The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center (RBAC) is an aquatics facility located in Pasadena, California, adjacent to the Rose Bowl stadium. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a public facility, providing opportunities for aquatic recreation and competition.[1] The center is best known as the training facility for its resident competitive teams, including the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club, Rose Bowl Masters Swimming, Rose Bowl diving, and the Rose Bowl water polo club.
The facility opened in 1990 on the site of the city's previous, larger public pool, the Brookside Plunge.[3] The Plunge, which originally opened in 1925, had served the community for decades but eventually fell into disrepair and was closed in the 1980s.
The development of the modern Rose Bowl Aquatics Center was a joint community effort to replace the aging facility. The project was funded by a $4.5 million city-funded bond measure, which was combined with over $1.7 million in private donations.[4] A crucial final $430,000 was raised by a committee of local citizens, including a significant contribution from Pasadena neighbor Eugenie Scott. Scott was also the Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and one of its founding directors.[6]
Facilities
The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is a state-of-the-art complex centered around multiple pools designed for public use and elite competition.
Competition Pools: The center features two 50-meter Olympic-sized pools. These are used for lap swimming, competitive training, and large-scale swim meets.
Diving Well: A separate diving well facility, equipped with a full set of springboards (1-meter, 3-meter) and platforms (5-meter, 7.5-meter, 10-meter), meets international competition standards.
Therapy Pool: A smaller, warmer pool is maintained for therapeutic uses, rehabilitation, and introductory swim classes.
Major Events and Usage
The center is a prominent venue for high-level athletic events and has hosted numerous national championships and international exhibitions.
The center has a long history of hosting elite athletes and teams.
In 2008, the facility hosted the final practices for the US Olympic swimming and diving teams before their departure for the Beijing Olympics.
That same year, it hosted the US National Diving Championships.[7]
On June 1, 2012, the center was the site of a major international water polo match between the USA Men's national team and the team from Croatia, serving as a preparatory event before the 2012 Olympics.[8]
Collegiate and Club Use
Collegiate men's water polo competitions have been held at the aquatics center for many years. It notably served as the "home-away-from-home" for the UCLA men's water polo team.[9]
Resident Programs
The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is the home base for several high-performance competitive teams and community programs.
The center's most prominent resident team is the Rose Bowl Aquatics Club (RBAC), a competitive program consistently recognized as one of the top clubs in the United States. The swim club achieved Gold Medal status in the 2023-2024 USA Swimming Club Excellence Rankings, placing it among the highest-performing clubs in the nation for athlete development.[14][15] The club also demonstrates strong academic performance, ranking fourth in the nation in 2023 for the number of athletes named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team[16]. As of 2025, the club was recognized as a Bronze Medal Club in the 2025-2026 Club Excellence Rankings.[17]
The club is home to many well-known athletes and coaches who have trained and competed at the national and international levels. Most notably, eight-time Olympic medalist Jason Lezak represented Rose Bowl Aquatics from 2007 to 2012, including during his historic anchor-leg performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[18][19] 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kristine Quance (Julian) served as the Associate Head Coach for Rose Bowl Aquatics for nearly two decades (2004-2020) and was named the American Swimming Coaches Association's (ASCA) Coach of the Year for Southern California five times during her tenure.[20] The club has produced numerous other U.S. National Team members and Scholastic All-Americans, such as swimmer Chloe Addiego.[21]
Masters Swimming
The Rose Bowl Masters Swimming team is a large adult swimming program. Chad Durieux, a former NCAA champion swimmer, coaches the team. The program includes members of various skill levels and backgrounds, and offers structured practices, stroke technique clinics, and social events throughout the year. The team regularly participates in regional and national meets, and placed 4th overall in the 2010 SPMA Short Course Masters Championships held at Belmont Plaza.[22]
Other Programs
The Rose Bowl Aquatics diving program has been led for over two decades by Head Coach Ismael Perez, a former member of the Cuban National Team and a multi-time recipient of the USA Diving "Coach of Excellence" award.[23] Under his direction, the program has produced numerous U.S. National Team members and elite collegiate athletes. Notable alumni include Daria Lenz, who trained at RBAC before becoming a two-time NCAA champion (1-meter and 3-meter) and eight-time All-American for Stanford University.[24] The team also produced Tarrin Gilliland, who represented Rose Bowl Aquatics while winning multiple junior national titles before becoming a 2020 U.S. Olympic alternate and an NCAA platform champion for Indiana University.[25]
The Rose Bowl Water Polo (RBWP) club is recognized as one of the premier development programs in the United States, consistently producing a pipeline of top-tier NCAA players and U.S. National Team members. The club's most prominent alumnus is two-time U.S. Olympian (2016, 2020) Ben Hallock, who is widely regarded as one of the best centers in the world. Hallock played for RBWP before his collegiate career at Stanford University, where he won two NCAA championships and became the program's first-ever two-time winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award (2018, 2019) as the nation's top player.[26][27] RBWP also developed 2020 U.S. Olympian Johnny Hooper, who competed for the club before becoming a three-time All-American at UC Berkeley and a member of the senior national team.[28]
In popular culture
The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center has been used as a prominent filming location.
The famous cover art for Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind (album), which features a baby swimming underwater toward a dollar bill, was shot at the center.[29] In 2008, the photo was recreated at the center with the original person, Spencer Elden, as an adult.[30]
In 2013, the facility was the primary filming location for the ABC reality TV competition show Splash (American TV series), which featured celebrities being trained in the sport of diving.[31]
References
12"Contact Us". Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
↑"Jason Lezak Storms Rose Bowl Aquatics Invite". Swimming World Magazine. June 20, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2025. ...Rose Bowl Aquatics head coach Jeff Julian informed Swimming World today that Jason Lezak put together an incredible swim at the club's invitational...
↑"Jason Lezak Continues to Teach the Future". USA Swimming. February 7, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2025. In addition to the UCSB Swimming Gauchos, Lezak represented Rose Bowl Aquatics and was a member of the Irvine Novaquatics.
↑[https_//uclabruins.com/sports/womens-swimming-and-diving/roster/coaches/kristine-quance-julian/3736 "Kristine Quance Julian - Swimming & Diving Coach - UCLA Athletics"]. UCLA Athletics. Retrieved November 22, 2025. The Northridge, Calif. native has been the associate head coach at Rose Bowl Aquatics since 2004, where she has been named the American Swimming Coaches Association's Coach of the Year for the Southern California region five times.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
↑"Ismael Perez - Head Diving Coach". rosebowlaquatics.org. Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. Retrieved November 23, 2025. Coach Ismael Perez... a member of the Cuban National Diving Team from 1980-1991... He has been named USA Diving's "Coach of Excellence" several times...
↑"Ben Hallock - USA Water Polo". USA Water Polo. Retrieved November 23, 2025. Played for Rose Bowl Water Polo... Two-time Olympian (2016, 2020)... Two-time Peter J. Cutino Award winner...
↑"Johnny Hooper - Men's Water Polo - Cal Athletics". Cal Athletics. Retrieved November 23, 2025. Played for Rose Bowl Water Polo Club... Three-time All-American... Member of Team USA at 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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