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 Sierra Swim League (JSSL), swim clubs Add Janes' †, Cherry Chase ‡, Eichler, Saratoga Woods, and Laurelwood were members of the year-round Amateur Athletic Union's now defunct Peninsula Athletic League.
Finding the year around swimming league to require too much time and commitment, the parents and coaches from three teams (Eichler Gators, Laurelwood Dolphins, Saratoga Woods Dolphins) decided to leave the PAL and joined with the Greenmeadow Marlins to form a new, summer-only, league for non AAU swimmers.
All the participating teams would be associated with small, neighborhood community clubs. The new swim league was to be considered a developmental league which emphasized team building and enjoyment of the sport during two months of pre-season training and two months of competitive swim meets.
On September 16, 1968, the Junipero Serra Swim League was officially established, and quickly expaned to include the Brookside Aquanauts (later the Barracudas and now the Waves).
By 1974, the league expanded to 6 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 7 teams.
In 1982, Los Gatos departed to the Valley Aquatic League bringing the JSSL to the now current size of 6 teams.
In 1985, the Cupertino Hills Sharks joined the league (coming from the Mission Valley League) replacing Belwood, which moved to the Valley Cabana Swim League.
† 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.