into progressive training groups (Orange, Blue, Silver, Gold, Senior Development, Senior), supplemented by seasonal programs including summer clinics, fall technique programs, and private lessons. Additional services include incentive programs recognizing swimmer achievement, team-organized meets as fundraising events, and various fundraising activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Year-Round Competitive Swim Team Membership Recurring membership that gives youth swimmers access to TERA's year-round USA Swimming-sanctioned competitive training across five progressive training groups (Orange, Blue, Silver, Gold, Senior), including participation in hosted and away swim meets. Designed for school-age through high-school-age competitive swimmers and their families.
• Private Swim Lessons One-on-one personalized swim instruction offered alongside team training, tailored to individual swimmer skill development needs. Targeted at swimmers seeking accelerated or focused technique work outside of group training.
• Summer Swim Clinics Seasonal summer clinics providing focused swim instruction and conditioning outside of the traditional school-year season. Available to swimmers seeking supplementary training during the summer months.
• Fall Technique Program Seasonal fall technique program designed to sharpen stroke mechanics and competitive readiness as the school-year training cycle begins. Targeted at competitive swimmers looking to refine technique during the fall season.
• Senior Prep Bronze Group Pre-Senior Bronze-level training group for swimmers being prepared to enter the Senior tier of the team's progression. Targeted at older age-group swimmers transitioning toward elite senior-level competition.
• TERA Hosted Swim Meets Sanctioned competitive swim meets hosted by Terrapins Swim Team, providing competitive racing opportunities for club swimmers. Targeted at USA Swimming-registered athletes and clubs.
• Team Merchandise and Spirit Wear TERA-branded merchandise and spirit wear available for purchase to members and supporters, used both as team identity gear and as a fundraising mechanism for the non-profit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of swimmers go on to compete in college, many on scholarships
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pacific SwimmingcoreOthersLocal Swimming Committee (LSC) of USA Swimming. Terrapins is a member club of Pacific Swimming, participating in regional meets, championships, and Zone 2 competitions.
• USA SwimmingcoreOthersNational governing body for competitive swimming. Terrapins swimmers must be USA Swimming registered members to compete in sanctioned meets.
• SportsEnginecoreTechnology or IntegrationSports Relationship Management (SRM) software platform powering the team website, online registration, and member communications. Owned and operated by NBC Sports.
• Conejo Swim WorksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized vendor for team merchandise including custom logo suits, jackets, parkas, backpacks, hats and training gear. Team requires annual suit purchase through this vendor.
• Concord Community PoolcoreOthersPrimary facility for team practices and TERA-hosted home meets. Located at 3501 Cowell Road, Concord, CA 94518.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Carmel Swim Club: Indiana-based elite USA Swimming club with a strong national reputation for age group and senior development. Comparable to Terrapins in producing national champions and operating a multi-tier progressive training model.
• Irvine Novaquatics: Elite Southern California USA Swimming club recognized as one of the top age group and senior programs nationally. Comparable to Terrapins in producing Junior Olympic and National-level qualifiers and operating a multi-tier progressive group model.
• Diablo Aquatics: Contra Costa County USA Swimming club and the most geographically proximate peer to Terrapins. Competes in the same Pacific Swimming Zone 2 region and offers year-round age group and senior programming with similar community-based structure.
• Pleasanton Seahawks: East Bay USA Swimming club that competes in Pacific Swimming and serves a similar Tri-Valley feeder market. Comparable in size, structure, and age-group competitive positioning to Terrapins.
• Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics: Elite USA Swimming club based on the Peninsula serving youth competitive swimmers in the Bay Area, competing in Pacific Swimming. Operates a similar year-round progressive training group model with comparable coaching depth and college placement focus.
• Mission Viejo Nadadores: Elite Southern California USA Swimming club with a multi-decade track record of national champions and Olympians. Comparable in scale of competitive outcomes, GOLD-level program reputation, and broad novice-to-elite training group structure.
• Orinda Aquatics: East Bay USA Swimming club operating in the Lamorinda/Contra Costa feeder region. Closely comparable in market geography, member base scale, and Pacific Swimming competition context.
• Santa Clara Swim Club: One of the most storied Northern California USA Swimming clubs with a long history of producing national-level swimmers and Olympians. Comparable to Terrapins in producing college-bound athletes and offering full novice-to-elite progression.
• North Bay Aquatics: Bay Area USA Swimming club serving Marin and Sonoma counties. Comparable in age-group and senior competitive programming, though operating in a different geographic feeder within Pacific Swimming.

Broad incumbents

• Bolles School Sharks: Historic Jacksonville-based USA Swimming program affiliated with The Bolles School, with an Olympic-tier national reputation and a much larger institutional footprint than Terrapins. Comparable as a benchmark for elite youth swimming development at the highest tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terrapins-swim-team

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Terrapins Swim Team