The Fairfax Station Swim and Tennis Club (FSSTC) opened in June 1984, and during that season, the swim team held meets to qualify to join the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL). In 1985, the Fairfax Station Flyers entered the NVSL in Division 10 and became the fastest rising team in the history of the NVSL, moving up to Division 1 in five years and were Division 1 champions in 1999 and 2000. Based on the results of the 2025 season, we are moving to NVSL Division 8.

Summer Swimming – What’s It All About?

The Fairfax Station Flyers have three primary goals for the 2026 summer season:

• Instill a love for the water and for the sport of swimming
• Teach competitive swimming skills
• Have fun!!!

Attendance/Practice Policy

Fairfax Station swimmers are encouraged to attend all practices unless they are attending a United States Swim (USS) swimming practice. All swimmers (including USS swimmers) are expected to attend their Fairfax Station age group practice on Fridays. If you have a conflict, please talk to the Head Coach.

If your swimmer is going to be absent from a practice due to vacation plans or another commitment, please inform the Head Coach, as soon as possible, ideally at the start of the season. For each swim meet, please go into the site and either accept or decline (preferably for all meets by the date of time trials, but at least one week in advance of each meet), so the coaches know who to put in the lineup.

Families are reminded that morning swim practices are held during the hours when the pool - including the baby pool - is closed to the pool membership. There are no managers or lifeguards present to supervise individuals who are not in the water. If you are a parent of a child 8 and under and opt to stay during swim practice hours, please stay under the pavilion or sit in the chairs along the outside of the baby pool fence. Do not occupy the tables near the shallow end of the pool. Children are not permitted to sit on the shallow end steps or to play in the baby pool. Children who wish to play should do so on the grassy area outside the pool.

Rain or Shine

Unless there is thunder or lightning, WE SWIM IN THE RAIN. If you are in doubt, check the the Flyer FB page. Fairfax County regulations require pools to remain closed for 45 minutes after a visual sighting of lightning and/or sound of thunder. We will make every attempt to wait out the storm and resume practices. 

Please note: if a meet is cancelled due to weather, volunteer credits are not earned. In the event of thunder and lightning, we attempt to wait out the storm. If the meet is cancelled, we attempt to reschedule it. Sometimes meets are not rescheduled due to the busy swim calendar. Volunteer credits are only earned when volunteer jobs are completed.

General Expectations

Fairfax Station Flyers are expected to behave courteously toward the coaching staff, each other, other members of the Club, and the general public at all times. Courteous behavior includes:

• Following the pool rules.
• Listening when the coach is speaking.
• Following proper lane etiquette – keep your hands to yourself (no pulling on another swimmer’s feet, etc.), allow a faster swimmer to pass, maintain proper distance between you and the swimmer in front of you.
• Coming to practice on time and being prepared to swim – bring goggles and water, etc.
• Encouraging your teammates with positive words of support. Do not criticize another swimmer’s efforts; they are trying as hard as you are.
• Exhibiting good sportsmanship during meets.
• Talking respectfully to parents and other adults.
• Respecting the authority of the lifeguards.

Parents, please be courteous to the coaching staff by allowing them to coach during practice hours and meets. If you have a question, comment, or concern, please wait to talk to the coaches following the conclusion of the last practice session, or e-mail the Head Coach. Do not interrupt the coaches unless it involves a medical or safety concern. Parents should not interfere with meet officials during the course of a meet, including asking for your child’s times or placement. Times are posted at the end of the lane in which your child swims. Meet officials include the referee, starter, stroke and turn judges, relay take-off judges, timers, computer operators, clerk of course, marshals, and table workers. Please direct any urgent concerns you may have during the meet to the Team Rep.

Meets

During meets, swimmers must remain in the team area unless they are swimming or in the clerk-of-course preparing to swim. If a swimmer needs to leave the team area, they must notify a coach. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a small, healthy snack and sports drink or water in their swim bag. As a courtesy to those swimmers in the water, swimmers not participating in the event are expected to be quiet for the start of each race (after the long whistle). Cheering for teammates and exhibiting positive team spirit is highly encouraged.

Swim meets are held in the rain. Thunder and/or lightning may cause a meet to be delayed.

Suits and Caps

All Fairfax Station swimmers are expected to wear an NVSL compliant suit and team cap during meets. Swimmers who prefer speed suits may wear them, as long as they are royal blue or black only. Suits and caps from USS teams, high school teams, All Stars, and advertisers may NOT be worn during meets. This is an NVSL rule and swimmers in violation may be disqualified.

Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL)

NVSL dual meets are held at 9:00 am on Saturday mornings. Please show your support for the team by coming to cheer for the Flyers. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to wear our team colors!

