PARENT JOB DESCRIPTIONS

All Swim Team Jobs are done by PARENT VOLUNTEERS except coaching.  Only ONE parent is needed to fulfill your job (or 18 year old family member). The other can be with small siblings or take pictures. Thanks Parents!  We could not put on a meet without YOU!!!

See Meet Job Assignments in the Team Handbook on this website for all meets, both home and away. Check for your name. Your jobs may vary each week so look all over.

Above all, during meets, stop your job and go watch your swimmer when they swim!! That is why we are here at the meets! It does not take long. Someone will cover for you to do this, and you can cover for them as well :)

Swim Meet Timeline

4:00 Pool closes to Members.  Concessions/drinks set up.  Pool set up can begin.  Parking signs go out on streets. Save 14 spots in facility lot, quickly before they fill up.

5:00 Swimmer Warm Ups for Home Team

5:30 Swimmer Warm Ups for Guest Team

5:30 all first shift workers be in place

5:45 Officials Meeting – For Judges, Starters, and Timers (stop-watch training)

6:00 Swimming events begin

Before IM:  second shift workers begin their shift.

PARKING / TRAFFIC

Arrive by 4 pm to set up street signs and parking lot signs. 

First, save 14 parking spots in the facility lot, they fill up fast. Block spaces in the parking lot with large signs labeled as follows:

• 1 for our Primary Food buyer (Pizza, supplies, etc) to go and come (marked to be able to claim that spot each time)

• 1 spot for our Ice buyer/Drinks set up, for unloading ice & coolers

• 1 for our Treasurer

• 1 for parent with the Starter Equipment

• 2 for computer people with heavy equipment. (Butera / Erickson)

• 1 for the PA system parent
• 2-3 spots for the Visiting Coaches - per league guidelines.

• 2-3 spots for Our coaches:Head Coach and Assistant Coach

“NO PARKING” signs on ONE side of Furlong Run. Once cars park on both sides of the street, they start a pattern others copy, so do this early!  Signs are kept in the shed.

Do NOT let too many cars in the lot or they will get stuck. One parent stand at the entrance of the facility driveway and direct cars. Have the “Lot Full” sign ready to use (in the shed). Direct overflow to park along one side of the street (county law), or at Jackson Elementary.  The lot is no longer able to be locked, so there is plenty of parking across the street.

When  the facility lot is full, families may unload their cars at the top of the driveway. Do not let them drive down into the lot.

If someone wants to use our ONE handicap spot, they must show their handicap permit/tag.

POOL SET-UP

Be at the pool by 4:00 PM. Unlock the pavilion, bathrooms, and shed.

Mark the guest Bullpen area. Open the small gate by the baby pool and block it to stay open. Guest team sit outside the gate in the grassy area by the pond.

Block off baby pool with lounge chairs.

Stack other lounge chairs to form a barrier parallel to the fence on same side as grassy hill. There should be room between the barrier and the pool for parents to set up their chairs to watch the meet and enough room between the barrier and fence for swimmer to walk to staging.

Arrange the white stools or folding chairs TWO rows deep behind lanes so swimmers can wait for their heat, more room on deck that way.

Lane number signs are kept in the shed. Put them on the fence behind the starting area. Lane 1 is by the storage shed.  

Set up the blue staging benches in the staging area corner.

Set up starter's table by the storage shed.

Hide the large rectangular trash cans behind the trash fence if possible for the HOA to use for the week, that way no one will use them and trade them for the team trash bins. Trash day is Wednesday.

Save the area under the covered deck for the computer people.

Hang any sponsor banners on the tennis fence.

Jr Coaches: Set up backstroke flags and the lane ropes, take ladders out of the pool, and mark our older Bullpen by age groups out in the grassy hill area before kids start to set up.  It is hard to find swimmers if their age is sprinkled all over that huge grassy area. Each age group needs to sit together, so they can be found for staging. Signs are in the shed. They can spread out around the corner in the grass BY AGE GROUP. Older teens get the spot across the driveway. 6 & Unders sit inside the pavilion on the right side.

CONCESSION Lead

Be at the pool with your supplies by 4:15 PM.

Set up supplies. Drinks are donated by the swimmers and kept in the storage shed.  Make sure the ice is supplied and drinks are submerged, ideally needs an hour on ice. Some coolers and tubs for ice are in the shed. May need additional coolers.

Be ready to open the stand at 5:00 for regular meets.

Supervise the concession stand during home meets, reorder food as needed, hopefully without having leftovers. 

CONCESSION STAND WORKERS

First shift sets up at 4:30 PM.  Ice drinks down.

Open the stand by 5:00 PM, or earlier. Coaches on both teams get free drinks as needed.

Starters, Stroke Judges, Timers, Runners, and Scorers on both teams should receive one free water each shift as they cannot leave their posts. Have one person deliver these in the middle of each shift. Our head timer or one of the board members handles this.  Only one is free.

Food/Drinks are not free to concession workers.

