COMMUNICATION

It is CRITICAL that we know of a swimmer’s absence well in advance so that we can plan for the meets. Please notify the Coaches and Team Reps. by e-mail about any absences. One swimmer missing makes a significant difference. Keep in mind that the planning and seeding for Saturday meets is done on Monday each week, so we need to know of any scheduled absences very early to ensure proper placement of swimmers. On meet days, it is very important to meet at our pool ON-TIME for “roll call” and travel in caravan to away meets so that we know that every swimmer is present. If you cannot do this for some reason, please inform the coaches and team reps. in advance so we do not have to call your house at 7:00am on Saturday mornings to confirm a swimmer’s attendance.

Please direct all questions to the Team Reps. We will be happy to address your concerns and your opinions. Importantly, we want to free up the coaches so they can work with our swimmers. However, please feel free to ask the coaches about your swimmers before or after practice, not during training.

It is very important to communicate to the swimmers that their goal is to improve their times each week. We try to focus on self-improvement and how that helps the team overall, since that is an attainable goal. Winning and losing are a measure of the caliber of the competition, but improving times is a measure of self-improvement achieved through hard work and determination.

We have many ways of communicating this year. Our primary forms of communication are our e-mail distribution list and GroupMe text app, so please make sure your e-mail addresses are accurate with Chris and Lori. Announcements, directions, changes, etc. will be sent via e-mail and over text. The GroupMe process works best when using the app, so please download today! https://groupme.com/join_group/68630935/3n7v092G

We have our family information box located in the swim team office. The information box will be put out during the day and will be out at all swim team events. In this box you will find a folder for each family with pertinent information regarding swim team events, ribbons, and other bits of information added throughout the season. You can also communicate with the team reps and the coaches by putting notes in their folders.

Look at the NVSL website for information, standings, and special features. The site is located at: http://www.mynvsl.com/

Our team page on the site is http://mynvsl.com/team/sullystationii. The website is a good source for information on the Piranhas and the NVSL overall.

PARTICIPATION IN “A” MEETS (SATURDAY MEETS)

Events - Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly,

and age-group Relays

1st through 6th place Official NVSL ribbons are awarded

“Personal Best” ribbons awarded

As a general rule, the three fastest swimmers in each of the four individual strokes for each age group will swim in the meet.

However, each swimmer can only swim in two individual events and the relays, so there will be situations when the fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. fastest swimmer in a stroke will be able to swim. For example, if one 10-year-old girl is the fastest in her age group in all four strokes, she can only swim in two of the four strokes, thereby opening a spot for the next fastest swimmer in two other strokes.

In addition, if there are absences that week, the next fastest swimmer will be eligible to swim in an event. Please remember to give at least one week’s notice if your swimmer is not going to be in town for an “A” meet on Saturday. Please do not assume that your swimmer is not swimming in an “A” meet simply because she has not participated in an “A” meet before. The “A” swimmers can change week to week depending on what happens at the previous “A” meet and Monday night “B” meets and based on swimmer absence. Even if the swimmers are not scheduled to swim in an “A” meet when it is announced, we would like as many swimmers to come to the meet with their swim suits, in case a change must be made due to sickness, injury, unexpected absence, etc.

In some cases, to fill “holes” in our meet sheet, swimmers will be “aged-up” to swim (they will swim in age-groups above their actual age). This is for the good of the team. The swimmer will be notified of “aging-up” when the meet sheet is read by the coach. No “aging-down” can take place. Our Team policy is to only age-up a swimmer if it allows a swimmer the opportunity to swim that he normally would not have had or if she has the possibility of earning points for the Team. Questions?? Please call Chris and Lori or see the coaches.

AGE RULE: A swimmer swims in the age group of his/her age as of June 1^st.

PARTICIPATION IN “B” MEETS (MONDAY MEETS) –

The goal of the Fairfax Area Swim Teams (FAST) Developmental meets is to provide competitive swim meets to those swimmers who have not had the opportunity to swim or to swim and be successful in the Saturday NVSL meets. Ideally, swimmers should have the opportunity to compete in at least two events per week, either on Saturday or on Monday.

There is no seeding for this league. Meets are not scored, and times are not official NVSL times; however, these are refereed meets designed to provide competitive conditions which are similar to the NVSL Saturday meets. Ribbons are awarded. FAST also hosts an Individual Medley (IM) meet.

EVENTS: Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and Individual Medley. (Note: at the second FAST meet of each season, the teams will begin with Individual Medley and then swim freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly)

ELIGIBILITY:

1.The eligibility of a swimmer to compete in a particular age group shall be determined by the Northern Virginia Swimming League rule 2.b from the current season handbook.

