Registrations opens May 16th!!

Thank you for your patience as we wade through this unusual time. Due to covid restrictions there are changes to this year’s season and how things will be run, so please read this thoroughly and carefully. We are pleased to announce that FLST 2021 registration will open on May 16! Registration will be open from May 16 until May 28 this year. There will not be any late registrations allowed. Additionally, due to the decreased registration window, there is no “early bird discount.”

Practices will begin on June 1st. In order to facilitate social distancing in the pool and limit people on deck, swimmers will be limited to 4 per lane, with 2 swimmers spaced out at each end. This allows us to have 24 swimmers in the pool at a time. After registration is complete and we know numbers and ages, swimmers will be assigned a specific practice time between 3-6PM until June 15 (when school gets out), and then between 8-12AM weekdays. Each swimmer will have at least 3 practices per week and swimmers will not be able to make changes to the schedule once assigned.

We will not be holding Tropical Storms this year and ALL swimmers MUST be at least 5 years old and be able to swim a 25 (one length of the pool) without any assistance in order to participate. Additionally, no parents will be allowed on deck during practices.

We will have 3 meets this summer, spaced out over 6 weeks. Each meet will be broken into 2 sessions/weeks, with one week for the older kids (11-18yo) and the following week for the younger kids (7-10). The first meet will be June 16. More details on meets will be given to families as we get closer. JSL has directed that the 5/6 age group will have their own young swimmer meets, the specifics of which have not yet been decided. JSL has made no formal decision yet on champs. If it is held, it will be July 30-31. That decision is expected by mid-June.

Each family must sign the covid waiver upon registration in order to participate and must follow all pool covid protocols, to include temperature checks and masking except while in the pool. Swimmers will only enter at the gate near the baby pool and exit only at the gate by the tennis courts. Parents will not be allowed on the pool deck.

Finally, there will be significant board turn over after this season. Board members are responsible for the continuity of the team and strategic planning, and do not manage the day to day operations of the team. We need 3-4 willing parents to step up and volunteer to help run FLST so we can continue to offer this opportunity to our community.

2021 Summer Swim Season Update #1

FLST Families,

At this time we as planning on holding a 2021 FLST season.  This will look different than it has in the past.  We currently have a working plan and are waiting for more guidance from both the HOA and JSL board before opening registration.  Please see the attached message from the JSL board about the upcoming season.  It is also posted on the JSL website.

We will continue to share information as it becomes available. Please check your registered email for any updates.

Letter From JSL Board:

Dear JSL Community,

I am writing today with an update on the JSL summer swim season for 2021. In February, the JSL Board created a COVID committee to research and weigh options for conducting a summer season. The season will likely not look ‘normal’, but the Board and COVID committee are working diligently to create a viable solution that will enable our children and young adults to be in the water this summer and take part in a safe, fun, competitive swim season.
As of now, we have 16 teams that are planning to participate; Fluvanna (FAST) has declined to participate this season.
We will be voting to approve a 16-team schedule at the next board meeting on April 11.

We are exploring the following options: 1) in-person dual meets with modifications, including limiting the number of
swimmers/heats on deck and restricting parents from the deck; 2) virtual scored meets where teams compete
simultaneously at their home pools, still with limits of swimmers and parents on deck; and 3) a hybrid of in-person and
virtual, where smaller meets may be conducted in-person and meets with larger teams would be virtual, but all
conducted during the same week.

One of our biggest challenges in conducting swim meets are the strict gathering limits for recreational sports outdoors, and complying with state, county, and city ordinances. We are awaiting anticipated modifications to these restrictions and will use this information to guide COVID committee and subsequent Board decisions at our next meeting.

In regard to the JSL Championship, we have been informed that the UVA Aquatics and Fitness Center will be under
construction in July, and therefore will not be possible as a venue. We are continuing to explore possibilities and will
provide further information in the future.

We appreciate your patience as we work through this difficult situation; we hope to have more information and
guidance after our April 11 board meeting. If your team has not already done so, please consider creating a group or
committee to begin discussing how your team will safely conduct meets with any of the above scenarios. Resources
have been provided to your JSL representative to help with this planning process.

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the pools soon!

Sincerely,
Christina Meyer
President, Jefferson Swim League

JSL Executive Committee
Christina Meyer (ACAC), President
Paul Breza (ACAC), Vice-President
Kristin Wray (FCC), Secretary
Jeff North, Treasurer
Chuck Fix (LMST), Past-President

2020 Summer season update

FLST Families,

As you may have already heard, last night the JSL Board voted to officially cancel the 2020 JSL Dual Meet season.  The official letter from the JSL Executive Board is below.  What this means for us is that there will be no sanctioned JSL meets this summer. We will be meeting as a FLST Board to figure out what that means for our team and will update you when we have more information.

Please email either flstchairman@gmail.com or flsthurricanes@gmail.com with any questions you might have.

The following is a letter from the JSL Executive Committee.

Dear JSL Community,​

On the evening of May 3rd, the JSL Board held an online meeting to discuss the feasibility of holding a full or partial swim season this summer, given the incredibly difficult situation we are currently facing.​

The Executive Committee had compiled a significant amount of information from both USA Swimming and the CDC for the Board to consider in making a decision. In addition, a financial document was presented by the treasurer detailing the expenses of having a partial season. There was a lot of discussion from all of the team representatives, the Executive Committee, and several Consultants to the Board concerning the difficulty of ensuring the health and safety of all swimmers, officials, and parents who take part in the 48 dual meets that were scheduled for 2020.​

The Board voted to cancel the JSL Dual Meet Season, in any form, for 2020. No dual meet will be sanctioned by JSL in 2020. The 2020 JSL Championship had been canceled at the previous Board meeting. We sincerely hope that everyone understands and appreciates the difficulty of the decision to cancel the JSL Season for the first time since the League began in 1966.​

This decision only affects the dual meets that are sanctioned by JSL. Individual teams are free to have learn-to-swim programs, hold individual team practices, or have other events at their home pools. Please be clear that JSL does not insure, sanction, supervise, or otherwise approve any of these. The Executive Committee strongly encourages all teams to strictly follow the various Coaching Certification, CDC, and USA Swimming guidelines to ensure that the health and safety of the swimmers and other participants is paramount.​

Sincerely,

The Executive Committee of JSL

2020 Summer Registration

Hurricanes,
The 2020 season is right around the corner! Registration opens soon. Currently we are planning on running the season as normal. However, because of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 we are pushing back the registration date to April 15th. Please let us know if we can answer any questions you may have.

Welcome

Welcome to the new Forest Lakes Swim Team Hurricanes web site. The team provides an excellent opportunity for children ages 5-18 to learn and improve their swim strokes, and to foster a love of competitive swimming. The “mechanics” of participating on a swim team can be quite overwhelming to parents and children alike, especially for those first-timers, so please contact us if you have any questions. We hope you will join the Hurricanes, our community swim team, for a season full of fun and friendship!

Mission

The mission of FLST is to provide summer swimming opportunities. Opportunities may be available to those wanting a competitive swim team structure, and for those wanting and/or enjoying developing the life-long sport of swimming at all ability levels. The various options are designed to be fun with a team spirit focus. FLST is primarily a competitive swim team whose goals are to develop sportsmanship and team goals, to foster a healthy competitive spirit and instill self-discipline, and to provide a means for fun and friendship among the swim team members. Additionally, the FLST may provide swim related opportunities to non-team members, and to introduce all swimmers to the year-round sport of swimming.