Do NOT discount prices later in the meet, people learn to wait.

2nd Shift begins BEFORE the IM (Individual Medley).

2nd shift cleans up area. Sweep and clean the floor, put tables away, remove any extra food. Dump ice water from drink coolers. Leave drink coolers propped OPEN so they do not get moldy in the heat of the days to come before the next meet.

RUNNERS

Listen for the Starter to call for a Timer’s Meeting some time after 5:30. Attend this so Timers will know who the runner is.

Before swim events, get the “Event papers” from the computer/ scoring table and take the packet for each lane to the timer at that lane.

At the end of each event, pick up the papers from the timers and return them to the computer / scoring table.

During relay events, swimmers will be using relay cards. The swimmers will hand the card to the timer to write on. At the end of the race, you will pick up the cards from the timers and take them to the computer / scoring table.

STAGING

Call swimmers for each Event by Heat. One worker go find boys, one worker go find girls. Call for swimmers missing from your line up.

Two or three workers use the heat sheets to place swimmers in heat order on the benches. Move one row to the stools behind the lanes after each heat.

Check and double check the swimmers name with the heat sheet.

Relay stagers – arrange relays throughout the entire meet. Arrange swimmers in order and in the correct lane. Jr Coaches will stage relays for younger swimmers that use both ends of the pool.

Staging workers help direct the relay groups to the right heat and lane.

STARTER

Announces each heat by name and starts each race with the strobe light / beep or starting gun. Must attend League class for Starter Training. Must also be a certified stroke judge. Wear Judge Attire.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGE

Attend League Training Class to be Certified. Disqualify all illegal strokes for ALL age groups. Write reason on the timer’s card and your initials. Delay the starter if you need more time. Tell swimmer their mistake whenever possible. Wear white collared shirt and navy shorts/pants.

2nd shift begins BEFORE the IM.

RIBBONS

Computer people of the home team will print out ribbon label stickers to use. Printing usually begins around Swim Event 20.

Individual events: Both teams get ribbons for places 1 through 6 because these positions make points. Attach labels and sort by team. The home team provides these ribbons.

For OUR team, we buy extra ribbons for places 7 through 12. Use “participation” ribbons for places beyond 12, or for swimmers who DQ. You may have to ask the computer people to print out DQ labels so that swimmer can still get some kind of a ribbon.

Ribbons for relays – both teams get ribbons for 1st and 2nd place (league standard rule since only these make points). We buy extra place ribbons and participation ribbons only for our team for places beyond this.

At home meets, give Heat Winner beads for individual events to anyone from either team. We go all out to encourage all swimmers on BOTH teams! We do not give heat winners for relays though. 

Ribbon chairperson will take the ribbon boxes to “away” meets.

TIMER AND BACK-UP TIMER

The Starter will call for a Timer’s Meeting some time after 5:30 to pick up your stop-watch and learn how to use it. Our Head Timer and will give you instructions: Start, Stop, and Reset.

Two timers are in each lane – one for each team. The home team writes the times on the sheet. These times will be averaged to determine a final time.

Ask the swimmer's to tell you their name (Don't ask if their name is "blank". They will nod yes even if it is not them). Compare with the paper packet. Let the Starter know if you find a problem.

Write NS (for No Swim or No show) beside a name when you don't have a swimmer for that name.

Make sure the lane number on your packet agrees with the lane number you are in. 

Start your watch at the sight of the strobe light. Do not go by sound. Stop it when the swimmer touches the wall at any spot, even if the touch is under water.

VERY IMPORTANT: The time difference between you and the other timer should be .30 or less. Be ready and be accurate - this is not hard, but does require focus. Take this job very seriously, as all swimmers are VERY concerned about their time.

It is ok to give the swimmer their time, but you are not allowed to say what "place" they finished.

You are not responsible for seeing if the stroke or touch is legal. Stroke Judges will make this call and write a note on your paper about that swimmer.

If a swimmer is disqualified, you still write down their time, as some DQs can be overturned.

Time each race even if there is no swimmer in your lane, as we may need more than one back-up timer.

If you are not ready, wave to the Starter to "wait."

If your watch fails, call for the “back-up timer.”

Back-Up Timer – You are there for the entire shift. Start your watch with the start strobe for every heat. When any timer in any lane misses the start signal, they will wave and call “Back up!” and you will come to their lane to click in that swimmer's finish.

2nd shift begins before the IM.

COMPUTER SCORERS AT HOME MEETS

Attend League Computer Training Class. Enter database of swimmers for each home meet, as seeded by the coaches for both teams. Print the roster for each team from the intranet site to have this at the meet for exact swimmer names. Print heat sheets to sell for home meets – include emergency weather plan, team sponsor ads and league sponsor ads. Free copies are given to our key workers (Coaches, Starter, Judges, Staging, check in.) 12 free copies for the other team's workers. Run the computer for the meet. Enter all results as received from the timers.

