2017 Swim Program

2017 Swim Season is Here

This year the Great Falls Rapids youth swim team will be competing in Division 10 of the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL).  For complete information about how the swim team works, click below to take a look at our SWIM FAQs:

Parents of new Rapids swimmers are encouraged to download our Rapids Parent Handbook. 

KARA MCELVEEN - HEAD COACH

We are pleased to announce that Kara McElveen is returning as the Head Coach for the Rapids swim team!

Coach Kara is a Northern Virginia native. She grew up in Herndon and started her career with the NVSL as a 7 year old, swimming for Herndon Swim Club. She later became head coach at the pool, while home from William and Mary during summers. Kara later earned a graduate degree from GW, and is a Special Education Teacher (5th grade) at Dogwood elementary.

Kara joined NCAP as a swim trainer in 1999. She has been head coach at Ashburn Farm and Trump National (Lowes Island), and Hunter Mill swim club.

2017 Swim Registration

2017 Swim & Dive Registration

Who is Eligible?  

Enrollment is on-going for club members under 19 who can swim a single lap without causing alarm to the swimmer or the coach.  For swimmers not yet ready for strong competition, we offer a developmental team.  The coaching staff will help the youngest swimmers with the basics of stroke technique while building confidence for future competition.

2017 Swim & Dive Team Registration

Swim and dive team registration is open. Click on the link below to register. The cost per child is $150, and $125 for additional children registered within the same family. A refund will be issued if the child is withdrawn by written notification to a Team Representative prior to Time Trials. 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Sign-up your athlete(s) for our 2017 NVSL Swim & Dive programs - one or both!

• 2017 Rapids Swim Team ($150) - SIGN UP
• 2017 Rapids Dive Team ($150) - SIGN UP
• 2017 Rapids Swim & Dive Bundle ($275) - SIGN UP

Acknowledgement:  By submitting this registration, I acknowledge and understand that swimming involves certain inherent risks of injury.  Although my child will be supervised primarily by coaches employed by GFS&T, they will also be assisted, supervised and/or transported to events by parents and others who serve the team without compensation. With a full understanding of these risks and circumstances, I give permission for my child/children to participate fully in the GFS&T swim team program.

SWIM PRACTICE

Rapids 2017 Practice Schedule

May 30 – June 23

• Ages 10 and under: Mon - Fri from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
• Ages 11 and over: Mon - Fri from 6:30 - 7:30 pm

June 24– July 29

• Ages 8 and under: Mon - Thurs from 8:30 - 9:15 am
• Ages 11 and older: Mon - Thurs from 9:15 - 10:30 am
• Ages 9-10: Mon - Thurs from 10:30 - 11:30 am
• Fridays: Team breakfast and fun practice for ALL age groups from 9:15 - 11:30 am

Alternative evening practices are held on (most) Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for all age groups, for those swimmers who have other commitments during the morning, or for those who love to practice!

2017 schedule of Events & Meets

Here is our 2017 Rapids Schedule for Meets and Special Events:

• May 30 First Day of Swim Practice (home)
• June 17 Time Trials (home)
• June 19 B Meet (home vs. McLean Marlins)
• June 24 A Meet (away at South Run)
• June 26 B Meet (away at Tuckahoe)
• July 1 A Meet (away vs. Forest Hollow) 
• July 3 B Meet (away at Langley)
• July 8 A Meet (home vs. Virginia Hills)
• July 10 B Meet (home vs. Hamlet)
• July 12 Relay Carnival (Mansion House - All Teams)
• July 15 A Meet (home vs. Walden Glen)
• July 17 B Meet (away at Poplar Heights)
• July 19 All-Star Relays (away at GreenBriar)
• July 22 A Meet (home vs. Mansion House)
• July 24 Intrasquad / Mini Rapids Meet (home)
• July 29 Divisionals (at Walden Glen)
• July 29 Swim Team Banquet (home)
• August 5 All-Stars (away at Sully Station)

Inclement Weather

Know Before You Go

Swim practices and meets are sometimes cancelled or interrupted when thunder and lightning are near the pool. Get up-to-date info on practice cancellations or when practices are rained out; sign up by texting rapidsswim to 84483, or click here: 

The Rapids Head Coach or Asst. Coaches are the only ones to call off practice. If you don't hear anything, the practice/meet is still on!

Parent Volunteers

We need you

Over 40 parent volunteers are needed to run each meet.  We are in need of new and returning parents willing to be trained and work as officials at each of the meets.  We are required to supply a Referee and Starter for each of the home meets as well as two Stroke and Turn Judges for all meets.  

Willing to volunteer for your swimmers?  Please click below for information:

Parent Volunteers Click Here >>

Rapids Spirit Wear

Attention Rapids fans: New 2017 Great Falls Rapids gear is (ALMOST) here!

Spirit wear can be purchased during registration, or order from the Rapids Team Store, or see our Spirit Wear Volunteer.

The Rapids Team Store will only be open until May 28th, so please place your order soon. Personalized caps must be ordered by May 13th.  Items will be delivered to the pool for distribution. Images and prices are located here:

REMINDER

All registered swimmers/divers receive a free team shirt and latex swim cap.

Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL)

Visit the NVSL site for current rankings and other great info!

The Northern Virginia Swim League, or NVSL, was founded in 1956 and is the largest and oldest competitive swim league in the United States. It has over 17,000 swimmers across 102 Northern Virginia summer swim teams and nearly 50 dive teams. There are 17 divisions of 6 teams each in the NVSL competing for 7 weeks during each summer.

NVSL youth swim teams have produced at least 7 Olympic swimmers. The first was Melissa Belote, a three-time gold medalist at the 1972 Olympics at the age of 15. Great Falls Swim Team has our own US Olympic Swimmer in Kate Zeigler, who swam for the Great Falls Rapids kids' swim team, setting many still unbroken NVSL records.

Great Falls Swim & Tennis Club is proud of our long-standing association with the NVSL and for being the only NVSL pool in Great Falls. Our swim team is one of the most spirited and fun teams in the NVSL and we believe our pool is one of the best in the league.

To find other NVSL pools, use the Google locator Map to see all NVSL pools on a map.