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Volunteer FAQs


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.

Volunteer Position Descriptions

Listed below is a brief description of the volunteer positions that need to be filled for every meet. None of the jobs are especially difficult and simple training is provided as needed; however, some of the positions do require attending special training sessions and some positions are better suited for our more experienced swim parents (ready bench and head timer for example). If you are brand new to the summer swim league, the jobs of timer, runner, set up, take down, pit parent, ribbons and concessions are good places to start.

ANNOUNCER: Announces first, second and final calls for each event. Works closely with the starter to keep the meet running smoothly. The announcer will need to anticipate flow based on the number of swimmers, the stroke, the number of lengths to be swum, and the age of the swimmers. Training is required for this position.

STARTER: Starts each event with the announcement of the age and stroke and the words "SWIMMERS TAKE YOUR MARK", pauses to make sure that all swimmers are motionless, and then gives an electronic sound or a blast of a whistle. He/She shall be the sole judge of FALSE STARTS and all false starts shall be restarted. This individual must be trained for this position.

STROKE JUDGE: Work in pairs on each side of the pool with one member of a pair being from each team. Judges only rule on infractions on their side of the pool. They observe strokes, turns, and finishes to see that swimmers comply with requirements for that stroke. Training is required for this position (a training clinic will be scheduled at our pool prior to the first meet of the season).

EXCHANGE JUDGE: Required for relay events. One exchange judge from each team shall be positioned at the corners of the pool and be responsible for observing exchanges. Training is required for this position (a training clinic will be scheduled at our pool prior to the first meet of the season).

HEAD TIMER: Organizes and briefs the Lane Timers on their duties prior to the meet and is in charge of the lane timers throughout the meet. The head timer has the authority to remove and replace any lane timer, with the approval of the home meet director. Previous experience required for this position.

LANE TIMERS: Records the swimmer’s time. Each timer is provided a stopwatch and assigned a lane; there are three timers for each lane. All three times are recorded and the middle time becomes the official time. Timers are assigned to work for one half of the meet. This job gives you the best view of the pool and the swimmers during their races.

READY BENCH: They are the key to keeping a meet on schedule. Responsible for lining up the swimmers by event, heat and lane and getting them to the starting blocks in the correct order and on time. Assigned to work for one half of the meet. This job gives you the chance to see your swimmer* immediately before his/her event, and interact with all the swimmers and many other volunteers. It's a lot of fun! (*Yes! You can step away from the bench to watch your swimmer's race!)

RUNNER: Responsible for obtaining the completed event cards and DQ forms for each race from the timers and judges. The cards and DQ forms are delivered to the scoring table. The job title is very descriptive. Runners should have good tennis shoes that work well on slippery wet surfaces. Assigned to work for one half of the meet. This job keeps you moving around at the poolside and the time passes quickly.

DATA ENTRY: Responsible for entering data from time cards and verifying data entered. Assigned to work for one half of the meet. With this job, you see the race results before anyone else.

SCORING: Marks the official time for each swimmer, records the order of finishes and verifies the computer results. Assigned to work for one half of the meet. With this job, you see the race results before anyone else.

HEAT RIBBONS: Determines the winner of each individual event heat and awards that swimmer a heat winner ribbon. Assigned to work for one half of the meet.

RIBBONS: Places labels on ribbons; sorts and files ribbons into swimmer file folder. Assigned to work for one half of the meet. This job keeps you sitting down and out of the sun but may require you to keep working for a short while after the meet is over.

CONCESSIONS: Sells concessions. Helps set up and tear down concession stand. Assigned to work for one half of the meet.

SET UP: Sets up the pool area for the swim meet. Moves deck chairs, starting blocks, sets up canopies, announcer stand and ready bench. This position requires time on Friday evenings prior to home meets and either Friday evenings or early Saturday mornings prior to the start of away meets (depending on restrictions of various teams regarding set up times). May also require picking up equipment such as tarps and canopies from Sendero Springs Pool to transport them to away meets.

TAKE DOWN: During the last few minutes of a meet the crew begins taking down and storing items in preparation for vacating the pool immediately after the meet. Away meets may also require transporting the equipment back to Sendero Springs Pool for storage.

PARKING ATTENDANT: Directs traffic and parking in the parking areas before the start of the meet.

TENT PARENT: Works with the swimmers in a particular tent (ie: 6&U Boys, 6&U Girls, 7/8 Boys, etc) for the duration of the meet. Responsibilities can range from writing the swimmer's events on their arm, to helping put on their swim caps, to helping get them all lined up in the right order and to the ready bench for their event.  

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