Swim Meet 101
- Bring sunscreen, cash and chairs
- Write your swimmer's events on their arm before the meet (see example below)
- Bring snacks if you don't want to buy concessions
- Bring towel, goggles, something for the kids to do while they are waiting for their events.
Volunteer 101
I will send out the sign-up sheet soon, but ahead of that, I thought you might want some idea of the job you are signing up for.
1. Timer- You'll have a stopwatch. You'll start when the buzzer goes off and end when the swimmer touches the wall. You'll then show your time to the writer. This is the easiest of all jobs and great for newbies.
2. Stroke Judge and Finish Judge- If you were a competitive swimmer in high school or college, please let me know. We are not diligent about the rules of swimming until the middle of summer. This is not a good pick for new people.
3. Ribbon Sticker - You will sit and stick labels on the backs of the ribbons. Pros- You will sit in the shade. It's a lot of writing and no walking. Cons- It's hectic and you won't be able to see your kid swim.
4. Scoring- You will run the SwimTopia score for each heat and keep coaches aware of the score as the meet progresses. This is not hard. We have veteran parents who like this one.
5. Announcer - You will announce each heat and each event. There are 76. We usually have a fantastic guy that does this, but if you were a communications person in college, please contact me. We need to train you.
6. Pool Runner- You will pick up the timing sheets from the writers and physically take it back to the ribbon writing tent. You will definitely get your steps in AND you will be able to see your kid swim.
7. Concession- You will serve food and charge the appropriate amount. It is not the best vantage point if you are trying to watch your kid. It's not great if you have younger kids, but it is pretty easy.
8. Marshal/Child Wrangling- This is professional child wrangling. You will find each kid according to the heat sheet that the coaches make up. You will then deliver the kids to the appropriate lane. AND make sure they stay there. It's hilarious and exhausting. It's a GREAT way to learn the names of all the kids.
9. Set Up and Tear Down- This is manual labor. I need help before the meets putting up the canopies and the concession tables and the sound equipment. It's a lot of carrying heavy things back and forth from the clubhouse. Pros- You will be able to sit and watch the whole meet with your family. Cons- You have to arrive early and you'll leave late.
10. Wrist writer- Before the meet, we need people to write the events and heats on the arms of our swimmers. You'll write it in Sharpie.
In this example: My kid was swimming the Medley Relay, Breaststroke, Heat 1 Lane 1 Backstroke Heat 2 Lane 1 Breaststroke Heat 2 Lane 1 Freestyle 11/12 age group Heat 3 Lane 1 Free Relay Heat 1 Lane 1 This job is very hectic at the beginning of the meet, but after you've written on everyone, you can sit and enjoy the meet. This is also a great job for newbies.