For the Saturday meets, swimmers will be placed in events to maximize the best chance of success for the team. In general, the fastest swimmers will be selected to swim in NVSL dual meets. All NVSL meets, including relay carnivals, will be seeded by the Head Coach and will be done in the best interest of the team. The selection of swimmers for individual events and for relay teams will be at the discretion of the Head Coach. The Saturday lineup will be announced at practice on Thursday.

A Saturday swim meet usually lasts 2-2 ½ hours and has 40 individual events and 12 relay events. Swimmers compete by age group, although a swimmer may be swum up to a higher age group either to fill an empty lane or for competitive advantage. In all individual events, 8 & under swim 25 meters; all other individual events are 50 meters (two lengths of the pool), except 9-10 fly, which is 25 meters. The order of events is freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and relays. The individual events are scored 5-3-1 for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd places, respectively.

Relays consist of four swimmers. Each 8 & under relay member swims 25 meters of freestyle. For the 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14 relays, the race is a 100 meter medley, for the 15-18 age group the distance is 200 meters. The order of events in the medley relays is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. The twelve relays score 5 points for 1^st place, 0 points for 2^nd place.

The final two events in a Saturday meet are the mixed-age 200 meter freestyle relays. Each relay has one swimmer (selected by the Head Coach) from the 10 & Under, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-18 age groups, each swimming 50 meters freestyle in that age group order.

Saturday swimmers are expected to stay for the entire meet unless discussed with the head coach in advance of the meet.

Monday Night Meets

Monday night meets are open to all swimmers on the swim team regardless of times. Swimmers will self-select up to 2 events. The Flyers will continue with the Springfield-Burke Swim League in the 2026 season. The other members of the league include 18 teams. They are Cottontail Cobias, Crosspointe Crusiers, Daventry Dolphins, Fairfax Station Flyers, Fox Hunt, Hunt Valley Stingrays, Laurel Hill, Newington Forest, North Springfield, Old Keene Mill Ospreys, Orange Hunt, Rolling Forest, Rolling Hills Swim Club, Rolling Valley Dolphins, South Run Seahawks, Springboard Barracudas, Village West Vikings, Walden Glen Wahoos.

Monday evenings and are non-scored meets. Typically, Fairfax Station will have five Monday meets. 

PLEASE Note: Swimmers that swim two individual events on the prior Saturday are eligible to two events (including IM) that were not swam on Saturday in Springfield-Burke Meets. If a swimmer swam one event on Saturday, they are eligible to swim two events (including IM) in the Monday meet.

Swimmers that did not swim any individual events on the prior Saturday are eligible to swim two individual events (including IM).

These are the ELIGIBILITY requirements as stated by Springfield-Burke League Guidelines

1. Swimmers shall not swim any event swum at the preceding NVSL-sanctioned dual meet.
2. Swimmers shall swim no more than two events.
3. Swimmers shall not be entered in events in which the swimmer has no likelihood of swimming legally.
4. Swimmers shall swim in their age groups at Developmental Meets.

NVSL Divisional Relay Carnival

The NVSL Division 8 Relay Carnival is scheduled for June 8^th at Forest Hollow. This carnival features one relay team per age group from each team in Division 8. Age group teams participate in both freestyle and medley relays (backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and butterfly). The meet usually begins with the mixed-age freestyle relays, followed by the age group medley relays, and then the age group freestyle relays (details provided closer to meet). The Relay Carnival is a scored meet.

NVSL All Star Relay Carnival

The fastest 18 relay teams in each event from all the NVSL divisional relay carnivals will be seeded to compete in the All Star Relay Carnival on Wednesday, July 15th at TBA . The All Star Relay Carnival is a scored meet.

NVSL Individual Divisionals

Divisionals will be held on Saturday, July 25th, at Mount Vernon Park. Each team in the division may enter two swimmers in each event; there are no relay events. If lanes are empty, a team may bid-in another swimmer based on time. In addition to the regular Saturday individual events, 9 & older compete in the 100 meter individual medley. The Divisional meet is not a scored meet.

NVSL Individual All Stars

Swimmers who establish the 18 best performances league-wide in an event at Divisionals shall be eligible to compete in the same event in the Individual All Stars Meet on Aug 1st at TBD. There are 17 Divisional meets, which represent all the teams in the NVSL. Each summer the order of events at All Stars rotates to start with a different stroke.

Award Standards

Time Drop/Improvement Awards

One male most improved award and one female most improved award will be given to the swimmer who has the largest percentage improvement throughout the season in each stroke. The awards are listed below.

Male Freestyle Most Improved

Female Freestyle Most Improved

Male Backstroke Most Improved

Female Backstroke Most Improved

Male Breaststroke Most Improved

Female Breaststroke Most Improved

Male Butterfly Most Improved

Female Butterfly Most Improved

High Point Awards

White High Point Trophy (.05-9 points)

Blue High Point Trophy (10-19 points)

Bronze High Point Trophy (20-29 points)

Silver High Point Trophy (30-39 points)

Gold High Point Trophy (40 points and over)