Parent Service Responsibility Policies
 
The YMCA is an organization dedicated to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. Youth participating in YMCA programs are more resistant and resilient to the negative social pressures, which they are exposed to every day at school, in your neighborhood, or through the media. By having positive role models, engaging in physical activity, volunteering, learning about YMCA core values, kids on the swim team are more likely to have a higher number of internal and external developmental assets, which ultimately can help them live healthier lives. Because of reasons like these, combined with an integral need for cooperative support at events and functions, the YMCA of the North Swim Teams have implemented a new Parent Service Responsibility Policy.
 
Team Membership
 
As members of the YMCA Swim Team, parents are needed to help with a variety of events including banquets, team bonding, and most importantly, swim meets. However you choose to participate, you can take great satisfaction in knowing that you are key in making the YMCA Swim Team experience something that all swimmers will remember for the rest of their lives, and that they will be healthier in spirit, mind and body because of your support and cooperative help.
 
Home Swim Meet
  • Parents of all YMCA swimmers who have been entered to swim in any given home meet are expected to work at that meet, a sign up will be available the week before the meet for assignment preferences on the team website. The expected minimum number of shifts per family per meet is one shift per day of competition.
  • Either the Meet Director or the Team Coordinator will assign jobs and shifts. However, parents are able to request specific jobs and shifts up until the meet entry deadline.
  • All meet workers must ensure they check in with the Meet Director or Volunteer Coordinator upon arrival for their shift. If a parent is unable to work an assigned shift, any other family member, relative, friend, or even a high school student who needs community service hours, may be substituted (they must be over 12 years of age). It is the parent’s responsibility to find a substitute should one be needed. 
Away Swim Meets
 
Twin City Invitational, Sectional, and State Meets
  • Parents of all YMCA swimmers who have been entered to the above swim meets are expected to work at that meet, a sign up form will be available the weeks before the meet for assignment preferences. The required minimum number of shifts per family for a meet is one shift per day of competition.
  • Either the Meet Director or the Team Coordinator for the host team/event will assign jobs and shifts based on the swimmer entry report. However, parents are able to request specific jobs and shifts up until the meet entry deadline.
  • All meet workers must ensure they check in with the Meet Director’s table upon arrival for their shift. If a parent is unable to work an assigned shift, any other family member, relative, friend, or even a high school student who needs community service hours, may be substituted (they must be over 12 years of age). It is the parent’s responsibility to find a substitute should one be needed. Parents must inform the Parent Service Coordinator prior to the first day of the meet, and have their substitute sign-in at the Meet Director’s table upon their arrival for the shift.

Volunteer Position Information

  • Timers – confirms they have the correct swimmer for the event then uses a stopwatch and records swimmers times on the timer sheet
  • Head Timer – starts a stopwatch at start to give to a timer if there is a problem with their stopwatch  
  • Runners – collect and delivers timer sheets and DQ slips to the Officials table
  • Clerk of course – line swimmers up for their events and tell them when to go to the block
  • Call Board – update the board in the crash room letting swimmers know which events need to be on deck 
  • Officials – a volunteer needs to complete training for this position 
 
It is extremely important to note that no child will be discriminated against, kept out of the water, or turned away from the team, due to lack of parental service participation. In addition, good communication goes a long way to preventing misunderstandings and ill will. We ultimately rely on the honesty, responsibility, respect and the caring attitude of all parents.