The pool that comes with a Calesa Township HOA payment will host all four class championships of the Florida High School Athletic Association state swimming and diving championships this November. They fall on two Friday and Saturday pairs: Nov. 6 and 7, then Nov. 13 and 14. FAST's own fall schedule tells members to expect more crowds across those weekends and changes to the regular pool schedule.
That fits how FAST works year-round. Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training was designed as a competition venue, and member time fits in around the meets. If your household swims laps, takes the kids to the spray ground, or uses FAST FIT, it helps to know this fall's calendar before you show up on a Saturday with towels.
The facility was built for crowds
FAST describes itself as an indoor 10-lane pool that converts between 50 meters and 25 yards, an outdoor 8-lane pool, a 2,475-square-foot dryland fitness center, and seating for up to 2,000 spectators. It was established in 2022. In August 2023, FHSAA chose it to host the state championships for 2023, 2024 and 2025. FHSAA's 2026 swimming and diving season page names FAST again, which makes this the fourth state meet in a row there. Nothing published so far says whether the arrangement continues after this year.
The draw goes well beyond one weekend in November. A 2025 352Today report covered a tourism bureau study. It found that FAST brought in nearly 64,000 visitors and more than $21.4 million in total economic impact between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. When Marion County's tourism director announced the first three-year FHSAA deal, the estimate was more than $3.1 million in area impact from the state meets alone.
All of that traffic is one reason a Calesa household gets access to the facility in the first place, and it's also why the access has limits.
What the HOA membership covers, and the fine print
On the Calesa side, the standard FAST membership is included in the monthly HOA for household members, up to four memberships per household. It covers lap swim, open swim, the spray ground, FAST FIT and locker rooms, plus a 10% discount at the shop and café. The same page also says access can be blacked out or adjusted during holidays and events.
FAST's public rate card shows what that membership would cost on its own:
FAST membership, public rate | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
Adult | $60 | $612 |
Senior, 55+ | $40 | $408 |
Joint, 2 people | $80 | $816 |
Family, 4 people | $140 | $1,428 |
Calesa's community site lists HOA dues of $155 a month for The Groves of Calesa Township, based on the 2026 budget year. That payment also covers common-area and trail landscaping, irrigation, the neighborhood gates and other amenities. For a household of four, the FAST portion alone would cost $140 a month at public rates. The rate card has its own disclaimer: memberships come with limited access times during certain parts of the year, and blockout dates can change without notice.
So the membership is worth real money, and the calendar decides when you can actually use it.
The posted fall hours, and where they shrink
FAST's Fall 2026 schedule runs from Aug. 10 through Oct. 24. Here are the regular hours:
Area | Mon | Tue–Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Facility & FAST FIT | 6 a.m.–8 p.m. | 6 a.m.–8 p.m. | 6 a.m.–7 p.m. | 6 a.m.–7 p.m. | 7 a.m.–3 p.m. | 8 a.m.–1 p.m. |
Outdoor lap swim | 6 a.m.–6 p.m. | 6 a.m.–8 p.m. | 6 a.m.–4 p.m. | 6 a.m.–7 p.m. | 7 a.m.–3 p.m. | 8 a.m.–1 p.m. |
Outdoor open swim | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. |
Spray ground | 9 a.m.–7 p.m. | 9 a.m.–7 p.m. | 9 a.m.–7 p.m. | 9 a.m.–7 p.m. | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | 9 a.m.–1 p.m. |
The same sheet notes two things for lap swimmers. During Marion County Public Schools high school meets, no lap lanes are available from 4 to 7 p.m. The outdoor pool is also set up short course, 25 yards or 25 meters, through August, September and October during the high school season. If you swim after work, those weekday evening hours are the ones that get squeezed.
Nothing has been posted yet for after Oct. 24, and no source we found lists which areas close on meet days. The FAST front desk at 352-820-4222 is the one place to get an answer.
The rest of the fall calendar, in order
- Saturday, Oct. 17. FAST's schedule lists the Catholic HS Invitational. The same afternoon, from 1 to 4 p.m., Calesa Township hosts a free community block party that's open to the public. It will have food trucks, bungee jumping, fall games, a petting zoo, face painting and a pumpkin patch, with free parking at Tree of Life Sanctuary, 6140 SW 78th Ave Rd. Saturday facility hours at FAST end at 3 p.m., so on that day a swim and the block party don't line up easily.
- Saturday, Oct. 24. The posted Fall 2026 schedule ends.
- Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7. Class 3A and Class 4A state championships.
- Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14. Class 1A and Class 2A state championships.
FAST flags Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday of both state meet weekends for heavier crowds and schedule changes. So you can expect disruption on roughly six days in November, counting the Sundays.
If you plan to watch instead of swim
The most recent FHSAA spectator guide we found is the 2025 edition, so the details below may change for 2026. Last year, FHSAA sold session tickets through GoFan at $13 in advance or $16 on the day, with prelims-only, finals-only and all-day options. Each ticket included a $2 parking charge, and there were no parking sales on site. Preliminaries ran in the morning, and finals were tentatively set for 5:30 p.m. FHSAA lists live coverage on the NFHS Network. For Calesa households, that means a nearby state championship you can also watch from the couch.
If the 2025 rule carries over and parking is tied to tickets, cars without tickets will probably have a hard time finding a space near the building at 4635 SW 67th Avenue Road.
Where to spend the meet weekends instead
Several of this fall's local events fall on or right around those dates, and all of them are a short drive from the township:
- Sholom Park hosts its L.E.A.F. Series program on carnivorous and poisonous plants on Oct. 23 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and Park After Dark shows Little Shop of Horrors on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. On Nov. 20, a L.E.A.F. session covers tree communication. Registration is required.
- Fort King shows Young Frankenstein for the city's free After Dark in the Park movie on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. No registration is needed.
- Circle Square Commons holds its farmers market every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Across the way, Circle Square Cultural Center has Wild World of Animals on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., the evening of the 1A finals.
- World Equestrian Center runs its 21-and-over Ocala Food & Wine Festival Nov. 6 through 8, the same weekend as the 3A and 4A meets. Winter Wonderland follows from Nov. 27 through Dec. 23, Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Inside the township, Roan Hills Park has its own heated pool with a sun shelf, a children's spray pad and the one-acre Bark Park, and none of it is on the FHSAA schedule. The trail loops we mapped in our Calesa summer guide still connect all of it. Adventure Park, with its pump track and skate park, has been announced, and the announcement doesn't give a construction or opening date.
If you have a question about how FAST access, HOA dues or any other part of daily life in Calesa Township works, the team at Next Generation Realty follows this calendar closely and is glad to help. Contact Us and we'll tell you what we know.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
