Volunteer Info
Volunteering is essential for a successful season; our team runs on volunteers. A commitment to volunteer is required of each family. It takes more than 60 volunteers to run a home meet. That means we need every family at each of our home meets! There are additional requirements if your child swims in a Championship Meet, and that information will be made available closer to those events.
**There is a minimum volunteer requirement of 4 volunteer shifts per family. Please see the FAQ below for full details. Job descriptions can also be found Here
A veteran swim team parent’s two cents regarding volunteering:
If you are new to swim team, all of this may seem a bit overwhelming. Yet once you have been through the first meet, it will all seem so simple. One thing to realize is that a meet can last up to
6 hours! But don’t worry, the time goes quickly and the kids love it. Volunteering really makes the time fly! A tip for volunteering: Pay attention to the job descriptions. If you are a red head who shuns the sun, don’t sign up to be a timer. Those jobs are better suited for someone who looks forward to the 2+ hours of sun exposure. Maybe concessions or ribbon writing is more your speed.
Volunteering FAQ’s
1. What is my family’s volunteer commitment?
Each family must volunteer for either the 1st or 2nd shift of each home meet and the 1st or 2nd shift of at least one away meets for a minimum of 4 volunteer shifts. If your child is not swimming in a meet, you are not required to volunteer at that meet but must complete a total of 4 volunteer shifts during the season. If your swimmer is not swimming in multiple meets, you will have to double volunteer shifts at one meet to make sure the commitment is fulfilled. (Please don’t forget to let the coaches know that your child won’t be at the meet!!) If the family does not meet the volunteer requirement, the swimmer will NOT be able to participate in the Championship Meet.
2. What can I do to fulfill my family’s volunteer commitment?
There are many different volunteer positions available at each meet – timers, ribbon writers, concession workers, kid finder, just to name a few. Please read the descriptions below before signing up. Not all positions are suitable for every individual. If you are unable to volunteer at meets, we have many committees and alternatives available.
3. How do I sign up to volunteer?
Sign up is easy. Visit our meet sign up page for instructions. All Job signup emails are distributed via Swimtopia. Please ensure you have a valid active email address(s) for your profile.
4. What do I do when I arrive at the Meet?
First Shift Volunteers should arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to the swimmer warm ups. Check in with the Volunteer Coordinator to obtain a name tag and brief instructions. At home meets, the Volunteer Coordinator will be located at the Front Desk just inside the Pool House. At away meets, the Volunteer Coordinator will be located, when possible, near the entrance to the pool deck. If that is not possible, she will be near the coaches.
Second Shift Volunteers need to check in with the Volunteer Coordinator to obtain a name tag and brief instructions prior to event 23 (the beginning of Backstroke). 2nd Shift Volunteers replace 1st Shift Volunteers no later than event 28.
Volunteer Positions
Announcer
Provides team announcements over speakers. Ask for swimmers to come to the Clerk of Course Area.
Meet Setup - Home Meets Only
Comes early to help setup bullpen, tech areas. Requires moving of tables, chairs canopy, assists with starter setup.
Meet Cleanup
Walks through pool areas and removes trash. Walks through bathrooms to ensure cleanliness. For Home Meets: removes chairs, tables starter area equipment.
Head Timer - Home Meets Only
Ensures stop watches are in working order; organizes timers 15 minutes prior to meet; gives a quick tutorial to new timers and a general overview of timing expectations. The Head Timer starts two watches at the beginning of each heat as backup in case a timer misses the start of the race. Required: Prior timing experience . Ability to stand, usually in the sun, for approximately 2 hours. Feet & legs will be splashed as Timers stand at the edge of the pool
Timer
Uses a stopwatch to time the swimmers during their events and then records times on paper. All timers are shown exactly what they need to do prior to their shift by the Head Timer. Required: Ability to stand, usually in the sun, for approximately 2 hours. Feet & legs will be splashed as Timers stand at the edge of the pool.
Backup Timer
Provides relief to timers should they need a break. Serves as a secondary Head timer.
Sheet Runner - Home Meets Only
Collects sheets with swimmer’s times from Timers and delivers them to Computer volunteers. Required: ability to move quickly back and forth from Pool to Computer location.
