Fredericksburg Parent

10 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • June 2026 For nearly 20 years, summers for the Bennett family consisted of little more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Rappahannock Swim League (RSL) meets, and lots of them. The Bennetts' two oldest sons, Paul and Kevin, were the first to take the plunge and join the Curtis Park Seahawks. They were fol- lowed into the pool by younger brothers Ian and Craig. That was 17 years ago, and countless swim meets have passed since that first dip into an array of community pools with the RSL. All four Bennett boys went on to swim at Colonial Forge High School, and three went on to swim at the college level. But for their father Mark, the takeaway from those summers, and what he miss- es most now that all his boys have graduated high school and the RSL, is the joy and community that arose around those swim meets. "The meets themselves were a form of organized chaos. A hundred-plus kids running around a pool with numbers written in black Sharpie on their arms," said Mark. "The RSL and the friends we made through the Seahawks formed the backbone of our summers for many years." The RSL is made up of 25 teams that cover Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George and Caroline counties as well as Fredericksburg. The season usually starts in early June and runs through the middle of July, ending with a league championship. Practices are generally during the day with meets on Wednesday evenings. Most of the meets are held at outdoor community pools and the teams are open to swimmers from ages 5-18. WRITTEN BY DREW GALLAGHER You Know You're You Know You're An RSL Swim Parent An RSL Swim Parent When Organized Chaos Feels Normal When Organized Chaos Feels Normal For many families, the RSL is not just a one-season experience. Year after year, swimmers return to the pool, and many eventually come back in a new role, stepping up as coaches and mentors for the next generation. Brendan Pifer, a senior at Chancellor High School, has been swim- ming with the RSL since he was five years old. Pifer is one of those swimmers who now coaches for the team he swam with as a child, the Salem Fields Sunfish. For the Pifer family of swimmers, including sister Bella and brother Mason, their preferred pre-race meals came with pickles. "I remember eating a lot of Chick-fil-A sandwiches that our mother would get us for meets," said Pifer. "Then before events I would eat Skittles for energy! At least that's what I said if anyone asked. Now, as a coach, I like to eat a nice meal before meets because I'm always up and running around trying to get the right people to the right places and events. I still eat Skittles, too." For families like the Bennetts and Pifers, the RSL became part of their identities. Not just because of one month every summer, but for the lasting friendships that were forged over herding kids in swimsuits and making Chick-fil-A runs. "My wife, Sally, was involved in helping to run the meets, and she met a bunch of people who she is still friends with and keeps in touch with," said Mark. "There were a number of families in our neighborhood that did RSL, and it was fun getting together on those summer evenings and watching all the kids swim. I miss that." Coach Brendan and some of his Salem Fields Sunfi sh at Jeff Rouse Center in Staff ord .

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