Please take some time to read the volunteer job descriptions for each job that you will be doing at a meet so you can familiarize yourself with its respective responsibilities and duties.
Each family will be required to fulfill their required 6 shifts at our regular season dual meets. In addition, each family that attends the Meet of Champs (MOC) and the All-Star Meet (ASM) must also fulfill a volunteer position at these meets.
Volunteer sign-ups for all meets will be availble during the registration process, as well as under the calendar tab, with the exception of Meet of Champs & the All-Stars Meet. If you are unable to fulfill your volunteer shift for a particular meet it is your responsibility to find a replacement. Once you have found your replacement, notify the Volunteer Coordinator by clicking here.
Console Operator
**Volunteers must have completed the WHALe Electronic Timer Training. Must complete training before you can sign up for this position.** Console Operator will be responsible for managing the Dolphin Wireless console and the Meet Manager software. They will also receive the event timer sheets and double check automatic times against the backup times.
Floater
Assists where needed or fills in for an absent volunteer. Helps volunteer coordinator with volunteer check-in. Provides other volunteers with restroom breaks.
Hospitality
Helps ensure the visiting team is greeted and welcomed. They will distribute water to volunteers from both teams. Ensures the coolers are filled with ice and water and clean up after the meet. Hospitality also places food orders for coaches from both teams before the break (Home meets only).
Parking Attendant
Monitors the small parking lot by the pool to ensure only those with proper credentials park there, and that no swim meet attendees park on Mahogany Run Drive.
Ready Bench
Verifies that swimmers are in the correct event/heat/lane according to the heat sheet and that no substitutions or changes have been made. Ready Bench parent will be stationed at the end of the pool where events are starting.
Referee
The referee runs the meet and makes decisions based on the touch turn / stroke judge recommendations. The referee will declare swimmer disqualifications and record them on the event timing sheet. The referee should work with the starter to keep the meet pace on time. The referee will run the judges meeting before the meet starts and will work until the last heat.
Ribbons
These volunteers will receive heat result labels from the console/scoring table and attach the label to the correct ribbon. Ribbons will then be filed by swimmer.
Set-up and Take-down
Prepare the pool area for the meet (6:30am Saturday meets or 4:30pm weekday meets) and restores area back to pre-meet conditions after each meet. Will be responsible for setting up ez-ups for each ready bench area and age group areas, caution barriers around wading pool, trash bags/cans around ready benches, yellow lane towels, tables/umbrellas and chairs for ribbons, scoring, starter and flip chart.
Starter
**Volunteers must have completed the WHALe League Judge Clinic Certification for Starter. Must complete training before you can sign up for this position.** This volunteer works the entire home meet and announces the events and signals the start of each heat. The Starter is responsible for charging false starts to swimmers. The Starter will use a starting device, and only whistle in the event of a device failure
Stroke and Touch/Turn Judges
Watches swimmers' strokes or touch & turns for infractions and promptly reports those to Referee.
**Must attend WHALe Certification Clinic**
Judges will receive one free FPST dri-fit shirt or tank top upon working a shift!!
Timer Runner
Collect event timer sheets from each lane at the end of each event and deliver them to the console operators.
Tent Parents
Checks in with Tent Coordinator to get a heat sheet. Checks attendance for the age group assigned and writes swimmer ID on the top of the right hand with a sharpie. Stays with assigned age group under the ez-up tents, keeping the swimmers from wandering off. Gets swimmers to their ready bench on time and in their correct lanes according to the heat sheet.
Responsibilities:
- keeps watch to what event is swimming
- lines up swimmers in a single file line according to the heat sheet
- for relays, lines up swimmers in 2 lines, swimmers 1 & 3 in one line (pool side with timers) and swimmers 2 & 4 in another line (pool side opposite timers)
- swimmers 10 & under start their individual races opposite the timers.
- swimmers 11 & over start their individual races on the pool side with timers
- individual medley races start on the pool side with timers
- swimmers 6 & under will only swim freestyle and backstroke.
Notify head coach if any swimmer is missing. Heat Sheets cannot be adjusted. If a swimmer shows up but is not on the heat sheet, that swimmer will be allowed to swim in the last heat, in an empty lane.
Timers
Use the Dolphin Wireless timer or manual stopwatch to time swimmers. There will be 3 timers per lane. The manual timer will need to be started at the starter's signal and will stop the timer when the swimmer reaches the wall and will record swimmer's time on timing sheet after each heat. This timing sheet will be handed to the Runner at the end of each event.
