Oakton Swim Team

Oakton Otters Swim Team registration is for OSRC members and rental families only.  If you are not a member of OSRC, and are interested in joining the waitlist, please contact [email protected].

What is an A meet?

A meets are held on Saturdays.  During each A meet, there is one heat of the six fastest swimmers (three swimmers from each team) per event, and 40 individual events. The events are defined by age group, gender, and stroke. Additionally, there are 12 relay events in which the four fastest swimmers from each team compete. Relay teams are grouped by age, gender, and stroke. Swimmers can swim in a maximum of four events: two individual events, one age-group relay, and one mixed-age relay. These meets will be held on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m. Details, including whether your swimmer has been selected for an A meet, are communicated mid-week prior to the A Meet.

How does my swimmer get picked for an A meet?

Swimmers are selected for the A meets based on seed time and the needs of the team. The goal is to maximize the team’s chances of winning the meet by accumulating the most points. Points are given for for 1st (5 points), 2nd (3 points), 3rd (1 point), and for relays (5 points each) in each of the events. Three swimmers will be selected in each of the strokes in each of the age groups for boys and girls. The four strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Announcements of A Meet selections will be made by Wednesday or Thursday each week. You will be notified via email by one of the Team Reps if your child is selected to swim.

How do I declare that my swimmer is available for an A meet?

It is essential to let the coaches know if your child will not be available for an A meet -- we may be counting on them, even if they are not one of the three fastest swimmers on the ladder in that event!! All families (whether or not you anticipate swimming in an A Meet) should record any planned absences in SwimTopia, which will be used by the coaches in their A-Meet selection process.

Swimmer availability for ALL A Meets should be updated prior to Time Trials. Swimmers will NOT be selected to swim in an A Meet if they have not declared themselves available for the meet. You are able to change your availability throughout the season, however, it is very helpful to the coaching staff if swimmer availability is updated at the beginning of the season. Any changes to a swimmer’s availability MUST be made by noon on the Monday preceding the Saturday A Meet. This is essential so that the coaches can prepare the A Meet sheet.  Click HERE for specific instructions regarding A meet declaration.

What is a B meet?

B meets occur on Monday evenings. The primary purpose of our B meet league is to provide a fun and competitive swimming experience for developmental swimmers, giving every swimmer the opportunity to participate in meets. Times earned in a B Meet are official and can earn a swimmer a spot in an A Meet or in the Individual Divisional Meet.

Developmental B meets are similar to A meets in the way they are run except there is no limitation on the number of swimmers that can compete in each event. These meets are not scored and do not affect the team’s divisional standing. However, the times earned are official and are used to help determine A-meet assignments.

How do I select events for a B meet?

All B meet entries are due by 6pm on the Saturday prior to the meet.  Swimmers wishing to participate in a Monday Developmental B Meet are responsible for signing up for their strokes (in accordance with the eligibility guidelines listed HERE) and must do so in SwimTopia by 6pm on the Saturday prior to the meet. There will be ABSOLUTELY NO late sign ups in SwimTopia and ABSOLUTELY NO deck entries at the B Meet.

What happens when it rains?

Otter practices and meets are run in rain or shine. Please read below for further explanation:

During Meets:

• Bring raincoats and waterproof shoes - we run meets in the rain!! Meets will be paused only in the event of (1) heavy rain resulting in the lifeguards not being able to see the bottom of the pool and (2) thunderstorms.
• Please click HERE to review the NVSL weather procedure. To summarize - if the meet is halted due to a thunderstorm, immediately go to your car and remain there until you receive communication from a Team Rep with further instructions. DO NOT LEAVE THE MEET until you are told otherwise!

During Practice:

• We will also run practice in the rain. Like meets, practice will be paused only in the event of (1) heavy rain resulting in the lifeguards not being able to see the bottom of the pool and (2) thunderstorms.
• Should we cancel practice due to weather, we will immediately notify parents via email. If cancellation occurs during an ongoing practice, all swimmers will remain in the social room until they are picked up by a parent.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as these platforms are a great way to get real time weather updates.

What is the practice schedule?

Swimmers are expected to attend all practices and participate throughout the entire NVSL season. USA Swimming club members are permitted to attend their club practice in place of the Oakton practice. However, they are expected to attend at least one Oakton practice a week and be available for relay practice (if applicable). 

• Click HERE to review the practice schedule for the Otter Pups.
• Click HERE to review the practice schedule for the Otters.

What if my swimmer can't make it to practice?

Please let the Head Coach know in advance that your child won’t be able to attend practice, either in person or via e-mail. 

My swimmer wants to swim but their baseball team practice interferes with the after school swim practice.  Can they still participate?

Absolutely! Most swimmers participate in a variety of after school activities, some of which conflict with swim team practice while school is still in session. The coaches ask that swimmers attend as many practices as feasible while school is ongoing. Understandably, it’s to the swimmer’s benefit to get in that practice time; however, the coaches recognize there may be conflicts at the beginning of the season.

I have three kids in different age groups.  Can they attend the same practice time?

Swimmers are asked to attend the practice for their age group, unless requested otherwise by the Head Coach. Each practice session is geared towards the age, endurance level, technical abilities, and stamina of the swimmers in that age group. By practicing with their age group, swimmers also will have the opportunity to develop their relay team skills. Additionally, grouping kids by age allows for less crowding in the lanes and a better practice experience for all.

What is time trials? Does my swimmer have to attend?

Time Trials are held one week prior to the first meet to obtain a baseline time for each swimmer in each stroke. These times are used to help in the selection of swimmers for the first A meet. Also, Time Trials provide an opportunity for a trial run of our meet procedures for officials, meet administration, meet preparation, etc. Please refer to SwimTopia for the date and time of the Time Trials.

Unless approved by either the head coach or team reps, absence from Time Trials will result in the swimmer's inability to swim in the FIRST A Meet. In the event of an approved absence from Time Trials, the coach may consider prior year times when seeding the first A Meet. This is solely at the discretion of the head coach. We strongly encourage ALL swimmers to attend Time Trials.

Are there volunteer requirements if my child is an Otter or Otter Pup?

The NVSL is the largest volunteer-run swim league in the country. Volunteers work tirelessly all year long to keep the organization strong. Many volunteers at OSRC work behind the scenes in the spring and early summer to plan for the summer meets (Time Trials, five A Meets, five B Meets, Lollipop Meet, Divisional Relay Carnival, Championship Meets, as well as the All-Star Relay and Individual All-Star Meet).

Every swim team family is expected to volunteer to work both home and away meets as a timer, table worker, marshall, official, or other team job. They may also volunteer at team social events.

Currently, each volunteer role is assigned a point value and every family must volunteer for enough jobs in order to accumulate a set number of points per season. The number of points fluctuates from year to year as they are dependent upon the number of families that register. If a family is unable to sign up for volunteer jobs when registering, jobs will be assigned.

If your child is an Otter Pup, and you do not have a child on the swim team, you will not have as many volunteer requirements because it is assumed that your child is not swimming in as many meets. Those requirements will be determined after enrollment has closed.

What should I sign up for?

Please click HERE to review the various types of jobs that are available.  For further information regarding volunteering, please click HERE.