Columbia Masters is an adult-oriented swim program combining instruction with competitive training. Columbia Masters is great for athletes, competitive swimmers and fitness swimmers with dedicated lanes and professional coaching at every practice.

Requirements for the Masters Swim Program

The Masters Swim Program is an adult-oriented swim program combining instruction with competitive training. The program is not swim instruction — coaches will be on-deck providing feedback and instruction, rather than in the water.

All participants must be a CA member with access to the Columbia Swim Center. Additionally, all participants must be a USMS member (fee extra), which can be done online. Our club code is COLU.

Pricing information

The CA Masters Swim Program costs $50/month, regardless of how many practices/sessions a participant attends each month.

The program costs $40/month for CA employees.

All participants must become USMS members, which requires an additional fee not paid to CA.

Getting Started/First Practice

We want to make sure you love the Masters Swim Program as much as we do before you put down any money!

Contact Mariana Orellana (Mariana.orellana@columbiaassociation.org) about interest in the program. Then, for your first practice, you can try out the program and see if it’s a good fit for you before registering. The first practice doesn’t require any fee or registration cost.

After the first class, participants who want to register for the Masters Swim Program will talk to Mariana Orellana (Mariana.orellana@columbiaassociation.org) to complete the registration process

Weekly schedule

All Masters Swim practices will take place at the Columbia Swim Center (10401 Cross Fox Ln, Columbia, MD 21044, United States)

Monday 5:30-7:00am – Sophia Kobelja

10:15-11:30am – Allen Kampf

Wednesday 5:30-7:00am – Sophia Kobelja

10:15-11:30am – Allen Kampf

Friday 5:30-7:00am – Sophia Kobelja

10:15-11:30am – Allen Kampf

Instructor information

Sophia Kobelja — Sophia has been a competitive swimmer her whole life, an avid swimmer as long as she’s been able to walk. Although she is a 200-butterfly event veteran, her focus in adulthood has shifted to more long-distance and triathlon training (although we still do lots of short-course and targeted training throughout the week!) Sophia’s coaching style relies on these two principles: mindfulness and enjoyment. Her workouts are challenging, engaging, diverse, and lots of fun!

Allen Kampf — Born and raised in Brooklyn NY. He started competitive swimming at age 11 and in 1968 placed 3rd overall in the 100 yard breaststroke in New York City’s PSLA league. Allen went on to swim at Kent State University and has been swimming with USA Masters since graduating. Currently he has been training for Olympic distanced triathlons since 1980.

Pool closures and practice cancellations

The Columbia Swim Center may close for inclement weather. However, it doesn’t follow the Howard County School System closures — closures are contingent based on coaches discretion and facility access.

All members of the Masters Swim program will be part of the group’s Team Unify. If the Columbia Swim Center is experiencing a closure or a change in schedule, all members will receive an email update from Team Unify.