When Sunny Chen, now 16, was 3 years old, she declared she wanted to be a mermaid.
“When she told me she wanted to be a mermaid, I put her in the summer league swim,” says mom Susan Chen.
“I started loving it — it’s just been my life,” says Sunny, a Potomac Falls resident.
Today, Chen is one of tens of thousands of young athletes making waves in the annual tradition of summer swim leagues. In Northern Virginia, this is more than just a pastime — it’s a full-blown community phenomenon. The Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL) alone boasts nearly 19,000 swimmers, ages 5 to 18, spread across 102 teams. Now in its 69th year, it’s the largest outdoor swim league in the country.
“It’s taking a recreational sport in the summertime and making it this competitive and social phenomenon that all these families jump into,” says NVSL President Chris Campbell, who has been involved for more than 50 years — first as a swimmer, then as a coach, and now as a board member. “We take an individual sport, and we make it a team event, because you have all these families, you have all these kids up to 18 years old that are working together.”
Keep it Fun
At its core, summer swim league is just plain fun. Beyond the obvious health benefits, it’s about the camaraderie, the thrill of competition, and the friendships that last long after the final race. For many kids, it’s the highlight of their summer.
“It’s such a cool sport. The swim community is an amazing place to be,” says 17-year-old Thomas Kalka, a rising senior who has been swimming with the Cascades Rapids in Sterling since he was 6.
The season typically kicks off after Memorial Day weekend and runs through the first weekend in August, with swimmers competing in five dual meets, as well as divisional and all-star championships. Local leagues include the Northern Virginia Swim League, Old Dominion Swim League, Colonial Swimming League, Reston Swim Team Association, Prince William Swim League, and Country Club League.
“It’s the epitome of summer,” says Chen, who went from excelling as an elementary school swimmer to coaching as a high schooler and competing year-round with Nation’s Capital Swim Club (NCAP). “Summer swim truly is a magical experience.”
Evan Stiles has experienced the joy of summer swimming from every angle — first as a young swimmer 50 years ago, and now as a parent and acclaimed head coach for several summer and year-round teams, including the Mount Vernon Yacht Club Dolphins Swim Team, Mansion House Swim Team in Alexandria, the Washington Golf & Country Club swim team in Arlington, and Arlington Aquatic Club.
“Most kids head to the neighborhood pool, join the team, and have a blast. It’s ice cream, fun, and games. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to be there? It sounds amazing,” he says.
Stiles understands that for many kids, summer swim leagues are about community, friendship, and making lifelong memories. But for a select few, these leagues can become the starting blocks for something much bigger. Local Olympic champions like Katie Ledecky first made their splash in DMV summer leagues. Stiles himself coached six-time Olympic medalist Torri Huske for more than a decade at the Arlington Aquatic Club.
“It’s how a lot of little kids find their love for the sport and make some of their best friends,” says Huske, 22, who swam in summer league herself.
Stiles believes the key to keeping young swimmers in the sport is simple: Keep it fun.
“We want kids to be kids. We don’t want them just swimming, swimming, swimming all the time,” he says. “In a summer league, you’re seeing them every day. That’s more swimming than they’ve ever done in their lives. There has to be an element of fun, or they’ll just get bored or burned out.”
A Family Sport
Coaches often encourage families to hold off on vacations until August, ensuring swimmers can fully experience the camaraderie of summer swimming. Parent participation is crucial to the leagues’ success. From running snack shacks and capturing team moments on camera to timing races and managing post-meet cleanup, their support is essential.
For some, this tradition becomes a non-negotiable part of summer.
“This summer league has been one constant that we don’t miss. We don’t even plan vacations in June and July until the season wraps up,” says swim dad Ali Yasrebi, 55, of Sterling. His 13-year-old daughter has been swimming with the Cascades Rapids for seven years, and Yasrebi regularly volunteers as the deck marshal, keeping meets running smoothly. But his role goes beyond logistics.
“I make it a point to tell all the swimmers, ‘Hey, I’m going to embarrass you. I’m going to be the loudest cheerleader out here. And I want to make sure that when you’re finishing your race, there’s nothing you hear except me screaming for you,’” he says with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter if it’s my daughter or not.”
Building Future Leaders
One side effect of growing up in a summer swim league is developing leadership skills alongside strong swimming abilities. Many coaches in these leagues, like Campbell and Stiles, started as young swimmers themselves and gradually rose through the ranks.
“All the neighborhood kids started swimming around age 5 or 6, and they all looked up to the coaches,” says Susan Chen. “Now, they are the coaches. It’s about giving back — that’s the coolest thing.”
Her daughter, once a swimmer and now a coach, shares the sentiment.
“I’ve learned so many lessons. It’s helped me become a better person, taught me time management, and showed me the value of trusting the process and working hard for something,” says Sunny.
Though the rising senior has gained plenty of real-world experience, she still holds onto her whimsical dream.
“I said once in a group chat, ‘This is not the mermaid life I was expecting,’ and it became our chat name,” she laughs. “Honestly, I still kinda feel like a mermaid when we do our underwater training. … It’s the closest a human can get.”
Making Waves
There must be something in the water. Northern Virginia continues to churn out Olympians and record-setters who are making a splash in competitive swimming and diving. These notable athletes each got their start in NoVA pools.
Torri Huske
Arlington native and Yorktown High alum Torri Huske, 22, continues to be a force in international swimming. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she captured five medals — three gold and two silver — including a win in the 100-meter butterfly and two world record–setting relay competitions.
Greg Duncan
Greg Duncan, 26, grew up in Oakton and began diving at the Dunn Loring pool before training with the Dominion Dive Club. He was a James Madison High School grad and All-American at UNC and Purdue. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Duncan and partner Tyler Downs placed eighth in the men’s 3-meter synchronized diving event.
Matthew McLean
Sterling native Matthew McLean, 37, rose to prominence at Potomac Falls High School, setting a state record in the 200-yard freestyle. In 2012 at the London Olympics, he earned gold as part of the U.S. 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay team.
Thomas Dolan
Thomas Dolan, 49, of Arlington, was part of American medley dominance in the 1990s and early 2000s. A two-time Olympic gold medalist and former world record–holder, he bested the competition in the 400-meter individual medley at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, cementing his legacy in U.S. swimming history.
Feature image courtesy Cascades Rapids/Photo by Jen Kalkaw
This story originally ran in our July Issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
