Vienna Aquatic Club

Due to the forecast for rain rain rain on Saturday May 7, we have moved Pool Clean-up Day to Saturday May 14.

See the calendar for details.

At the October Board meeting, the VAC Board adopted a new policy related to Electronic Meetings and Electronic Voting.

This policy has been posted inthe "Policies" section (see link at top of the site.  And can found here:

https://www.viennaaquaticclub.com/electronicmeetingsvoting" target="_blank">https://www.viennaaquaticclub.com/electronicmeetingsvoting

Starting at midnight, technically 00:00 of September 8, Tuesday morning, the VAC 2021 Summer Lease wait list for current (2021) VAC full summer lease holders will open and these lease holders can send a request to join the list via email to membership@viennaaquaticclub.com

Note that if you hit 'send' before then, at any time on or before Monday September 7th, and the email is received in the Membership inbox prior to midnight/00:00 AM Sept 8, it will be deleted and you won't be added to the 2021 Summer Lease wait list.

For everyone else, the list opens 1 week later, Tuesday Sept 15 at 00:00 in the morning, for the general public.

Again, if the an email from the general public (not currently holding a VAC 2020 Summer Lease) is sent at any time on or before Monday September 14th and the email is received in the Membership inbox prior to midnight/00:00 AM Sept 15, it will be deleted and you won't be added to the 2021 Summer Lease wait list.

If you did not hold a 2020 lease AND send the message before the open date/time for the general public, your name will not be added to the lease wait list.

Please send your email to VAC from the address where you would like to receive your offer to lease.

On July 1, Phase 3 Operations Begin:

With the move to Phase 3 of the "Forward Virginia" reopening plan, the VAC Board has made important operational changes for VAC under revised State and County guidelines.

• 10-foot Social Distancing Change: Does not apply within individual lanes/swim areas. It does apply between/across lanes/swim areas. Everyone in a lane/swim area MUST be from same household.
• Household Use Change: Up to five (5) members of the same household may use a lane/swim area simultaneously.
• More Activities: Recreational swim, walking, floating, swim instruction, and lap swim are all allowed. Dive toys are allowed, but may not be thrown. No balls or other throwing toys are allowed.
• Diving Board Open: The diving boards will be open for use by household members of the shareholder/lessee that has reserved the Dive Well. For clarity: no other swimmers may use the diving board, only those that have the Dive Well reservation..
• Baby Pool Open: The baby pool will be open for reserved use. It will be divided into three sections: two that are reservable and one "gap" section for social distancing.

Additionally, in order to improve and better distribute access to the pool, the VAC Board has made adjustments to the reservation guidelines.

The dive well, shallow lanes, and baby pool swim areas may not be reserved for consecutive 30-minute periods.

An important concern of the Board and members has been evenly distributing usage of the pool as there is clearly high demand. Members may sign up for a total of 10 half-hour slots per share each seven-day period. This limit of 10 total is in effect regardless of the type of swim area used (lane, shallow lanes, dive well, or baby pool section). Only full-length lanes (lanes 1 through 8  ) may be reserved back-to-back (i.e., using two slots to use one lane for an hour), but that counts as having used two slots under a member's seven-day limit.

Given that each lane now allows up to five family members, most families can use one lane or swim area of the pool. Please only take what you need and help everyone enjoy the pool

While these changes have been made, other aspects of operations remain the same:

• Wear a mask while in the pool house or near other persons
• Show up for your reservation
• Be on time

Lastly, while social distancing is relaxed within your lane, it still applies elsewhere. Please set a good example with social distancing on deck and in the water (between lanes). And, help your kids do the same. The life guards are primarily there to keep you and your family safe in the water. Please manage your own social distancing.

Thank you for your patience as we incorporate constantly-evolving guidance from state and local health officials into decisions about VAC operations. VAC will continue to adapt, test, and update our operations to open the pool to as many members as safely and equitably as we can, as soon as is practical.

Under Phase 2 guidelines, there are various changes that have been made to pool operations.  One of these involves the shallow area of the main pool.

The shallow area of the main pool is available for use by children and one adult household member for active swim instruction only. Two lanes will be available per time slot and only one child and one household adult may occupy a single lane at a time. No recreational swim, playing, use of toys, or jumping into the water may occur in this area until further notice.

There is a separate reservations link for these areas on the main page.

Please remember that the 10-foot social distancing requirement remains in effect and applies even within households while in the pool. This means parents cannot hold children during instruction and can only make physical contact with them in an emergency.

A reminder that no swimmer under the age of 8 may swim at any time without a parent present at the pool.

Also, no swimmer under 15 years of age may be at Vienna Aquatic Club after 6 p.m. unless there is a parent present

For clarity, a parent being "in the parking lot" does not count as "at the pool".

These are standing VAC rules which remain in effect, even during the current lap-swimming model.

As we prepare for an anticipated opening in compliance with State and County guidelines, we have assembled a set of procedures for using the pool under Phase 1.  These are, essentially, a simple "how to" guide for all who will visit the pool.  These procedures can be found here and can also be found by accessing the "Policies" link at the top of the website.

