Volunteer FAQs
- Do parents need to volunteer? Are there opt-out fees?
- My spouse and I are going to be gone one weekend, and the kids' grandparents (or babysitter) will be taking the kids to the meet. Do they have to fulfill our volunteer role?
- Both my spouse and I have been assigned a role, and we only have one swimmer. Do we both have to volunteer?
- I have been assigned a specialized role. Do I need to do anything else?
- We have two swimmers on the team, and we have other young children who are not swimming yet. How can we possibly both volunteer and still watch our young children?
- What does "shift" mean?
Do parents need to volunteer? Are there opt-out fees?
A parent or guardian must volunteer 1 SHIFT PER SWIMMER at EACH MEET your swimmer(s) attend(s) (maximum 2 shifts per meet). Failure to volunteer may result in your swimmer being pulled from the meet and will impact returning to the team next season.
How do I volunteer if I can't be a swim meet but my child is swimming?
If you cannot attend a meet and your child swimming, contact the Volunteer Coordinator (Marguerite Hudson) as soon as possible. We have behind the scenes, before the meet volunteering and always need help. Our meets depend on the support and commitment of parent or guardian volunteers. If you are a Marlin, you are required to volunteer. Without volunteers, there would be no meet and without a meet, there would be no Marlins (and we are the best!).
Both my spouse and I have been assigned a role, and we only have one swimmer. Do we both have to volunteer?
Absolutely not, but you are welcome to if you want to go above and beyond the call of duty. You have both been assigned a role as you both made a preference during registration. During meet sign up, you only need to choose one of you to volunteer.
I have been assigned a specialized role. Do I need to do anything else?
YES. You still need to sign up for Volunteer Shifts when the schedule opens. See "Signing Up for Volunteer Shifts at Swim Meets" above.
We have two swimmers on the team, and we have other young children who are not swimming yet. How can we possibly both volunteer and still watch our young children?
As you can imagine, you are certainly not the first family in this situation and we absolutely understand this predicament. We have a couple of different solutions to your dilemma, and depending upon your situation, we will absolutely work something out. One option is to volunteer for roles that occur before or after the meet such as equipment setup and take down. We also have a few roles that don't require assistance during a meet. Some may take place during practice times or during other special events. Regardless of your situation, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator to work this out.
What does "shifts" mean?
Most rolls are divided between first shift (event 1 through event 45) and second shift (event 46 through 87). Obviously the first shift is in the cooler hours of the morning, but you have to be on your toes earlier in the morning and the shift is a little longer than the second shift. Six and unders finish at the end of event 47. So if you only have 6 and under swimmers, you will need to sign up only for first shift. Second shift is a bit shorter due to the fact that there are three less events AND there are only two 6 and under events. However, the second shift will be a bit warmer.
