PARENT PARTICIPATION POINTS AND VOLUNTEERING

2023-2024 Season

The Canadian Dolphin Swim Club uses a point and levy system for parent volunteer hours.  This system ensures that we have enough volunteers to run the Club, our swim meets and other events, and also helps us reciprocate other clubs’ help in running our meets. We also require that our parents attend Swim Official Training Clinics in order to ensure that we are able to host quality meets for our swimmers and for other swimmers in the region/province.

This is how it works: 

Swim Official Training Requirements: The club will hold Officials Training Clinics during the season to train our parents to be certified Meet Officials. Level 1 (Introduction to Swimming Officiating/Timer) is a requirement for at least one parent in each family for all groups except Swim Academy and Youth. From the Red Group upwards, higher certifications are required (see the PPP Record Form). For more information on the Officials Certification Pathway, click here. PPP reporting: Please note that you do not have to repeat a course/clinic every year, write the year you completed the course/clinic on your reporting form.

Volunteering at Swim Meets:​ The families of swimmers are required to provide adult volunteers for club meets including mini meets, PASS meets, Time Trials, the CDSC Invitational, and any other meet the club hosts.

• Volunteers must be a minimum of 16 years old. Volunteers do not have to be family members. Children younger than 16 are welcome to volunteer for age appropriate jobs, but do not fulfill the requirement of an adult volunteer.
• Volunteers will be assigned roles by the Volunteer Coordinator. Roles will be assigned based on the experience of the volunteer. Volunteers will be assigned to different roles in order to develop the knowledge and experience of our volunteer pool. Volunteers may be assigned multiple roles in a single session (for example, heat sheet sales and timing).

​CDSC Major Meets: Most years, CDSC hosts a major swim meet in January at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre (CDSC Mies Schootman Invitational Meet) and another later in the season (for example, BC Divisional Champs), and most families will be required to volunteer at these meets. We need a large number of volunteers to run our meets, and everyone in the Club is expected to help out. 

Please note: for 2024, the Mies Schootman Invitational Swim Meet will be January 19-21, and the Swim BC Winter Divisional Championships will be February 23-25.

• Each time you volunteer, please record your hours on the Parent Participation Record Form.  Do not rely on the job signups as proof of your volunteering or the online service hours module - you must submit a form!
• For each group there are mandatory officials courses and volunteering requirements set out in the PPP Record Form for that group. Download the form applicable to your swimmer's group below.
• In addition to the mandatory requirements, families with swimmers in the LMR, Regional, Provincial Development, Senior, Provincial and National Groups have requirements to volunteer for an additional number of points. The number of points allocated to each volunteer job or task is listed below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and there may be other ways you can help the Club for which you will receive Parent Participation Points. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to assume a role, such as Board member, event coordinator etc.
• If you have more than one swimmer in the Club (for example, in Red and Provincial), you don’t have to earn volunteer points for both swimmers.  PPP requirements are based on the child in the higher group (in the above case it would be the Provincial Group). If your swimmer moves groups during the season, the PPP requirement and the amount of the levy will be that of the group your swimmer is in on January 31st.
• Email the completed form to the PPP Coordinator prior to January 31st for the first half of the season, and prior to June 30th for the second half. Keep a copy for your records.
• If you have met all your Parent Participation requirements by the deadline and submitted your form, we will not charge your credit card for the first or second volunteer levy. Please remember that the Club does not keep records of when members volunteer - this is up to you!
• If you do not meet the requirements, the first half levy will be charged to your credit card after January 31st, and the second half after June 30th. 
• You can also earn Points by officiating at other clubs' meets that CDSC competes at.
• If you decide that you just don’t have the time to volunteer and that instead you would prefer that the Club charge you for the PPP levies, please let the PPP Coordinator know.
• Parent Participation Points earned do not carry forward from the first half to the second half of the season, or to the next season.
• The levy will not be pro-rated if you do not complete all your PPP requirements.
• If you withdraw part way through the season, your PPP requirement and levy will be prorated.

