New Swimmer Placements

Swimmers new to RSTA aged 10 or younger at the beginning of the swim season must attend a New Swimmer Placement session in order to be eligible for summer swimming. At these sessions, we assess the overall safety of each swimmer; each swimmer has the opportunity to demonstrate his/her/their willingness to swim, safety while in the water, endurance, and readiness for the team environment. We then recommend placement on a team, the New Wave Program, or additional lessons.

Swimmers will need to be able to demonstrate the following to assess water safety and readiness for a swim team:

Ages 8 and under

• Warm-up 2 x 25m free kick on a kickboard
• 2 x 25m free swim
• 2 x 25m back kick
• 2 x 25m back swim
• 2 x 25m cool down, any stroke
• Tread water for 1 minute in lane
• Willingness to follow directions and any social distancing guidelines, should they be required
• Able to remain engaged and swim continuously for the full session

Ages 9 and 10

• Warm-up 2 x 25m free kick on a kickboard
• 2 x 50m free swim
• 2 x 50m back kick
• 2 x 50m back swim
• 2 x 50m cool down, any stroke
• Tread water for 1 minute in lane
• Willingness to follow directions and any social distancing guidelines, should they be required
• Able to remain engaged and swim continuously for the full session

We have found that swimmers that get in the water and practice for a few weeks leading up to the placement tend to do better. Reston Community Center has open swim hours available for you and your child to tune up these skills.

Any swimmer that is new to the league and is 11 years of age or older needs to be able to pass the 9-10 swimmer proficiency requirements. If you have a new swimmer 11 years or older and are unsure if they would be able to meet the requirements, please email [email protected] to schedule a placement evaluation once registration opens.

Placement sessions are usually scheduled between mid-April and mid-May and will be posted on the website.