Registrations are handled by Reston Swim Team Association each spring.  Preference is given to swimmers who have been on the team previously.  New swimmers are accepted on a space-available basis.  Please visit the RSTA website for details on the registration process.

For the 2014 season, the official team suit is Nike's Galactic Opera for both boys and girls.

No. The team selects an official suit each year, and Sport Fair comes to the pool one night for swimmers to buy the suit, but a previous year's team suit or any purple suit is acceptable for competition.

No. While we encourage swimmers to swim in as many meets as they can, swimmers must commit to swim in at least three meets to retain their eligibility to be on the team again next year.  It's very important to let one of the managers know if a swimmer will not be at a meet, or will be arriving late or leaving early—it's very frustrating when we spend time looking for someone who isn't even there!

Practices are every day during the week.  Until school gets out, practices are in the evenings:  10 and under swimmers practice from 7:00 pm - 7:40 pm and 11 and older swimmers practice from 7:45pm - 8:30 pm.  Once school gets out, practices are every morning during the week: 10 and under swimmers practice from 8:00 am - 8:40 and 11 and older swimmers practice from 8:45 - 9:30.

Themes for Meets

The coaches select a spirit theme for each meet and encourage swimmers to show their team spirit by dressing up to go with the theme. For 2014 the themes are:

Caravan to Away Meets

Traditionally many team members meet at the South Lakes Safeway parking lot at about 6:30 on mornings we have away meets.  People decorate their cars with window markers and we drive to the meet in a caravan.

Fun Day Monday

On the Monday after meets, coaches hand out ribbons to swimmers who placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, and swimmers who improved their time get special recognition. The team also often will have fun relay races and play water polo or other water games for fun during part of the practice.

Coaches seed the meets (that means they determine which swimmers are swimming in which events) on the Tuesday before a meet, so it is very important to let one of the managers know as soon as possible if a swimmer will not be at a meet.  Each event has several heats, with six swimmers in each heat.  The number of heats will be determined by how many swimmers are entered in the event.  The slower heats are run first, and the fastest swimmers are in the last heat.  Within each heat, the swimmers with the fastest times will be in lanes 3 and 4, and the swimmers with the slower times will be in lanes 1 and 6.

Meet sheets—a guide to all the heats in all the events— are posted on the RSTA website (www.rsta.org) on Friday nights.  It's a good idea to print one out to bring to the meet so you can follow along and know who's swimming. Especially for younger swimmers, it's a good idea to write the swimmer's events on his or her arm with a Sharpie. For example, if the swimmer is swimming backstroke in heat three, lane three, write BK H3L3 on their arm.

Swimmers are divided into A, B, or C classes based on how fast their times are relative to the RSTA Time Standards (available on the RSTA website). First, second, and third place points are awarded in each class for each event (so C class swimmers can earn as many points for the team as A class swimmers) and weighted accordingly:

• 1st = 5 points
• 2nd =3 points
• 3rd = I point

Relay Events – Competition and scoring of relays shall be organized without regard to individual swimmer classifications and scored as follows:

• 1st = 8 points
• 2nd = 4 points
• 3rd = 2 points

A swimmer may enter a maximum of three (3) individual events and two (2) relays in any dual meet. Coaches make the determination of what events a swimmer will be entered in, based on their knowledge of the swimmer's skills.

Events are swum from youngest to oldest (8&under first, then 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, with 15-18 last) in the following order:

Butterfly

Backstroke

Freestyle Relay

Breast stroke

Freestyle

Age group medley relay

Our team depends on parent volunteers!  Parents are expected to volunteer to work at a minimum of three meets. Volunteer positions include such things as timer, stroke and turn judge, concessions, 8 and under helper, and so forth. Sign-ups for these and other positions are available at the parent meeting at the first practice.

In addition to volunteering at meets, we also need parent volunteers for such tasks as organizing the end of season party, handling spirit wear orders, updating the website, creating a flashback slideshow for the end of season party, etc.