Volunteers
Each family is required to work a minimum of 4 full meets, which is usually split into halves, and one medal meet. The term volunteer is used, but it simply means you get to chose your assignment. The swim team board reserves the right to reassign roles based on needs to fulfill meet requirements.
Volunteer Job Descriptions
ANNOUNCER For home meets only. The announcer provides updates throughout the meet, using the sound system.
REFEREE The Referee is the controlling senior official at a meet and will have with them a copy of USA swim rules. The Referee may not be the Stroke and Turn Judge, but may be the starter. The Referee will ensure all required volunteers are present and aware of their responsibilities and will ensure that take off judges are appointed at the start of the meet for relays. The Referee observes all situations affecting the meet and takes any actions required to keep the meet fair and efficient. The Referee receives all questions or protests from League representatives, issues decisions, and advises those involved of further protest options, if applicable. The Referee may not be the Stroke and Turn Judge for the meet, but may act as the Starter. The Referee will sweep all race finishes or appoint a sweeper. (League training provided and required.)
STARTER The Starter shall stand within 10 feet of the starting end of the pool. A bullhorn starter or gun shall be used to start each event. The Starter notifies the swimmers of the distance to be swum and the event (e.g. “50-yard freestyle”) instructs swimmers to take their marks, and “fires” to start each heat. (League training provided and required.)
STROKE AND TURN OFFICIAL The Stroke and Turn Judge is there to ensure that the rules relating to the stroke being swum are followed. The Judge shall also ensure that when turning or finishing, the swimmer complies with the rules applicable to the specific stroke. The Judge shall know the USA rules for all strokes. The Judge shall report any violation at the end of the heat to the lane recorder along with the reason for the disqualification. (League training provided and required.
HEAD TIMER The Head Timer oversees watch check, provides backup coverage for missed starts, provides extra coverage, and observes for any problems/consistent deviations from the norm of timers in a particular lane.
TIMER Reports times to the Recorder, helps the Recorder get the swimmer’s name, alerts the Head Timer immediately for backup, if a timing start is missed.
RECORDER Writes the time using the full minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second so that there are no assumptions of a time, on the lane slip for every heat of every event. If there is no swimmer in a particular heat/event, write “NS” in place of the name of the swimmer. If a swimmer is disqualified from an event, write “DQ” in large letters. The Recorder gives each lane slip to the Runner when they come to collect them.
CLERK OF COURSE The Head Clerk of Course is assigned by the home team and works with a Clerk of Course from the visiting team to ensure swimmers are swimming in the appropriate heat and lane. The Clerk of Course also helps to keep the meet flowing by keeping the benches full (i.e. swimmers waiting to compete) and directing swimmers to the appropriate lane. Clerk of Course also keeps track of swimmers and the events in which they are to swim (with the coaches maintaining responsibility for finding individual swimmers).
RUNNER The Runner collects lane slips after each heat and puts them in order by heat and lane and takes the slips to the computer operator table. The Runner also posts results provided by the computer operator.
RIBBONS Places the appropriate place labels on the ribbons and files the ribbons in the folders of the swimmers.
HEAT WINNER Stays on the pool deck and gives a ribbon to the winner of each heat as they exit the pool.
COMPUTER OPERATIONS The home team takes the lead and a volunteer from the visiting team provides a volunteer to assist, checking the integrity of the data entry. Enters all meet results, prints labels for awards and tabulates score for meet based on results. Prior to the meet all swimmers events will be entered for both teams, this requires much advanced work to prepare and print the materials needed for the start of the meet, including the programs. (League training provided and required.)