PARENT PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS AND RECORD FORMS BY GROUP:

VOLUNTEER JOBS AND POINT ALLOCATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERING REQUIREMENTS*:

*  To earn the allocated points, the volunteer must complete all functions described in the applicable job description below.

NOTE: this list is not exhaustive, parent participation points are available for other volunteer jobs.

KEY VOLUNTEER JOB DESCRIPTIONS

A CHAPERONE

Under the direction of the senior coach accompanying the team:

• accompanies the team on a travel (away) swim meet and stays with the team;
• is responsible for the care and supervision of all the Club’s swimmers traveling with the team;
• prepares or obtains meals and snacks for the swimmers;
• assists with transportation of the swimmers as requested by the coaches;
• click here for a more detailed description of chaperone duties and responsibilities.

An EVENTS/GROUP SOCIAL COORDINATOR

• is responsible for organizing group social activities during the season;
• is responsible for organizing Club social activities at the request of the Board, including the reservation of facilities, advertising of the events, and the recruitment of volunteers;
• is responsible for planning and organizing the year-end BBQ in consultation with the Board and Head Coach.

The MEET MANAGER

• is responsible for all the organizational details of a CDSC-hosted swim meet, including having the necessary equipment and personnel available during the meet;
• works with the Officials Coordinator to ensure the necessary meet officials are available during the meet;
• is responsible for the dissemination of all meet information and forms;
• ensures that the preparation of sanction applications, entry lists, heat sheets, and results are completed on time;
• coordinates the set up and take down of the meet and meet equipment;
• does everything that needs to be done to ensure a successful meet;
• must have attended a Meet Manager clinic.

The CLUB OFFICIALS DIRECTOR

• is responsible for overseeing the training of CDSC parents as officials (eg. timers, stroke and turn officials, clerks of the course, referees) for swim meets, including organizing officials’ clinics for the training of CDSC parents, and
• informing CDSC parents of officials’ clinics hosted by other clubs, in order to build the base of trained officials within the Club;
• maintains a roster of Club parents listing each parent’s swim official status;
• works with the Meet Manager in organizing officials for all CDSC-hosted meets;
• recruits, organizes and schedules all CDSC officials for non-CDSC meets;
• acts as the Club’s LMR Representative at monthly Lower Mainland Region Meetings, and reports to the Board on LMR proceedings and developments.

The PARENT PARTICIPATION POINT COORDINATOR

• is responsible for advising parents on the requirements of the Parent Participation Point (PPP) system;
• communicates deadlines to and collects PPP reporting forms from parents;
• creates and maintains accurate records of parent participation points attained;
• provides reports to the Treasurer and the Board twice annually on the point status of all member families.

The PRESIDENT

• is the Chief Executive Officer and presides at all Board and General Meetings;
• works closely with the Head Coach and the Board to identify and implement the goals, directions, and policies of the Club;
• acts always in the best interests of the Club and its membership as identified by the Board in consultation with the Head Coach;
• is the official spokesperson of the Club and the Club’s official representative;
• performs all duties required for the position and as may be assigned by the Board;
• is an ex-officio member of all Club committees;
• must have served on the Board for at least one year prior to election to this position.

The SECRETARY

• is responsible for taking and producing the minutes of the Board and General Meetings, and distributing them to the Board Members within 14 days of the meeting;
• assembles the agenda and distributes it to all Board Members prior to a Board Meeting;
• is responsible for collecting all Board directed correspondence and keeping files as directed by the Board of Directors;
• is responsible for distributing Board Communications to the members;
• is responsible for filing the Annual Report with the Registrar of Companies within 14 days of the Annual General Meeting.

The VICE-PRESIDENT

• assists the President and performs all duties of the President when the President is absent;
• strikes and monitors all Club committees;
• is responsible for keeping all Club insurance policies in good standing;
• is responsible for ensuring the compliance of the Club with all municipal, provincial, and federal laws and regulations, as well as all reporting requirements in connection with the laws and regulations.