Cardinal Hill Swim & Racquet Club, located in Vienna, Virginia, serves 700 families in the neighborhoods just west of Tysons Corner. Club Facilities Cardinal Hill offers a full range of summer recreation amenities, including a bathhouse; a large main pool featuring a diving well with two one-meter diving boards and a water slide; an intermediate pool; and a baby pool. The Club also includes 7 high-quality, lighted tennis courts, 2 pickleball courts, a snack bar, and a sand volleyball court. Members and their guests may reserve the cabana or the grassy area and enjoy the spacious picnic areas for private gatherings and events. The Pool Cardinal Hill—often referred to as “the fastest pool in the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL)”—joined the NVSL shortly after opening in 1968. Over the years, the Club has frequently served as a preferred venue for NVSL All-Star swimming and diving meets, as well as numerous divisional competitions. A key reason for Cardinal Hill’s reputation is its pool design, which supports strong competitive performance. The cross-shaped 50-meter pool is configured for NVSL meets so that none of the 25-meter lanes runs alongside the pool borders. With open water adjacent to the outside lanes, waves created by swimmers dissipate into the main pool and diving well, reducing turbulence and helping athletes achieve faster times. Until recent years, Cardinal Hill was a consistent presence in the upper divisions of the NVSL and has earned numerous swimming and diving championships. Several Cardinal Hill swimmers continue to hold NVSL regular-season individual and relay records. Origins of the Club A core group of community organizers founded the Club on June 24, 1967, recognizing the need for a neighborhood swimming facility as the area grew. Incorporated under the name Tysons-Briar, the organization purchased nearly six acres from the McDowell family and developed what has become one of Fairfax County’s premier summer recreation destinations. In 1975, the Club expanded again, purchasing an additional acre from the developers of the Wexford subdivision. Colton Montague, a member of the original Board of Directors, later recalled that memberships sold quickly, despite the fact that the Club was still in development. “We sold them on good faith to people,” he said. “It was a neighborhood enterprise.” Montague noted that a nearby housing development was under construction at the same time the pool was being built. The Club sold 100 memberships to the developers of the Waverly subdivision at $450 each, which were then re-sold to home purchasers. Initial annual dues were $70. Montague also emphasized that the organizers—including Arnold Albert and Albert Fischer—recognized the strategic location and size of the McDowell property, which could accommodate both the pool complex and the tennis courts they envisioned. With a longstanding interest in swimming, including experience on a national AAU team, Montague oversaw construction of the pool. The Club officially opened on May 30, 1968. “When the pool opened in 1968, it was a tremendous success,” Montague said. A bronze plaque at the base of the flagpole recognizes the contributions of the original directors.
