Take a Dip with the Oak Forest Barracudas

Look out! The pool at Oak Forest High School is infested with barracudas—60 to 70 of them.

But these barracudas don't bite. The Barracudas are the competitive swimmers within the Oak Forest Swim Association, a volunteer-led group that takes any level swimmer, teaches a swim skill set and then releases the swimmers out into meets.

And they know their swim stuff. Last year, the team won the red division of the South Suburban Swim Conference.

"The kids have a lot of fun in the water," said Keri Baker, president of the association. "It's a great program."

Alumni of the program often find their way back. Take coaches Jennifer Motos and Nicole Martinus, for example: both attended Oak Forest High School, swam with the program, attended separate colleges and have returned to lead the young swimmers.

"They don't have to have taken swim lessons to be a part of the team," Motos said. "We'll conduct an evaluation, they get in the water and we see what they can do.

"If they can do a lap of freestyle and a lap of backstroke, we can work with them."

Oak Forest Swim Association is a 501c3, non-profit organization, that has been around for 35 years and relies heavily on donations and dues. 

They're currently in their off-season, but sign-ups for the new season are approaching. The team practice five days a week, Sunday through Thursday, for anywhere between an hour, to an hour and 45 minutes depending on the age group. Swimmers start as early as 6 years old and extend up to 18-year-olds.

• Registration: April 12, 13 and 17, at , from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 12 and 13, and 3 to 6 p.m. on April 17. 
• Cost: Ranges from $200 to $250, plus a fundraising fee. The season begins in April, ends in July, and includes five dual meets and three swim invitationals.

The organization is run by volunteers, mostly parents of the swimmers, some who were once Barracudas themselves.

Swim lessons are also available through the association's Beta program. Two, 9-day sessions are offered at the price of $65 apiece. The program used to be held by the high school, but was recently handed over to the association. Classes are led by certified instructors and cover a range of swim skill levels, starting with kids who are afraid of the water, Baker said.

For more information, visit the group's website.