Additionally, given the complexity and uncertainty related to the current public health emergency, we have a disclaimer that can be found here and can also be found by accessing the "Policies" link at the top of the website.

As we prepare for an anticipated opening in compliance with State and County guidelines, all who will visit the pool are required to comply with additions to the Code of Conduct.  These additions, along with procedures for lane allocation, and handling no-shows can be found here, which can also be found by accessing the "Policies" link at the top of the website.

VAC hopes that our members and their families are safe and well in these trying times. Over the course of the past few months, the VAC Board has been considering options for how and when to open VAC for the 2020 season. The Board held its monthly meeting virtually on May 13th and made preliminary decisions regarding pool opening, all subject to change as conditions change.

Consistent with Phase 1 guidelines for the Northern Virginia re-opening plan, "Forward Virginia," VAC anticipates opening under significant restrictions as early as Friday, May 29th. Based on the requirements of the re-opening plan, VAC anticipates initially opening for lap swim only and on a reservation basis. For Phase 1, we anticipate the following:

• VAC plans to open for 60-minute slots of lap swimming only (using all eight lanes) and with a maximum of eight members on-site at any given time.
• Initially, the first time slot will begin at 12:00 noon each day and will continue throughout the day with 60-minute swim sessions, each followed by a 30-minute cleaning period.
• An online reservation system will be used to sign up for lap swim slots and all members must register for a slot to enter VAC.
• Entry to VAC can only occur at or after the start time of your registered slot. Members must exit the facility immediately at the end of each session.
• Members will enter through the changing rooms and exit through the side gate (next to the pavilion).
• Only the lap area of the main pool will be available. No use of the shallow end and no diving anywhere will permitted.
• Only lanes 1, 3, and 8 will have ladder access; members requiring a ladder to enter or exit the pool must register for one of those lanes. Lanes 2 and 4 through 7 require access directly onto the deck.
• Lane 8 can also be accessed by wading in from the shallow end.
• Lane 1 can also be accessed from ladders in the dive well.
• Members may only enter and exit their own swim lane and cannot cross lanes.
• Showers and changing rooms will be available, though no shower curtains will be in place. Most outdoor foot showers will also be available (the one in the playground area will not be in use). We encourage you to shower and change at home prior to arriving at pool instead of showering or changing in the changing room which could lead to an unintentional gathering of people.
• The baby pool, playground, volleyball court, pool deck, picnic deck, picnic tables, chairs, loungers, grills, umbrellas, tether ball pit, pavilion, and ice cream sales will be unavailable during Phase 1. (The pool deck can only be used to access the pool and for entering/exiting the facility.)
• The water fountain outside the office will not be available. Water can be obtained in the changing rooms.
• Food delivery or picnicking are prohibited. Water and food may be brought to VAC, but there will be no grills available for use.
• No non-household congregation is permitted in the pool or on the grounds.
• Children are permitted at VAC but must register and either actively be swimming laps in their lane or sitting alone (or with family members) off the pool deck, either on the grass or on pavers away from the pool area.
• Lost and found items will be discarded at the end of each day. However, any valuables found (wallets, keys, phones, jewelry, glasses, and money) will be held in the pool office and will not be discarded.
• VAC will close at 8:30 PM nightly.

Additional details and updates will be sent prior to the anticipated opening date, including information on how to access the lane reservation system. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact us.

The safety and health of our members and staff are paramount. To that end, violation of these procedures will not be tolerated, and may result in losing membership privileges for the summer or longer. Social distancing practices must also be adhered to by all members at all times while on-site at VAC (with exceptions for proximity by same-household members).

Once further guidance from Virginia is received regarding possible expanded operations (more members using the pool at the same time, using other parts of the grounds, or other possible scenarios), they will be communicated to members.

Additional details and updates will be sent prior to the anticipated opening date, including information on how to access the lane reservation system. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact us.

The safety and health of our members and staff are paramount. To that end, violation of these procedures will not be tolerated, and may result in losing membership privileges for the summer or longer. Social distancing practices must also be adhered to by all members at all times while on-site at VAC (with exceptions for proximity by same-household members).

Once further guidance from Virginia is received regarding possible expanded operations (more members using the pool at the same time, using other parts of the grounds, or other possible scenarios), they will be communicated to members via email and Facebook.

Until further notice, the above restrictions will be in place under Phase 1.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as the VAC Board works to properly respond to this evolving situation with the best interests of our members' health and well-being in mind.

Group lessons are held Monday to Thursday, 10:30 to 11:00 AM, for a two-week, eight-lesson session.

Session 2: July 1 - July 11, Monday to Wednesday and Friday* (week 1) and Monday to Thursday week 2) -- *No lesson on Thursday, July 4th, make up on Friday

Session 3: July 15 - July 25, Monday to Thursday

More information (including fees and the sign-up link) is in your weekly Member email.