For any new families or people who need a quick refresher, what follows is a list of needs for volunteers for home swim meets and what those volunteers must do in each position.
To sign up for any of these positions, go to the Volunteer Sign-ups tab.
To sign up for any of these positions, go to the Volunteer Sign-ups tab.
Welch Volunteer positions for Swim Meets
Mother Hen/Father Rooster (need 1 of each per half)
- Cards will be given to you by computer person
- Pink cards are for girls, blue for boys
- Cards will be in numeric order (by event)
- Give cards to each swimmer one at a time, only for their next event
Timer (need 8 per half)
- Start stop watch when you see the starter light – do not start at the sound
- Use your index finger to start the watch
- Check your watch right after the start of the race to make sure that it is working
- Raise your hand immediately if there is a problem with your watch (if you missed the start) to switch watches with the back-up timer
- Check the name of the swimmer with the name on the card (especially on the 25s)
- One timer (usually the home timer) will hold the clip board and record BOTH times on the card
- If there is a plunger at the pool, the timer who is not holding the clip board will press the plunger at the end of the race
- You will move to the non-block end of the pool for the 25s
- Clear your watch at the end of each race
Back-up timer (need 1 per half)
- Start your watch at the beginning of each race
- Watch for timers to raise their hands if they have a problem with the race
- Trade your watch with the timer whose watch didn’t start at the beginning of the race
Seeding (need 2 per half)
- Organize swimmers into chairs by event and heat starting at the back of the seating area
- Swimmers move forward through the seats after each race/heat
- Make changes to cards to combine heats when necessary. Tell referee/announcer all changes.
- Guide swimmers to the starting blocks
Runner (need 2 per half)
- Collect cards from each timer after all times have been recorded for the race
- Keep cards in lane order
- Keep each heat separate
- Deliver cards to the scorers’ table after each race
- Collect DQ slips from officials and deliver to scorers’ table
- For the 25s, work in a circle pattern with the other runner. One runner collects cards for the swimmers and re-distributes them at the other end of the pool to the timers. The second runner collects cards at the end of the race from the timers, takes them to the scorers’ table, then goes back to the swimmer end of the pool to start the process over (see diagram)
Scoring (need 2 per half)
- Average times on cards to the hundredths
- Sort races by heat
- Attach DQ slips
- Read times to computer operator if needed
- Re-sort cards by team to be given to the coaches at the end of the meet
Concessions (need 4 per shift)
- Volunteers work for 1 hr. shifts
- Table set-up, pricing, receiving donations, organizing food done before the meet
- Always needs to be a separation of labor from money collection
- Communicate needs with the grill (outside fence)
- Gloves need to be worn when handling food
- Re-stock drinks in coolers when needed
- Clean-up
