Hello Volunteers,

Thank you all for volunteering to help at our first meet! Here are a few things to remember:

• Check in Table begins at 7:45 AM so be there a little before if you are working this.
• Stroke & Turn Judges: make sure and wear white shirt/navy shorts. I will send a more detailed e-mail to y'all.
• Timers: You will have a brief meeting right before the meet starts. The Head Timer from Stone Oak will explain how to use the timing system.
• Ready Bench/Lane Line/Home Base: All of you will be working together and we will send a more detailed e-mail, but also read below. Nicole Motl and April Blacker will be running Ready Bench.
• Volunteer Subs: please be on call to help if needed

The meet is divided in half. If you are working the first half, please be ready to go in your position. When Event #34 begins, 2nd half volunteers be ready to trade with 1st half volunteers.

• 1st Half-volunteers Events #1-34
• 2nd Half-volunteers Events #35-68

Volunteer Descriptions

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!!

Parents of new members are encouraged to sign up for these jobs.  There are easy jobs to fit everyone’s skills or abilities.  Each job is important and can be fun!!

Set-Up Parents set up equipment, moves furniture, set up pop up tents, sets up ready benches, sponsor banners, etc. before meets 

 Clean up Parents  put the pool back together after a meet (all chairs, tables, lounge chairs, etc.) and clean up of the pool area and parking lot after home meets.

 Concession Workers aid in setting up the concession stand, selling refreshments, and cleaning up the concession stand at home meets. 

 Team Ready Bench Parents call swimmers to the ready area and help the coaches get swimmers lined up for the next events and maintains order in the ready area. SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFO ABOUT READY BENCH.

 Home Base Parents monitor children at home base and guide them from home base to ready bench area.  Most of the swimmers at home base have parents that are currently working the meet.

 Events Counter keeps track of the event number and heat on board (either writes or flips chart)

 Timers use digital stopwatches to time and record the time on the lane timer sheets.  Each lane has three times – one is in charge of the clipboard and legibly writing down the watch times, a second timer watches to ensure the times are correctly transcribed, and the third timer asks the swimmer his or her name to be sure the correct swimmer is in their event, heat, and lane.

 Head Timer uses a manual stopwatch to time each event and records the time of the slowest swimmer for each heat. 

 Hospitality/Runners collect lane timer sheets and disqualification slips from timers and judging officials and takes them to the scorekeeper’s table.  Also delivers water to people working the meet (timers, meet ref, ready bench moms for both teams, lifeguard, etc) at least once each half.

 Ribbon Personnel attach a printed label with each swimmer’s results (recording the swimmer’s name, event, and time) to the appropriate place ribbon and sorts them into the family folders (this is done at home after the meet).  Brings the family folders to practice no more than 2 days after the meet.

 Volunteer Substitute  will fill in for any position (except those requiring training) any time during the meet.

 

POSITIONS REQUIRING TRAINING  At A Free, Annual MSSL Clinic

 Meet Referee has complete responsibility for a speedy and impartial conduct of the competition, knows theMSSL and swim stroke rules, is familiar with the whistle start procedures, inspects the pool and equipment, and conducts an officials’ meeting before the meet begins.  The Meet Referee usually has worked as a Stroke & Turn Judge for at least two swim seasons and could be, but DOES NOT have to be a nationally certified official.

 Starter’s primary job is to ensure all swimmers have a fair and equitable start, knows the MSSL rules and how they are applied, and is familiar with the whistle start procedures.

 Stroke and Turn Judge observes the swimmers in their assigned lanes, makes disqualifications when applicable, and understands the MSSL and swim stroke rules and how they are applied.

 Scorekeeper takes the data from the lane timer sheets and inputs it into the Meet Manager software.  Periodically through the meet, the scorekeeper will print the ribbon labels for swimmers who place 1st -6th.  At the end of the meet, the scorekeeper asks the Referee and the 2 Head Coaches to sign the final score sheet.

 Again, the Manta Ray Swim Team cannot continue to exist without the assistance of parent volunteers.  ALL PARENTS MUST PARTICIPATE FOR CONTINUED SWIM TEAM SUCCESS at MOUNTAIN LODGE!

 

Ready Bench Additional Information

The Ready Bench (RB) is the area where swimmers are gathered and organized into their heats and lanes, and are then taken to the blocks for the various events they will be swimming.  These tasks are critical to keeping the meet on schedule and to ensuring a smooth and efficiently run meet.  We thank you for volunteering for this important job!!!

------------------------  RESPONSIBILITIES OF READY BENCH VOLUNTEERS  ------------------------

Head Ready Bench

• Lead the Ready Bench volunteers in performing their functions and ensure that the Ready Bench is running efficiently.
• Ensure all volunteers have an updated Heat Sheet.
• Mark absent swimmers on Heat Sheet.
• Notify Coach of any missing swimmers or issues.
• Perform all Bench Volunteer duties and assists with Runner duties as needed. 

Bench

• Organize swimmers on the benches in order of event, heat and lane position according to the current Heat Sheet.
• Notify the Head Ready Bench volunteer of any missing swimmers.
• Help with any last minute changes or things that might come up like broken goggles or caps.
• Maintain order at the Ready Bench area.

Runner

• Walk the swimmers in the correct order from the Ready Bench to the staging area behind the Dive Blocks.

Blocks

• Work towards having 1 swimmer on blocks and 3 swimmers lined up behind them, preferably no more.  (This may change during Individual Medleys/IM’s.)
• Keep Runner informed as to when to bring the next heat(s).

Whiteboard

• Monitor open benches at RB and calls next events by walking with whiteboard through ML seating area and Home Base area.
• Strive to keep ready benches filled at all times.

------------------------  HELPFUL NOTES  ------------------------

MEETING:  Meet at the Ready Bench during ML warmups for a quick meeting before events start.

Heat Sheets:  Make sure you are working off the most recent Heat Sheet.  Check with Head RB.

Warm Ups:  Home team warms up 1st.  Visiting team warms up 2nd.  After warm-up, the team meeting and cheer will take place.  Immediately after that, RB volunteers need to take 8U Medley Relay swimmers (girls and boys) to RB and prepare them for the 1st event.

Medley Relay:   Order  =  BACK, BREAST, FLY, FREE;  1 & 3 - blocks,  2 & 4 - opposite end

Blocks: Claudia wants 1 swimmer on blocks and 3 swimmers lined up behind them, preferably no more.

 

If you have any issues with volunteering, please call/text me: 210-241-3178.

THANK YOU!

Mindy Waters

Volunteer Coordinator