Family Responsibilities
Working at a summer league swim meet means that you will get to be in on all the excitement of the swim experience. Summer swimming is fun and social, and working at the meets is a great way to get to know the other swim families. Each family (regardless of number of swimmers) will be required to obtain 3 points for the season (multiple family members may be able to work two shifts at one meet). If you are unable to meet this obligation you can prepay the fine at registration, which will cover the cost of the board hiring someone to fulfill these volunteer jobs required to run our meets.
Additionally, we will be assigned multiple volunteer spots (assigned based on the size of our team, NOT on the number of swimmers that sign up for the championship) for the WCSL Championship Meet as the league requires volunteers from each team proportionate to the size of your team. Most of these jobs do not require experience, and it often means you get the best seat in the house to see your swimmer's event.
The only jobs that require certification are Starter, Referee, and Stroke and Turn Judge. These are parent volunteer positions that mean you are a meet official. HOWEVER: These positions are not difficult and do not require prior swim team experience. If you were trained as a Stroke and Turn Judge last year, you will need to get re-certified this year. Training is online!
Below is a list of volunteer jobs that are necessary to run a swim meet, please spend some time reviewing these and be prepared to commit to jobs when completing registration.
If you prefer to be free of obligations DURING the meet(s), consider signing up to set up or clean up or prepare ribbons. If you want to be with your swimmer during the meet, being a Dolphin Pod Parent is a great way to do that and get your volunteering done too!
Job Descriptions
Clerk of Course: The Clerk of Course organizes swimmers to get in their proper heat lanes. They will be stationed at the Clerk of Course tent for the entire meet and will line up swimmers at the tent and then ensure they get to the lanes in the correct order. This is a great job for parents who know (or want to get to know) the younger swimmers.
Dolphin Pod Parents: Designated parents for the younger age groups (6 & unders, 7-8, 9-10); Hangs out with swimmers at their designated tent; Helps get swimmers ready for events; Responsible (as reasonably possible) for knowing the whereabouts of their swimmers. You should be comfortable with wrangling the little rascals.
Head Timer (home meets only): The Head Timer organizes all timers at the meet and serves as a backup for lane timers if someone needs a break or someone's phone malfunctions. Will need to arrive at the pool with a fully charged phone with the Swimmingly app downloaded.
Heat Ribbons: Distribute the heat winner ribbons to the winner of each heat at the immediate conclusion of the race. You don't have to worry about potential DQs, etc., just give the ribbon to the swimmer that finishes first. Just give 2 ribbons if it’s really close and you can’t tell who won.
Meet Set-up (home meets only): Meet Set Up organizes parents and swimmers to initiate and complete pool set up including moving furniture, installing lane lines, setting up tents, etc. Sign up for this requires a 2:30pm arrival time. This is an excellent choice for those who want to be free of obligations during the meet.
Meet Clean Up (home meets only): Meet clean up volunteers will clean up trash, replace all pool furniture, help put away lane lines, stack furniture, check bathrooms for cleanliness and anything else requested by the coach. This is an excellent choice for those who want to be free of obligations during the meet, especially if you have older swimmers and will be at the meet until the end anyway.
Place Judge: The Place Judges note the finishing order of each swimmer within each heat. There should be one judge from each team; you will be stationed at the end of the pool, where you can see the finish, for the entire meet (sometimes half a meet). You get to sit, usually with shade.
Referee (home meets only): The Referee serves as the head meet official. He or she will oversee the stroke and turn judges' decisions and assist the starter. This position requires an online certification course that must be completed prior to the first meet.
Scorekeeper: The Scorekeeper keeps scores of each heat and totals the meet results. The scorekeeper will be at the Starter's tent for the entire meet (sitting, in the shade) and until the meet results are tallied. There is online training, but no certification needed.
Starter (home meets only): The Starter announces each event on the microphone and starts each race at each home meet. This position requires online certification prior to the first meet and you must be comfortable speaking over the microphone.
Stroke & Turn Judge: The Stroke and Turn Judges will be poolside at each corner, watching for swimmers executing their strokes with legal form. There should be 2 from each team. If the swimmer violates the rules, you will DQ the swimmer by filling out a DQ paper slip. This position requires you to take an online certification course prior to the first meet. Requires online training.
Timer: Timers time swimmers on their Swimmingly app and will work the entire meet or sometimes half a meet. There will be 2 timers per lane (one from each team). This position requires you to arrive to the pool with the Swimmingly app downloaded on a fully charged phone.
WCSL Championship Meet Worker: Job assignments to be decided by the meet director based on the number of swimmers on our roster (not the number of swimmers signed up to swim at the championship). These jobs do apply to your required minimum. We will not know which roles we will need to fill until later in the season, and you will be required to take one of the jobs that are assigned to us.