Frequently Ask Questions?

What is the cancellation policy?

Refund Timeline	Cancellation Dates	Refund Policy*
Prior to Season Start	March 01, 2025 - May 26, 2025	$10 will be deducted from registration fee for each swimmer for whom written cancellation request is received by May 26, 2025
Prior to Time Trials Registration	May 27, 2025 - June 8, 2025	$25 will be deducted from registration fee for each swimmer for whom written cancellation request is received by Jun 13, 2025 Permissible reason for cancellation request for each swimmer: * Swimmer is not ready for Swim Team as determined by Head Coach from the Tryouts; or * Swimmer is injured or sick and a Doctor's note is provided
Prior to First Meet Registration	June 9, 2025 - June 13, 2025	$50 will be deducted from registration fee of the kid for whom written cancellation request is received by June 13, 2025 Permissible reason for cancellation request for each swimmer: * Swimmer is not ready for Swim Meets as determined by Head Coach from the Tryouts; or * Swimmer is injured or sick and a Doctor's note is provided

What is the Loudoun Valley Viperfish Swim Team? The Loudoun Valley Viperfish is a competitive summer swim team, a swim program that provides a fun, developmental and competitive environment in which all eligible swimmers can learn and improve upon their swimming skills, develop physically, and be recognized for their accomplishments. The swim team environment should reinforce the importance of good sportsmanship and build character in our swimmers. The Loudoun Valley Viperfish is not a swim lesson program. We compete against other teams in the Old Dominion Swim League (ODSL) throughout the season and our focus is on building skills for competition.
Where are practices held? Practices for the Loudoun Valley Viperfish are held at this location: 43100 Barnstead Drive, Ashburn VA.
How long is the summer swim season? The 2025 swim season will begin on Monday, June 2nd and conclude with a final meet on or around Saturday, July 19th for most swimmers. Swimmers who qualify for All-Stars will be invited to attend an extra week of practice from July 21-25 and the All-Star Meet on Saturday, July 26th.
What happens during practices? Coach will assign your swimmer to a lane after evaluations on the first day of practice. Your swimmer should report to that lane for all future practices unless a coach asks them to switch to a different lane. The purpose of the lane assignments is to group children by skill level, so swimmers should not move to be with a friend.
Are all practices mandatory? Swimmers will see the most improvement from consistent practice and training. While the coaches recommend attending as many practices as possible, it is understood that summer is filled with other commitments and family vacations. Please communicate extended absences in advance to the coaching staff.
What equipment is needed for practices? All swimmers need goggles, kickboard and a towel. Kickboard are provided at the pool. Swim caps are recommended but not required. Boys should wear a jammer style bathing suit (no baggy swim trunks). Swimmers may wear their team suits to practice as long as they remain in good condition for meets.
Do you offer a program for more inexperienced swimmers who are not yet ready for swim team? Yes, for 2025 season, we are offering a Mini-Viperfish program for swimmers ages 5-7 who are not yet ready for the 'big' team. Please see the 'Mini-Viperfish FAQs' page for more information about this program. The Mini-Viperfish are the youngest members of the Loudoun Valley Viperfish Swim Team. They are invited to all age-appropriate social activities and are recognized at the end-of-season banquet along with other team members of all ages. Mini-Viperfish parents will receive the same email updates as all team members, even though some of these updates will pertain only to older swimmers.
How can my swimmer obtain additional swim lessons? Coaches will be available for private swim clinics. At Viperfish, we call swim lessons: Swim Clinics - Stroke & Turn Program and you can find more information under the Meets & Events tab. Please contact the Head Coach you are interested in working with directly for pricing and availability.
Can siblings use the pool or baby pool during morning practices? NO, children are not permitted to use the pool, baby pool, or water features during morning swim practices. Swimmers may only be in the pool during their designated practice times and are asked to leave the pool area when their practice is complete. This is important for maintaining safety and to allow the Coaches to focus on the swimmers attending practice.
How will I know if practice is cancelled? If practice is canceled due to weather conditions, we will send out an email and text notification to all member families as quickly as possible. Sometimes, weather conditions worsen after practice has started and the decision to cancel practice is made midway through.
How many volunteers do you need? The Loudoun Viperfish is entirely dependent on volunteers' hours to ensure the success of our summer season. It takes 30+ volunteers just to run a swim meet, plus many more to oversee team events throughout the season. See Volunteering tab, for Home Meets and Away Meets volunteer requirements. A list of volunteer job requirements is also posted for your reference to be more familiar about a position.
