Summer 2025

Dear Herndon Swim League Parents and Friends, 

     Welcome to the Herndon Swim League.  We had a great 41st season last year   and are hoping for another wonderful season this year, our 42nd season. The league was founded in 1983 with only six teams; we have now grown to eight teams. Faircrest is having trouble with their HOA and hope to return to the league next year.

     This year we will continue to use the revised format for our season-ending meets, the All-League Meets. As in the past sixteen years, there will still be an All-Star Meet and a Championship Meet, but they will be swum simultaneously. There will still be two sets of awards. Holding the All-League Meets at the end of the season requires a tremendous amount of planning, preparation, and workers. We are taking on this task again this year. The Championship and All-Star portions of the Meets will be held on Saturday, July 19, again at Four Seasons, beginning at 7:15 AM. The team representatives have been hard at work for the last several months preparing for these meets. Parking will be at Four Seasons, but will be limited so please plan to carpool. We are requiring that at least one parent of each swimmer work at these meets to allow them to be run smoothly. Remember, the more people that are involved, the less work that is required by each volunteer. In order to make the number of swimmers in the Championship and the All-Star portions of this meet more equal, the changes made in qualification times adopted a few years ago will be in use again this year. 

     One important aspect of administering meets of the stature of the All-League Meets is funding. Of course anyone that would like to donate to this worthy cause is welcome to do so. $25.00 will sponsor one event. One of the best places to look for support is the business world. The league has attained IRS 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization which will make it easier to solicit donations. We now have a Donations Form on our website, as well as a form to solicit advertising for the All-League Meets program. 

     If, in your personal or business dealings, you know of someone who would be willing to support our League, please pursue this with him or her. In many cases, people are former competitive swimmers, or their children currently are, and they understand the importance of a healthy summer swimming program. We also accept donations of items to sell in our Silent Auction. 

     We have a very aggressive Scholarship Program, issuing up to six $500 scholarships each year, I believe more than any other local youth swim league offers. We will once again be honoring graduating seniors who are going on to college with these scholarships. The scholarships will be awarded on July 19 and be announced during the All-League Meets. We will also accept donations or memorial contributions for this worthy purpose. If you have a graduating senior, please have him, or her apply! The deadline to apply is June 25 to the Team Representative, who will submit the application by July 1. 

     We are continuing an additional fundraising effort this year, primarily to raise additional scholarship funds. The Fifteenth Annual Silent Auction will be held between June 26 and July 10 online. We hope to have as many prizes as we had last year. Anyone can bid on these items, so you can invite family or friends to participate. We are also accepting donations of prizes for the auction. If you have a business or can provide a service or item, or know someone else who would like to participate as a donator, please advise your Team Representative. Each year we have been able to raise the number of scholarships awarded as a result of a successful auction, and we hope to be able to do the same this year. 

     Please support the merchants who are so willing to help our league, a complete list of all donators will be available in the All-League Meets program. We have an extensive list of sponsors and donators who help the league. Please thank these businesses and merchants when you visit their stores. This year there is a change to the All-League Meets program, which will make it much more accessible. It will be virtual and available for downloading from the league website.

     Several years ago, we had restaurant fundraisers, which helped raise additional funds to help support the league. Recently these functions have become harder to schedule and, when held, have not attracted as large a crowd, so have not been as successful. If you know of a local restaurant that would be willing to conduct a fundraiser for the league during the season, please pass this information on to your Team Representative. If these functions are held, please plan to attend as many of these with your friends and family as you can. 

     The league has a website where you can find a wealth of information about the league. Please note the website is located at hsl.swimtopia.com and check there for the latest information. Recommendations for improvements are always welcomed. Thanks go to Lourdes Umana for providing this wonderful service. 

     In order to accomplish the league's goals, we need the help of each and every parent. The only way we can conduct meets for our swimmers is through the use of parent volunteers to manage, staff, and administer every meet. The League conducts clinics each spring to provide instruction in all the major jobs performed at a swim meet. Things we will be trying to stress again this year are continued use of the Code of Conduct and good, fair officiating. Our swimmers have worked hard to perfect their strokes; we, as officials, also need to take our jobs seriously. These clinics, primarily for referees and stroke and turn judges, are scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, at 7:00 PM and Thursday, June 12, at 7:00 PM at the Herndon Community Center. 

     This year the League will continue to use social networking sites, which are a great way to keep updated on what’s going on in the League. We have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. On Facebook, search “Herndon Swim League” to find us; there is also a link on the league website home page. On Twitter, search for “Herndon Swim League” or go to twitter.com/HerndonSwimLeag (please note you have to drop the u and the e), and there is also a link on the Facebook page. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and encourage your children who have the sites to do the same! 

     This season will be another special one for the league. Welcome back to regular summer swimming for this upcoming season, and thanks in advance for all the assistance which will be required to make this season another successful one. We need everyone pitching in to help -- after all, this League is for our children. Let's all help make this another great season!

Sincerely, 
Bill Liedtke
Commissioner
[email protected]

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For Parents new to swimming, please also check out  - US Swimming Parents Page