Parent Volunteer Job Descriptions
Not sure what you signed up to do at our swim meets this summer?
The information below offers a brief description of the various parent volunteer jobs required at every swim meet. Your help in running the meet is greatly appreciated, especially by your child! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask any of our Team Reps or Coaches – they’re happy to help.
Working any of these positions for an entire "A" meet or for one-half of a "B" meet counts as ONE volunteer meet requirement. Each family is requested to complete three volunteer meet requirements during the course of a season.
* = The home team provides volunteers for these positions.
** = The away team provides volunteers for these positions.
# = Both teams provide volunteers for these positions.
Non-Certified Volunteer Positions
The following positions require no specific training or certification. If any prior experience is recommended, it is noted in the description.
*Clerk of Course works at the Clerk of Course area
where swimmers report prior to their event to receive their heat and lane
assignments. The Clerks of Course will check in swimmers as they report for
their event, tells them their heat and lane assignments, provides them with
their lane cards ("B" meets only) and sees that they report to their
lanes in an orderly and timely fashion. The Clerks of Course also work along
with the announcer to call the events so that swimmers can report to the Clerk
of Course area with adequate time prior to their event. Anyone working as
Clerk of Course should report to the Clerk of Course area at least 15 minutes
prior to the start of the meet. The majority of this job is performed
standing.
**Assistant Clerk of Course assists Clerk of Course in responsibilities
described above. Anyone working as Assistant Clerk of Course should report to
the Clerk of Course area at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the meet.
*Head Timer (experience required) makes sure all timers are in
place and ready prior to the start of each event, communicates with the Referee
and acts as a third timer when a timer’s watch malfunctions. The Head Timer
collects the lane timer sheets at the conclusion of each event and hands them to
the Runner. While volunteers do not need to be certified to serve as Head Timer,
it is recommended that you have served as a timer for at least 5 meets before
signing up for this position. All timers should expect to get wet while working
the meet and to stand for a long period of time. The Head Timer should report
to the meet at least 30 minutes prior to the starting time.
**Assistant Head Timer (experience required) assists the Head
Timer with the duties listed above. The Assistant Head Timer should report to
the meet at least 30 minutes prior to the starting time.
#Timers are provided a stopwatch and training prior to the
start of the meet. Three timers are needed for each lane, with one Timer serving
as the Recorder who writes the three times down for each swimmer. Timers should
expect to get wet while working the meet and to stand for a long period of time.
All Timers should report to the meet at least 30 minutes prior to the starting
time.
*Announcer (experience helpful) works closely with the Starter and Clerk
of Course to keep the meet running smoothly by announcing all events for the
meet, as well as all event check-ins to the Clerk of Course. The announcer also
may announce scores, All-Star qualifying times, records and other announcements
as needed. The Announcer should report at least 30 minutes prior to the
starting time and must work the entire meet to receive volunteer credit.
*Runners collect the time sheets from the head timer and turn them in to the computer operator. They also may help the younger children get to their lanes. These jobs are often given to non-swimming, older children. This is an ideal way for new parents, especially those nervous about timing, to get involved. Runners should report to the meet prior to the starting time.
#Ribbon Writers work at the Awards Table to affix the computer-generated labels onto the back of the appropriate place ribbon and places the ribbon in the appropriate team box. If the labels aren’t computer-generated, the ribbon writers must write the swimmer’s name, time, meet date and other appropriate information onto the appropriate finish ribbon, based on the results provided by the Scorer’s Table. Volunteers in this position are usually sitting down at a table relatively near the pool and should report to the Awards Table by the conclusion of the first event.
#Times Checker/Reader works at the Computer Table, along with the computer operator and scorer. The jobs at this table can be fluid, depending on what works best given the specific talents of the individuals involved. Someone, usually the scorer, receives the timer sheets from the runner, puts them in lane order, staples any DQ cards to the appropriate sheet (making sure the DQ has been signed by the referee), and double checks the official time, circling it if it is not already circled. The official time is the time of two watches that agree, or, if no two watches agree, the middle time,
recorded to the hundredths place. If there are only two times, the official time is the average of the two times, recorded to the hundredths. The digits representing thousandths are dropped—there is no rounding. The Timers Checker will read the verified time to the Computer Operator for entry into the computer and will proof the results printed from the computer after each event against the timer sheets to be sure the times were entered accurately. They should also maintain a DQ log for each team, copying the event, heat, lane number, and reason exactly as written on the DQ card for any disqualifications. Volunteers for these positions sit at a table somewhere on the pool premises and should report at the conclusion of the first event. These positions should report to the Computer Table at the start of the meet.Concessions/Grilling volunteers work under the direction of the
Concessions Chairs to help set up and prepare food and snacks for the meet,
collect money for purchases, and help clean up the snack bar area at the end of
the meet. Grilling of hamburgers and other items may be requested. Workers
should report to the concessions stand one hour before the meet.
The following positions require certification through Montgomery County Swim League Please see www.mcsl.org for information on training clinics.
*Referee has the final authority for all decisions and questions during the meet and oversees the work of all officials, assigning and instructing them. The referee must be thoroughly familiar with all applicable USS rules and MCSL rules, as well as all meet procedures and the duties of all meet officials.
#Stroke and Turn (S&T) Judges determine whether the swimmers perform their strokes and turns in accordance with the prescribed rules of MCSL.
*Starter has complete control over the swimmers from the time the Referee signals the start of the race until after a fair start has been achieved. The Starter calls the swimmers to their starting positions, starts the race and indicates in conjunction with the Referee, if any false starts have occurred.
*Computer Operator is trained in the Hy-Tek Meet Manager software used to manage MCSL meets and operates the program during the meet to scratch swimmers, enter the times into the computer, print results and ribbon labels and other functions as necessary. At the conclusion of the meet, the computer operator produces disks for the home team
and visiting team, and printed copies of the meet results as requested by the reps. The Computer Operator also oversees the running of the Scorers Table, assigning positions as necessary to determine that the proper checks are in place to produce accurate, timely results.