SwimRVA
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
SwimRVA is highly regarded for its excellent spectator facilities, including comfortable seating, good views, and modern amenities like power outlets and 5G service, making it a good venue for watching aquatic events. However, for its children's summer camps, there is a significant reported concern regarding child safety and the enforcement of disciplinary actions.
Key Highlights
- ✓Excellent spectator experience with good seating, views, and bleachers with seatbacks.
- ✓Convenient amenities for spectators: power outlets along walls, 5G service, good sound system with understandable announcer, and a great video board.
- ✓Coaching staff for adult programs (Hammerheads, Winter Open Water) are highly praised as welcoming, experienced, helpful, and knowledgeable, catering to all skill levels with safety as a primary concern.
- ✓Facility described as 'fantastic' and a 'special place' for adult swim programs.
Standout Features
- ⭐Spectator seating with seatbacks and room for personal camp chairs.
- ⭐Power outlets available along spectator walls.
- ⭐Reliable 5G service within the facility for spectators.
- ⭐Clear sound system and an excellent announcer for events.
- ⭐Large, great video board for viewing events.
- ⭐Facility considered 'fantastic' by adult program participants.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →For parents considering summer camps, thoroughly inquire about their child safety protocols, bullying prevention, and disciplinary action policies, especially regarding repeated incidents.
- →If attending as a spectator, note that bleachers have seatbacks, and you can bring a camp chair for added comfort.
Things to Consider
- ⚠A direct report of significant child safety issues at a summer camp (SwimRVA North location), where a child was repeatedly hit and kicked by another child.
- ⚠Lack of disciplinary action taken against the aggressor, who was allowed to continue attending the camp for multiple weeks.
- ⚠Staff reportedly excused the aggressor's behavior by stating the child also hit counselors, leading to concerns about the priority of children's safety.
Price & Value
Not enough information to determine. No pricing details were mentioned in the reviews for any program.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Room to bring a camp chair is mentioned, which could imply some space for personal mobility aids, but no formal accessibility accommodations are specified.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information provided in the reviews regarding food and drink policies.
🚗Parking Info
- •Reasonable amount of parking is available for the main facility.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Not enough information provided to determine specific crowd levels, except that seating capacity is good.
🛡️Safety Features
- •For adult programs (Hammerheads, Winter Open Water), safety is emphasized as the 'ultimate concern,' with programs modified for all skill levels and a deliberate focus on safety education for open water swimming.
- •For children's summer camps, safety is a significant concern; a parent stated, 'SwimRVA DOES NOT make the children's safety their number one priority' due to unaddressed hitting/kicking incidents and lack of disciplinary action at the SwimRVA North location.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Summer camps at the SwimRVA North location without explicit clarification on how they have addressed the reported child safety and disciplinary issues.
- • Enrollment in children's camps if child safety and zero tolerance for bullying are your absolute top priorities, based on the specific negative review.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
SwimRVA Rapids Swim Team (Novice - Meadowbrook)
$165/monthDuration: Monthly
For Novice level swimmers at Meadowbrook location. Annual registration fee applies.
SwimRVA Rapids Swim Team (Advanced Novice - Meadowbrook)
$180/monthDuration: Monthly
For Advanced Novice level swimmers at Meadowbrook location. Annual registration fee applies.
SwimRVA Rapids Swim Team (Class 1 Novice - Meadowbrook)
$159/monthDuration: Monthly
For Class 1 Rapids Novice swimmers at Meadowbrook location.
SwimRVA Rapids Swim Team (Class 2 Advanced Novice - Meadowbrook)
$175/monthDuration: Monthly
For Class 2 Rapids Advanced Novice swimmers at Meadowbrook location.
SwimRVA Rapids Swim Team (Junior Group - Meadowbrook)
$219/monthDuration: Monthly
For Junior Group swimmers at Meadowbrook location.
Pool Party Package
$299Duration: 2 hours
An awesome party package for kids of all ages, includes swim time and party time with food and decorations.
Includes:
- •1 hour of free swim in the warm instructional pool
- •1 hour of party time in the Community Room or Colab Room
- •Three large pizzas from Papa John’s
- •A delicious birthday cake from Ukrops bakery
- •One case of water (24 bottles)
- •All decorations (table covers, center pieces, streamers, balloons)
- •All paper products (plates, cups, forks, napkins)
- •Extra items (ice, candles, lighter, knives, spatulas)
- •Personal party host (decorates, serves food & drinks, cleans up)
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Member Appreciation Event
Tuesday, October 7th
FREE
A celebration for members including coffee, tea, and donuts. No RSVP necessary!
2025 SwimRVA Blast Off Meet
Friday, September 26 - Sunday, September 28
Not specified
Start your short course season off with a blast! Includes split sessions on Saturday and a full team combined session on Sunday morning.
Red Cross Blood Drive
Tuesday, September 30, 1:00 PM-6:00 PM
N/A (donation)
SwimRVA is partnering with the American Red Cross to help save lives, supporting patients often needing blood transfusions.
SwimRVA Rapids Starts and Turns Clinics
Friday, October 3 (5:00-6:00 PM or 6:00-7:00 PM); Friday, November 21 (5:00-6:00 PM or 6:00-7:00 PM); Friday, December 5 (5:00-6:00 PM or 6:00-7:00 PM); Friday, January 23 (5:00-6:00 PM or 6:00-7:00 PM)
Not specified
1-hour clinics for athletes of similar ability levels to Novice, Advanced Novice, Age Group and Junior Groups, focusing on improving starts and turns.
