VAST participates in two individual swim seasons:  short course & long course.

The short course season (fall/winter) is 5-6 months in length. The regular season begins mid-September & concludes with the “B” State Meet each season (usually the second to last weekend in February). If a swimmer qualifies for a championship meet (state A, regionals, sectionals, or beyond), they will continue to swim until the conclusion of their last qualifying meet. The short course season is indoors, competing in a 25-meter (SCM) or 25-yard (SCY) pool.

The long course season (summer) is shorter, typically 3 months. The regular season begins in May & concludes with the “B” State Meet (usually the second to last weekend in July). If a swimmer qualifies for a championship meet (state A, futures, zones, or beyond), they will continue to swim until the conclusion of their last qualifying meet. The long course season is typically outdoors, although some indoor venues can accommodate the 50-meter (LCM) pool.

Athletes can elect to swim in either season or both. It is not mandatory to swim in both seasons, nor is it a requirement to compete at swim meets.

Monthly Fees:

*Master swimmers are included in the family rate.

Fee payments are due on the first of the month. VAST bills for the following months for the short course season: October, November, December, January, and February and for these months for the long course season: May, June, and July.  If your swimmer will not be swimming every month during a season & you do not want to be billed for the month(s) they are not swimming, please let VAST know before the month begins that your child will not be swimming that month.

Please note: Since there is no requirement or limit to the number of practices a swimmer may attend, you will be responsible for the full fee for that month if your swimmer attends even one practice during that month. We also do not offer partial payments for February or July for a swimmer that does not advance beyond “B” State. 

A swimmmer new to VAST may practice with the team for a trial period of up to two weeks with no obligations. Upon completion of the tiral, the swimmer must register on the VAST website & with USA Swimming in order to continue practicing with the team. Anyone who has already had a trial period or has swam for VAST previously is not eligible for another trial period & will be billed for attending practice. 

USA Swimming Membership

Each swimmer must maintain an active membership to USA Swimming. This membership covers liability insurance for each swimmer and every swimmer is required to have an active membership in order to practice with VAST after their initial two week trial. 

Age group swimmers: Parents are required to sign up, pay for, and maintain their swimmers USA Swimming membership each year. Please use the following link to the VAST club portal to register your swimmer: https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/C93C17787DF54A. Memberships are for the calendar year. There are 2 types of memberships available to swimmers:

1. Premium is $73 per year. The premium membership is required for swimmers age 13 & over, any swimmer who will participate in more than two meets per year, and any swimmer who will participate in a championship meet.  
2. Flex is $30 per year. The flex membership may be used if the swimmer is 12 years of age or younger at the time of registration. A swimmer can only participate in two USA Swimming sanctioned meets from September to August each year & cannot participate in a championship meet if they are on the flex membership. This membership can be upgraded to a premium membership at any time during the year by paying the difference between the memberships.  

Masters: The registration fee is $60 for the calendar year & is paid directly through the U.S. Masters website www.usms.org.

**All memberships processed on or after Sept. 1st are valid through Dec. 31st of the following year.

If you are in need of financial assistance, please talk to a Board Member.