How many meets will there be? 2025 season, there will be 7 regular season meets as well as a Divisionals meet and an All-Star meet for qualifying swimmers. The meet schedule is usually not finalized until about mid-late May.
What are the swim events during a meet? The swim events are Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Individual Medley (IM), Freestyle Relays, and Medley Relays.
What is an Individual Medley (IM)? An Individual Medley (IM) is for swimmers that can swim all four strokes in one race. The order of events would be Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. A coach will determine if a child can swim an IM based on their performances at meets and practices. All strokes are 25 Meters, the total for the IM would be 100 meters. A swimmer must have a legal stroke for all four of the strokes to be considered for an IM.
What is a Relay? A Relay consists of 4 different swimmers in their age group. Each swimmer will swim 25 meters of an assigned stroke.
What to bring to a meet? It is recommended for swimmers to wear the Loudoun Valley Viperfish team suit and bring googles (and a spare set), team cap, towel(s), snacks, water, and something to do in between events (cards, coloring, book, etc.). Swimmers need to take full responsibility for all of their belongings -- don't bring anything that you would be upset to lose and put your name on everything.
How does a swimmer know when it's time to swim his/her event? Swimmers are responsible for knowing what events they are swimming. The announcer will call swimmers to the Clerk of Course as the events are lining up. Swimmers need to be listening for their events. When their event is called (e.g., 'all 8 and under girls backstroke'), they need to go to the Clerk of Course who will tell them where they need to sit. Generally, no one will come and find a swimmer for an event so it is possible to miss an event.
How long are meets? Meets tend to be at least 3+ hours. These times are estimates and depend on how many swimmers each team has and how many are swimming at that meet.
What is the progression of a meet? Generally, the order is youngest swimmers to oldest swimmers in each stroke. The order is usually, Free, Back, Breast, Fly, IM.
Who stays in the team area? All team members should be in the team area in between events. They team area parent(s) assigned for the meet will oversee the swimmers.
What is a Clerk of Course? Clerk of Course is where chaos becomes order. Swimmers arrive in random packs. Clerk of Course arranges them neatly into heats and lanes. The Clerk of Course area is the entryway area leading the swimmers into the pool. All swimmers from both teams are lined up on pool lounge chairs in the Clerk of Course area by the volunteers before events. The swimmers will then be led out of the pool deck as the events are swum.
The coach placed my child in an event above his/her age group. Why is that? A common misconception is that Swim Team is an individual sport and while there is an element of that as you try to push yourself to break your personal records, it's really a team sport centered around a point system. Points are awarded to the team based on participation and placement in all of the events then the points are totaled to give each team a final score. Therefore, even if a child doesn't place well in an individual event their participation could still yield points we would otherwise not have earned. If we have no one on the team who fits the age range for an event that is coming up, the coaches may ask the youngest swimmer to 'swim up' (swim in a higher age bracket) so the team can still earn points. You may 'swim up' but not 'swim down' so you'll never see a 14-year-old competing in an 8 and under event, for example.
The coach placed my child in an event above his/her age group. Why was I not consulted? Like other team sports the coach was hired to develop individual skills but also to develop the team and make strategic decisions that yield the best chances for a team to win. Placing a swimmer in a particular event to include having them 'swim up' is akin to a soccer coach moving players around the field. Whether talking about soccer or swimming, coaches have autonomy to make these strategic decisions without consultation. That's not to say you cannot provide feedback. The coaches can and should take your feedback into consideration when developing their strategy for the meet. However, the coaches will ultimately do what they think is best for the team. Tip: If your child has anxiety about 'swimming up' or swimming in an event they are not particularly proficient at, discuss it with them in advance. Explain to them that 3rd place against older children is still very impressive and will help their team earn points. They are also likely to increase their time and become better swimmers as they compete against older and stronger swimmers. Finally, swimming in many different events, being flexible and team oriented will make your swimmer a well-rounded competitor.

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