Swim meets cannot function without volunteers from each team who work during the meet. The good news is that you’ll be able to watch your swimmers compete! Please read the job descriptions below and figure out which ones you’ll be able to do at your child’s meet. We expect everyone to help for at least half of a meet, unless a parent is alone at meet with small children to mind. To choose your volunteer jobs for each meet, go here: Volunteer Sign Ups
To learn more about the volunteer jobs, read on!
Good Jobs for New Swim Families
Timers verify swimmers are in the right heat and lane, time each swim using stopwatches, and enter the times on the event card. This job allows a good view of the swimmers, including your own! We usually need to provide around 10 timers each half at each meet.
Shepherds (Girl and Boy) ensure that the 10-and-under swimmers make it to their events on time; working from a prepared list, they track down, escort, and contain the movements of their young charges until they are seated by the Clerk of Course. Parents of young swimmers are best for this job!
Runners work together to collect the event cards from the timers after each event, along with DQ cards and sweeps judge cards and “run” them to the table workers. This is a great job for people who like to be active; it’s easy to stop and watch your swimmer compete. We usually need 1-2 per meet.
Table Workers work together to process the pieces of paper that come to the Table: organizing the event cards, checking the official times on the cards putting labels on the backs of the ribbons, etc. Table Worker is a great job for people who prefer a seated job, away from the noise and congestion of the pool deck. It’s easy to walk away from the Table briefly to watch your swimmer compete. We usually need to provide 3-4 table workers per meet.
Sweeps Judges work in pairs to record the order in which swimmers finish their event. You get a front-row seat at the finish line with this position. We usually need to provide 2 sweeps judges per meet.
Refreshments volunteers walk around the pool deck two or three times each half (at home meets only) with a tray of water and/or snacks, for the volunteers who are working that half.
Jobs Requiring Some Familiarity with Swim Meets
Clerk of Course hands out event cards to swimmers as they report for their events and helps them find their designated spot on the bench, thus ensuring that each swimmer is in the right lane and the right heat. Ideal for someone who knows how a swim meet runs and who doesn’t mind a little lot of noise. Clerks can easily step away to watch their swimmers. We need to have 4 Clerks per meet.
Head Timer gives instructions, assigns lanes, hands out watches, clipboards, and pencils to each timer prior to the start of the meet, at home meets only. During the meet, the head timer starts two backup watches at the beginning of every event, in case a timer missed the start and needs a watch. If you’ve been timing for several years and feel like you could do Head Timer, we’d love to have you!
Head Table Worker sets up the Table for home meets only. Head Table oversees the functions at the table, answers questions, and deals with any problems that may arise with the event cards. If you have worked the table for a couple years, you can do this job!
Jobs Requiring Special Training
Stroke and Turn Judges watch the swimmers to ensure that they are swimming the strokes legally; they write up DQ slips when they observe a violation of the rules governing the stroke. Judges have to be trained through the JSL. Judges have a great position on deck to watch the swimmers; they must be comfortable disqualifying swimmers, though. We need at least 4 per meet.
Starter is the person who says “swimmers, take your marks” and beeps the beeper that starts the event. There’s a little more to it than that, but you get the idea. It’s a good job if you know how meets run and like to have a microphone in your hands and a lot of attention on you. We provide the Starter at home meets only.
Computer Operator uses the software provided to us to set up the meet, take times, and compile the results. It’s not as hard as it sounds but training is required. We need a Computer Operator for each meet.
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