2.All swimmers are limited to a maximum of three events (two from free, back, breast, & fly events) plus the IM.

3.An NVSL 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place winner in a particular stroke in the last seven days is not eligible to compete in that stroke in the current B meet. If the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place was won by default or disqualification (DQ), then the swimmer may compete in that stroke. A swimmer does not become eligible by swimming up an age group.

Rules for First Meet of Season (if it occurs before the first NVSL meet)

4.A swimmer’s results from any dual A-meets from the previous NVSL season will be used in conjunction with the rules above to determine swimmer eligibility for the first FAST meet in the current season.

5.The first meet is not a “Time Trial.” If a swimmer has no NVSL time from the previous season in a stroke, but the Team Representatives know the swimmer’s best time in the stroke, the Team Representative should determine how the swimmer would have placed in the previous season NVSL meets and apply the eligibility rules above. If a swimmer is ranked #1-3 on the team’s ladder for a particular stroke, the swimmer should not swim that event.

Weather Problems for B Meets: We swim rain or shine. If lightning occurs, swimmers should wait in cars until a decision has been made by the Team Reps for a delay, postponement, or cancellation. Meets can be delayed up until 7:30 PM. We will try make up meets as soon as possible (ideally the next evening) depending upon the host pool availability and mutual agreement of the Team Reps.

Ribbons for B Meets: 1^st through 6^th place ribbons are awarded. The home team provides 1^st through 6^th place ribbons for the meet. Each team provides its own Competitor ribbons if they choose to use them. Ribbons will be given to 1^st through 6^th place winners in each age group. 6 and unders may be given 6 and under Star ribbons. Heat winner ribbons may be given at the conclusion of each heat.

All swimmers should consider competing in the Individual Medley events at our “B” meets. This is a good way to practice all four strokes and swim every meet!

Also, the swimmers who learn to swim breaststroke and butterfly legally have a much greater possibility of getting into an “A” meet because these are the harder strokes to swim. Don’t just focus on freestyle and backstroke, learn to do all four strokes!

Swimmers for Saturday meets will be announced at practice on Fridays prior to the “A” meet. A meet sheet will also be posted at the pool. Keep in mind that a swimmer can be in no more than two individual events plus relays in Saturday meets. The coaches and team reps prepare the meet sheet and consider times and team needs. Swimmers will be placed to maximize team points. Swimmers may be asked to “swim up” to an older age in an effort to get extra points or to fill empty lanes.

For all meets, swimmers must stay in the team area except for warm-ups or events. The Piranhas have done a great job in the past few years in showing excellent sportsmanship, winning the NVSL Sportsmanship Award several times, and we want to carry on that tradition. Remember that from the time the referee blows the whistle, there should be QUIET FOR THE START.  

Each NVSL division has a Relay Carnival mid-way through the season. Our Carnival is on Wednesday, July 2 at Rutherford. Swimmer selections for this meet are made late on Saturday, June 28 and on Sunday, June 29. There is not a lot of time to notify swimmers about their participation in this meet, and some swimmers who may not normally swim on a relay at “A” meets may swim in the Relay Carnival due to another swimmer’s absence, improved times, etc. Please be patient with us during this selection process, we will let your swimmer know as soon as possible if she/he is swimming!

The last meet of the season for most of our swimmers is the Individual Championships for our division. There is no team scoring for this meet. Each team in our division can enter two swimmers in each event, and then “bid-in” alternates if space permits. This is determined at the Team Rep. seeding meeting on Wednesday the week of Divisionals. We make Divisional selections with the swimmers on the Sunday prior to Divisionals. The following guidelines will be followed this season for swimmer selection for Divisionals: To determine the fastest swimmers in each event, we will use times from a 2025 A or B meet, or if the swimmer did not swim the event in a meet during the 2025 season, a time “certified” by the coaches will be used. For 2025, Divisionals will start with the Freestyle events.

Also, remember that just because a swimmer swims a fast time that is under the previous year’s All-Star cut does not mean that the swimmer will qualify for All-Stars in the current season. All-Star selections are made from the results at Divisionals. In short, to qualify for All-Stars, a swimmer must swim the stroke in Divisionals and be one of the 18 fastest swimmers in the NVSL from that meet.

Keep in mind that due to absences, or stroke selection, spots open up for more than the top two swimmers from Sully II in each event. Do not assume that your swimmer will not swim until after the seeding meeting. The Team Reps. will call, and the coaches will announce Divisionals selections as soon as confirmed, but this may be up until Thursday morning before Divisionals on Saturday.