Timers in the same lane should be within .30 seconds or less. Watch for inconsistent timers and report any problem to the Head Timer. 

League rules state that no one (swimmers or adults) is to be at the scorer's table. Swimmers can see how they did when the results are posted. Post official results at the completion of each event in the Steeplechase breeze way across from bathrooms so parents, swimmers and coaches can check for errors. It is easier to fix an error AT the meet than fix it after submission to the league. Have label pages ready, and print out ribbon labels. Post final score and exchange data disk with opposing team. All results are unofficial until after the meet, in case of any dispute or challenge. Report meet score to the league. Make a .pdf file of Meet Results to email to our team.

VERIFYING SCORING AT AWAY MEETS

Compare the timers’ hand written cards with the computer print out to verify that no mistake was made entering the data into the computer. Very Important: Watch for inconsistent timers and report any problem to our league officials, Melanie Honeycutt-Casanova or Nancy Hamrick. Timers in the same lane should be within .30 seconds or less. If there is a mistake, get the computer person to correct it at the meet, as it is easier at the meet than later.

SWIMMERS AREA (BULLPEN)

Keep all swimmers in groups by AGE so that they can be found by staging people when it is time for their event to line up. If they have friends in other age groups, sit on the edge of their groups so they can still hear when being called by their own groups' staging workers. It is super hard to find them all if they are scattered all over the large grassy area.

Write their name clearly on their shoulder / upper back with a sharpie so timers & judges can read it at a glance. Do not write name with letters going down the arm (hard to read).

Swimmers cannot sit with parents, but parents can sit with them if needed. Swimmers may leave to go to the bathroom or concession area, but they need to come RIGHT BACK. Have them tell you where they are going so you will know where they are when their swim events are coming up. Swimmers should NOT play on the play ground, Tennis Courts or around the lake They should not be in the parking lot either. Swimmers may not run around or be rowdy.

Help Staging Volunteers find and line up swimmers.

Waiting swimmers may not go near the water and are not allowed to put anything in the water i.e.; feet, goggles, swim caps, other swimmers. There is a league rule concerning this and the swimmer, the team or the event could be disqualified.

Be sure the swimmers use the trash bags (that should be hanging on the iron fence)! If there is not a trash bag hanging on the fence, get one from the storage shed. Leave the area CLEAN after the meet.

Help the swimmers check the large Swim Events Board. Write the events on the swimmers hand / arm to help them remember if needed.

2nd Shift begins before the IM.

Do not let swimmers leave to go home until they check with the Coaches handling relays for that night!!  If someone has left that is listed on the swimmer board for relays, then someone else is needed to fill that spot. So even if you are not listed for being in a relay, you could be needed.

6 & UNDER SWIMMERS AREA (BULLPEN)

Keep 6 & Under swimmers together in the pavilion on the right side, for home meets. Keep swimmers quiet(ish) so they are not too rowdy or a distraction. Bring paper and crayons, cards, simple games, a small TV or books to keep them entertained. 6 & Unders sometime do a limited “warm up” prior to the meet (one lap). They swim first in the meet. Suggest they go to the bathroom LONG before they have to swim or else they may announce they have to go while in line for staging. Accompany a swimmer to the bathroom if a parent is not available so they will not get “lost.”

Participate in the team cheer over near the staging area. It is fun and helps them feel part of the larger team. After Team Cheer, immediately lead them to the staging seats in a chain of connected hands. They swim first in the meet, doing backstroke. Seat the swimmers at the start end of the pool in the correct order using the Heat Sheet.

Pick up swimmers after their race to be sure they get back to the bullpen and don't get lost. Bring them over again later in the meet for freestyle. Do this 8 heats ahead of the time for them to swim.

6 & Unders swim only Backstroke and Freestyle. Once those events are over, you can release most of the kids to their parents. Occasionally someone might be promoted to be in a relay (if they “swim up,” which is an honor!) so be sure that child gets to the right relay. 

Clean up the swimmers area, throw away trash, clean spills.After that you are done. 

CLEAN-UP

Clean bathrooms. Sweep and empty the trash.

Clean the swimmers areas: grassy areas where the home team sits, and the grassy area by the pond where the visiting team sits. Put any lost items in “lost and found.” 

Please leave the pool areas clean for the neighborhood members to use. We do not want to leave “a mess from the swim team.”

Jr. Coaches will put up the staging benches, backstroke flags, and lane ropes.  They will put ladders back in the pool.

Put furniture back around the deck.

Collect all trash and be sure it is in a bag and in our trashcans. Check deck, bathrooms, guest’s and home team swimmer’s areas in the grass also. 

Do NOT use facility trash cans (rectangular bins).Their trash day is Wed. Their cans should remain behind the fenced area.

Hose the pool deck as needed, especially where any food was spilled.

Dump ice water from drink coolers.  Leave drink coolers propped OPEN so they do not get moldy in the heat of the days to come before the next meet.

THANK YOU!