Lane Organizer
Use the Meet program to confirm that all swimmers for
each Event get seated in proper position upon arrival at
Clerk of Course area. Works with the Clerk of Course to
move Heats at appropriate times to the on-deck area.
Required: Loud, commanding voice and able to manage large crowd of swimmers. A standing position that is usually shaded or partially shaded.
Clerk of Course - Home Meets Only
Manages the movement of competitors to the on-deck area and into proper lanes for their appointed Heats. He or she is responsible to avoid unnecessary Meet delays.
Required: moving back and forth from Bull Pen to Pool lanes, keeping track of swimmers place.
Kid Finder
Uses the Meet Program, announces upcoming events to the crowd of parents/swimmers; works with the Lane Organizer to locate swimmers who have not moved to the Bull Pen to be lined up for their upcoming event .
Required: loud, commanding voice and ability to move through crowded pool deck.
Heat Ribbons - Home Meets Only
Hand heat winner ribbon to swimmer after they have climbed out of pool. Required: Ability to stand, generally in the sun, at the edge of the pool and be aware of race end. Feet and legs can get splashed as this position stands at the edge of the pool.
Ribbon Writing
Works with the computer volunteers to print and attach stickers to ribbons; organizes ribbons for future distribution. Required: clear handwriting. Position is a seated job and usually shaded.
ScoreKeeper / Computer Input
Works with a volunteer from the other team to input the scores as the meet progresses.
Swimmer Tattoo / Event Tagging
Uses the Meet Program to write Event Heat Lane on swimmers arms so they know what events they are swimming and where to line up in the bullpen.
STROKE & TURN INFORMATION
Stoke & Turn volunteers must go through training and be registered with the team and with GASL (Greater Annapolis Swim League). Swimming rules are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions for competition and to promote uniformity in the sport so that no swimmer obtains an unfair advantage over another. Only judges, not coaches or spectators, make the call to disqualify, or DQ, the swimmers. A disqualification should be viewed as a learning experience. In most cases, a swimmer who is DQ’ed for a certain mistake won’t make that same
mistake again.
Being a Stroke & Turn Judge is a great way to learn more about the sport your child loves. You also have the best view of the race. However, to be a Stroke & Turn Judge, you have to be willing to DQ your own child. Every judge has done it at one time. The most important factor is to be consistent in calls, no matter who is swimming. The swimmers deserve fair competition.
To be an S&T Judge, you must attend ONE of the certification classes. The classes are one hour long and will be posted to the Facebook page as soon as they are available. Please let our S&T Coordinator, a Coach or a Team Rep know if you are interested in attending the training.
Stroke & Turn & DQ Reminders
Whether you work as an S&T Judge or not, in the spirit of sportsmanship, the judges ask that you support the calls and judgments made at each Meet. The judges do not want to DQ a child; they are only doing their best to keep the competition fair. The coaches will review any DQ situation with the swimmer, and parents need to be supportive and respectful of those learning moments. Below are some basic stroke and turn violations, but there are many more rules for each stroke.
Breaststroke: two strokes or kicks underwater; alternating kicks; scissors kick; butterfly kick; arms not moving in the same horizontal plane; break in stroke cycle; overwater recovery; nonsimultaneous or onehand touch.
Butterfly: alternating kick; scissors kick; nonsimultaneous arm stroke; underwater recovery; nonsimultaneous
or onehand touch.
Backstroke: getting artificial assistance (i.e. pulling on lane ropes or pushing off the sides); shoulders past vertical toward breast (not on back); noncontinuous turn; independent kicks or pulls during the turn; no touch on the turn.
Freestyle: no touch on the turn; walking on or pushing off the bottom of the pool; getting artificial assistance (i.e. pulling on lane ropes or pushing off the sides).
IM: any of the above stroke and turn infractions; transition infractions; swimming strokes out of order; swimming butterfly, backstroke, or breaststroke during the freestyle leg.
Relays: same as IM issues but also swimmers swimming out of order.
Stroke and Turn Training Sessions will be available. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested
USA Swimming and YMCA officials who have current certification will need to send team reps their certification card or deck pass screen shot.
