Volunteer Positions
Volunteer Policy:
Swimming isn't like other sports; it requires parents to be participants, not spectators. We NEED all families to help out before, during and after swim meets and practices. For a swimmer to participate on the team and to be a member in good standing, families are required to meet a minimum volunteer commitment as determined by the SPST Board each season. The team's success depends on the commitment of its members. Past experience has made it necessary to make this a requirement for our families. Failure to volunteer could result in your swimmer being excluded from future meets and/or awards (including ribbons, trophies, medals). We understand that some families have extenuating circumstances that make volunteering difficult, and we will work with families to help them meet the volunteer requirements. Not all volunteering is done at the meets. Flexibility and understanding are necessary as changes and adjustments can be made to volunteer assignments before, and even during a meet. All job assignments are at the discretion of the Volunteer Coordinator. Please be courteous if you are asked to switch jobs.
Why Volunteer?
What makes our swim team so great? The wonderful swimmers and the fabulous parent volunteers! A typical swim meet requires about 60 volunteers to run smoothly--from the announcer, to the starter, concessions, timers, recorders, etc. In fact, other than our coaching staff, we are all volunteers. When you volunteer, your children become very aware of your involvement in THEIR team, and the entire effort becomes a family operation. It’s also a great way to meet other parents. None of the jobs listed below require formal training. Parents who have done the job in the past are always glad to answer questions and help out. And, Saturday morning meets go much faster when you volunteer to help! We all began without experience. We will teach and show you what you need to know.
Volunteer Positions
Announcer: Required for home meets. The announcer calls swimmers to clerk of course, makes special announcements for concessions, provides scoring updates, etc. An event timeline is provided, and the announcer lets swimmers know when it’s time to line up and where to report.
Clerk of Course: Needed for both home and away meets. The Clerk of Course helps get the swimmers lined up for their events. Clerk of Course calls out the swimmers' names, passes out deck cards, and arranges the swimmers into heats. This job can be done in shifts, and is done with a parent from the other team.
Clerk of Course Helpers: For the 8-and-under swimmers, we always need extra help to line them up and make sure they get to their events.
Computer Support: Needed for both home and away meets. All final swim times for each event and each swimmer are entered into Meet Maestro. There are other duties associated with this job, so, if you love computers, this is the right job for you.
Concessions: Required for home meets. Prepares and serves food for swimmers and families, collects money, and makes change.
Head Timer: Needed for both home and away meets. A head timer carries two watches in case a lane timer has a problem with a watch. The Head timer starts their watches when the starter light flashes and looks out at the timers for a raised hand. A timer that raises their hand has a watch failure. The head timer will switch watches with the lane timer.
Heat Ribbon Runners: Needed for both home and away meets. A heat ribbon is passed out to every heat winner. Whoever touches the wall first gets a ribbon. If it’s too close to call, both swimmers get ribbons. This job requires a person handing a ribbon to the swimmer as they get out of the pool. This job can be very rewarding, as young swimmers are especially excited!
Recorders: Needed for both home and away meets. The recorders sit on the deck (chairs provided) and writes the swimmers' times down on lane/timer sheets that will be entered into Meet Maestro. These lane/timer sheets are provided on a clipboard. The Recorder verifies the swimmer's name per each heat, then the timers call the times out after the swimmer completes their event. A runner will pick up the sheets after the sheet is completed with the two boys and girls corresponding events. This job is done in 2 shifts, and is a great position for a new parent.
Results Runner: Needed for both home and away meets. This job entails picking up the lane/timer sheets from the recorders after two events have ended (the corresponding events for boys and girls). After all the event heats are swam, the event cards are brought to the scoring table. The runner then takes these lane/timer sheets to computer table. A runner may be used to assist Clerk of Course with lane cards for 8 and Unders and/or other "running" duties between computers and the referee. Another great job for a new parent!
Ribbon Writers: Needed for both home and away meets. Each team provides a ribbon volunteer. The job begins later in the meet, and usually runs until a little after the swimming ends. After events are swam, the computer volunteers print out labels for the award ribbons. Ribbon volunteers stick the labels on the correct ribbons, and sort them by team and age. Each age group is alphabetized and passed to the coaches. This is also a great job for a new parent.
Entry Verifiers: Needed for both home and away meets. This position requires working as a team with parents from the other team. A runner brings the lane/timer sheets from each event to the computer/verifier table. Each lane/timer sheet will have two corresponding events (i.e. both boys and girls 9-11 backstroke). This includes each heat for that particular lane. 3 times are written per swimmer per heat/event. The computer rep enters all 3 times into Meet Maestro and then the Entry Verifier will verify that the data entry was entered correctly. The verifying can be done electronically or by printing out the entered times and then comparing to the lane/timer sheets. In addition, The Entry Verifiers work with the meet officials to collect and validate disqualifications (DQs). Verifiers ensure that the computer volunteers did not make any mistakes, checking lane/timer sheets against the computer results. Verifiers determine when the event results are official, and have them posted for the swimmers to see. These positions require attention to detail, but are easy to learn after a few minutes of training. There is always someone there to help you out if you have a question.
Timers: Needed for both home and away meets. Lots of timers are required to run a meet. Each team needs (about) 9 to 12 per shift. Timers stand on the deck and run a stopwatch. After each heat, the timers read off the times to the recorders, reset their watch, and wait for the next heat to start their watch again. Is is also a great job for a new parent.
