Welcome to 2026 Swim Team Registration!

It's that time of year again — the 2026 summer swim season is almost here, and registration is open! Read on for everything you need to know to get your swimmer/s registered.

Visit our website and look for the red “Register Now” button.

Each registered swimmer will receive:

• Daily coached swim practices, grouped by skill level and age, with an emphasis on technique, endurance, and individual progress
• Access to twice-weekly evening practice for swimmers unable to attend morning practice times
• A team t-shirt (HRA swim caps are available for purchase)

Division

The HRA Hurricanes will compete in NVSL Division 12 this summer with Highland Park, Riverside Gardens, Rolling Forest, Hayfield, and Parliament.

Coaches

We are excited to welcome back Evie Gallacher and extend a warm welcome to Joseph Gallacher as our Head Coaches for the season!

Registration Fees

The 2026 Swim Team Registration Fee will be $250/swimmer with a multi-swimmer discount of $20/swimmer for each additional swimmer from the same family registered concurrently. There is a surcharge for paying online with a credit card.

The deadline to register and receive a team T-shirt is May 12th. You can still register for the swim team after this date, but it will not include a team T-shirt.

Pool Membership

Join or renew your Holmes Run Pool membership now! The Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL) and HRARA require pool membership to be eligible to swim on the team. HRARA heavily subsidizes the Hurricanes swim team through access to pools, facilities, and other resources. Team membership is a benefit extended only to current pool members who hold a “family” or adult-child “2-person” pool membership.

Volunteering

It takes a village to run a swim meet, so we will need your help (not kidding; it takes over 50 volunteers to run a home meet and nearly 30 for away meets). If your child(ren) swims in a meet, you are expected to fill a meet-day volunteer position.

• When you RSVP for each swim meet (on the team website), you must also select a volunteer position to fill. If your child(ren) is not selected for the "A" Meet, a replacement will be found for your volunteer sign-up.
• If your child(ren) is swimming in a meet and you do not sign up to volunteer by the Thursday before an "A" Meet or by 3 pm on the Monday of the "B" Meet, you will be assigned to a vacant position.
• When you register your swimmer/s, you will be prompted to choose a volunteer category. Please read the descriptions carefully (see below) and select the category that includes a job you anticipate filling or are comfortable being assigned. This choice will inform our Volunteer Coordinator if positions need to be filled.
• We will do our best to accommodate your stated preference, but this may not always be possible because all volunteer positions must be filled before the start of each meet.

We also understand that every family situation is unique. If you cannot provide meet-day help, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Linnea Kessler-Gowell, for assistance and accommodations.

Volunteer opportunity categories:

• Officials: These positions require NVSL certification, earning you an extra gold star. If you are not currently certified but would be interested, please contact us or the volunteer coordinator. These positions include: starter, referee, and stroke & turn judges
• Deck Volunteers: These positions have a great view of all the action and include: timers, relay take-off judges, marshals, clerk of course, data, ribbons
• Meet Day Support: These positions offer the opportunity to complete work before or after the meet or to step away to watch crucial races. They include: concessions sales and food preparation, meet set up, meet take down, parking coordinator

8 and Under Swimmers

Swimmers 8 years old and younger will begin with an Assessment Day, where coaches will evaluate each swimmer and place them in the right group. Those still developing basic skills will join the Tropical Storms, which focuses on swimming fundamentals. More advanced swimmers will join our 8-and-under group, where the emphasis shifts to endurance and mastering all four strokes. Swimmers who were part of the 8-and-under group last summer do not need to be reassessed and will continue with that group.

Regardless of placement, all of our swimmers are Hurricanes! Our goal is simply to ensure every swimmer practices with others at a similar ability level.

Registration is the same for all swimmers, regardless of group. Families will receive more details about Assessment Day in mid-May.

NVSL Rule Changes for 2026

The Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL), which sets the rules used by the HRA Hurricanes in meets, made a few notable rule changes for the upcoming season. Details about the rule changes are available on the NVSL website.

We look forward to an incredible 2026 season! To register, click the link below to visit our team’s website. We’re thrilled to have you on board!

Register Now!

Bridget Gannon & Cathy Mitchell

HOLMES RUN ACRES, SWIM TEAM REPRESENTATIVES