MISSION VIEJO : Parade to Feature Nadadores Team

In an Olympic year, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday will celebrate the rich tradition of the city’s Nadadores swim team.

This year’s grand marshals will be like a Nadadores hall of fame, including multiple Olympic gold medal winners Brian Goodell and Tiffany Cohen and two-time gold medal winner Dr. Sammy Lee. Other former Nadadores members appearing will be gold medalists Rich Saeger, Michael O’Brien and bronze medalist Wendy Williams.

The parade will start at noon near the intersection of Marguerite Parkway and Olympiad Road. More than 100 groups and floats will be participating. Highlighting the parade will be entries by Raul Rodriguez, who has decorated floats in the Rose Parade; the Quiet Zone, a group of Saddleback College students with hearing disabilities; the Saddleback Rods classic car club and the Shriners.

The presence of the Olympians is expected to boost attendance, which annually registers between 10,000 and 20,000 parade watchers, say organizers.

“There’s no question that the community of Mission Viejo is extremely proud of the Nadadores,” said Rod Rojas, former president of the swim team’s booster club. “They are Mission Viejo, and the city is lucky to have received the legacy of the team.”

The appearance of the team’s most famous members comes at a time when the Nadadores are reorganizing after losing their major sponsor, the Mission Viejo Co.

The team is looking for prominent corporate sponsorship to replace the development company, which is moving out of Mission Viejo as the city nears build-out.