DMSF Needs You. Be a Volunteer!

Sharing your time with the team, during swim meets or with the operation of the club, is important to the success of DMSF.

Every year DMSF offers four or more home swim meets and inter-squad meets that require EVERY parent's help. Many volunteers are needed to run a swim meet, and every parent needs to volunteer.

Here are ways you can help at a Swim Meet:

Computer/Timing equipment and management
The computer operators will be responsible for the set-up and take down of the computer systems. When the system is up and running the computer operator will work closely with the entry in meeting their responsibilities.

Hospitality
This committee is responsible for serving refreshments (soft drinks, snacks and meals) to meet workers, officials and coaches. The hospitality committee works closely with the concessions committee and should be staffed by courteous and outgoing personnel. They are responsible for soliciting local restaurants for food donations and works with volunteer outreach for club donations.

Meet Director
The meet director is usually appointed by the meet host and is the organizer of all meet activities. The meet director's main responsibilities include, but are not limited to: securing an appropriate meet facility, obtaining a meet sanction, preparing and distributing meet invitations, organizing meet committees, printing meet program and distributing final results. The director should remain the overseer of activities, avoiding direct involvement in any one committee or activity. It is also essential that the meet director consult regularly with committee chairpersons to ensure that each committee's assignments are being handled thoroughly and expediently.

Awards
Awards can be the single largest expense for a swim meet. Preparing awards for distribution takes time; pre-planning and organization are essential. Awards can be sorted by event before the meet. Awards not collected by swimmers should either be forwarded to the swimmer's club coach or representative at the meet or by mail.

Concessions
The concession committee is responsible for menu planning, shopping, food preparation and staffing the concessions stand during the meet.

Clerk of Course
The Clerk of Course is responsible for much of the pre-competition paperwork at the meet, and is the custodian of the scratch box and relay forms, when these are used. The Clerk of Course should have a protected, but easily accessible, work location on or adjacent to the pool deck during the meet.

Meet Marshal
Meet marshals must be selected for every meet and must be USA Swimming members. They should be responsible individuals who can actively monitor warm-ups and maintain order and safety in the swimming venue. They are assigned by and report to the Meet Director and/or Meet Referee. The marshal shall warn, order to cease and desist, or, with the concurrence of the Referee, remove from the venue, anyone behaving in an unsafe manner or whose actions are disrupting the orderly conduct of the meet. To indicate their authority, marshals should be provided with an easily identifiable uniform clearly visible to all in the venue. Bright orange vests or armbands, or other brightly colored means of identification can be used.

The Chief Timer and Timers
Timers are the key volunteers at all swim meets. The purpose of a competitive meet is for each swimmer to achieve times; therefore, these workers must be diligent and dedicated to ensure success.
 

Another key worker at any meet is the chief timer, who is responsible for recruiting both the timers (three per lane) and runners prior to the meet and then supervising these people during the meet. The chief timer ensures that all timers and their watches are functioning properly throughout the meet, replacing timers or watches when necessary. The chief timer's watch is started for each heat and is used to replace any watch that may malfunction or that did not start during any given heat. The chief timer delivers all times recorded by the lane timers to the meet recorders.

The Announcer
Meet announcers must be selected with great care. An announcer should have a clear, pleasant voice and be able to function under pressure in the midst of a noisy crowd and a demanding referee. A knowledgeable swim-parent with a pleasing "radio" voice and a willingness to help can be an invaluable asset as an announcer.

Runners
Runners shuttle material (e.g., seed cards, results) from station to station during the meet. These workers are literally "runners”. It is helpful to have one person coordinating the efforts of all runners to avoid confusion and lost material.

Officials
USA SWIMMING certified officials are present at all competitions to implement the technical rules of swimming and to ensure that the competition is fair and equitable for all swimmers.

HOW TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL
Parents can become USA SWIMMING officials by:

  1. Obtaining a current USA SWIMMING code book and reading the sections pertaining to technical rules of competition, administrative regulations of competition, athletes’ rights and eligibility, hearings and appeals, governing regulations of USA SWIMMING, and governing regulations of LSC’s. The book can be obtained by calling the USA SWIMMING national headquarters in Colorado (719-866-4578).

  2. Attending one three-hour ISI sponsored official’s clinic periodically held throughout the state. Notification of locally held clinics is given on the DMSF website.

  3. Taking and passing an open book, written examination.

  4. Working four sessions at a USA SWIMMING swim meet as an apprentice official. The club can help arrange this.