Masters Artistic Swimming 2025 Exhibition
Sunday, October 5, 2:00 PM
Not specified
Exhibition featuring Masters artistic swimmers from River City Magnolias, Richmond’s DC Synchromasters, and Triangle Aquatics.
Community League Meets - Great Pumpkin Splash
Friday, October 17
FREE
Learn the ropes of USA Swimming meets without the fees, length, or officiating. Warm-ups 5:40 PM, Meet Runs 6:30-8:30 PM.
Community League Meets - Gobblerfest
Friday, November 14
FREE
Learn the ropes of USA Swimming meets without the fees, length, or officiating. Warm-ups 5:40 PM, Meet Runs 6:30-8:30 PM.
Community League Meets - Tacky Sweater Showdown
Friday, December 19
FREE
Learn the ropes of USA Swimming meets without the fees, length, or officiating. Warm-ups 5:40 PM, Meet Runs 6:30-8:30 PM.
Community League Meets - Gold Cup
Friday, January 30
FREE
Learn the ropes of USA Swimming meets without the fees, length, or officiating. Warm-ups 5:40 PM, Meet Runs 6:30-8:30 PM.
Swim Team Open House
Tuesday, October 21, 6:00-7:00 PM
FREE
For new SwimRVA Rapids members to meet coaches, learn about SwimRVA and enjoy light refreshments.
Chili Cook-Off
Thursday, October 30, 12:30-2:00 PM
Not specified
Annual friendly culinary competition. Interested participants should pick up a recipe form at the front desk.
2025 SwimRVA Commonwealth Cup Meet
Friday, November 7 – Sunday, November 9
Not specified
A premier fall competition for teams in Virginia and beyond! Includes prelims/ finals opportunities.
2026 New Years Challenge
Wednesday, December 31, 2:00PM-5:00PM
Not specified
An event about setting goals for the coming year, for all swimmer levels.
🍎Food Policy
- • Pool party packages include three large pizzas from Papa John’s, a birthday cake from Ukrops bakery, and one case of water (24 bottles). A personal party host serves the food and drinks.
- • Member Appreciation Event in the lobby includes coffee, tea, and donuts.
- • Swim Team Open House includes light refreshments.
- • Chili Cook-Off is an annual culinary competition.
🛡️Safety Policy
- • SwimRVA offers water safety and learn-to-swim programs.
- • The 'Drownproof Richmond' initiative, in partnership with the YMCA of Greater Richmond, aims to provide every second grader the opportunity to learn how to swim.
- • A photo ID is required for all membership and day pass purchases to ensure safety and efficiency.
- • Any person under the age of 18 must have a parent/guardian present to complete waivers for passes/memberships.
📅Booking Policy
- • Pool parties require the full amount to be paid in advance to reserve a spot.
- • Therapy pool requires reservations, made via the membership portal (https://swimrichmond.clubautomation.com/).
- • Therapy pool reservations are 30-minute time slots.
- • Users may only reserve a maximum of three therapy pool slots per week, and slots can be back-to-back.
What People Say
What's Great
- Safe environment for children (mentioned in 4 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Mike Jones
a month agoGreat spectator experience. I've been to a number of poops over the years to watch my kids and this place is my favorite. Good amount of seating with good views regardless of where you sit. Bleachers have seatbacks! Room to bring a camp chair if you want. Power outlets along wall behind bleachers. 5G service. Good sound system, can actually understand the announcer (The announcer at the meets I've attended is fantastic, btw!). Great video board. Reasonable amount of parking.
Rashida W.
a week agoTerrible experience at one of their camps last summer (2024). My child was hit and kicked by another child at the SwimRVA North location. After the 1st time I thought it'd be handled, but it happened 2 or 3 more times after that. No disciplinary action was enforced and that child was allowed to continue attending the camp for more weeks thereafter. When I tried to get them to take action I was told the child also hit the counselors so I guess that made it acceptable in their eyes. Bottom line, SwimRVA DOES NOT make the children's safety their number one priority.
Sidney Glass
3 months agoI have used this facility since it has opened, first as a college athlete and then as a masters swimmer. The Hammerheads program has created a space for masters swimming that makes you want to keep coming back. The winter open water training program is an incredible opportunity for athletes of all skill level to have a realistic experience in preparation for open water swimming but in a controlled environment. The program is very deliberate in emphasizing safety and making sure athletes understand the reality of open water swimming. Staff cater to the needs of all skill levels, modifying the programs accordingly with safety as the ultimate concern. My opinion is that it should be required for any athlete wanting to participate in open water swimming or triathalons. So grateful for the expertise and guidance the staff provide in an incredible facility.
Randy Dash
3 months agoI regularly attend both Hammerhead Master's workouts as well as Winter Open Water workouts at SwimRVA. The facility is fantastic and the coaching staff is both welcoming and experienced at working with swimmers of all levels and abilities. My time at SwimRVA allowed me to go from someone who was out of shape and hadn't touched he water in over a decade to loving the sport of swimming again completely transforming my body in the process. If you are considering trying out swimming for the first time or trying to get back into swimming after a long break, I highly recommend giving SwimRVA a chance.
Denise Letendre
3 months agoSwimRVA is such a special place. I have been part of the Hammerhead program for almost a decade, and I love it. The coaches are so welcoming, helpful, and knowledgeable. The group is great for aspiring triathletes to former elite swimmers! I highly recommend it!