Following are a list of volunteer opportunities throughout the swim season. Creating a successful swim team experience is dependent upon parents and families giving their time. Please note, if you choose not to volunteer during the season there is a $300/family fee to the Palomar Swim Team. If your child attends MOWSC Conference weekend, you will have to volunteer regardless if you have paid the opt out fee and a job will be assigned to you (no signups) from MOWSC. We recognize that several of these jobs are more time and labor intensive but they are integral to the smooth operation of a meet. To ensure volunteer credit is applied to your family's account no one may sign up for a job for another family/volunteer or they will not receive credit. You must register for your shifts, in your name and sign in at check-in.
Volunteer Coordinator (board position): You will get to know the Volunteer Coordinator very well. This person assigns and coordinates all parent volunteers. The volunteer coordinator sends weekly emails with volunteer assignments. Please make sure that you let this person know if you have an emergency and are unable to cover your volunteer shift.
There will be an earlier and separate registration for Timers, Clerk of Course, Deck Security, and Scorekeepers. Volunteers that sign up for those jobs will only have to work two (2) meets as these jobs can require more time and effort. These jobs are some of the most integral jobs at a meet and we cannot run the meet without them. The fee for a missed shift of these jobs is $150 per missed job unless the family has paid the opt out fee in advance. This will be charged to the credit card on file at the conclusion of the season. If you choose to work two jobs, both shifts must come from one of these 5 positions to count for credit towards fulfilling your requirement.
Lane Timers / Recorders: Responsible for timing each event accurately and recording the time on the appropriate timing sheet. Timers will start their clocks at the starting signal of the Starter and stop their clocks when the swimmer in their lane touches for the finish. There are three timers per lane per meet. You will have a chair, but will need to stand for each finish to get a good view of the swimmer's hand touching the wall.
Backup Timer: Starts his or her stopwatch with the start of each heat, in the event that there is a stopwatch that does not function properly, or that is not started, to time an individual lane. The backup timer must watch for a raised hand in any lane being timed – this will indicate the need for the backup timer to come to that particular lane in order to finish timing that swimmer.
Deck Security (Home Meets): Helps keep non-swimmers and non-workers (including parents) off the deck during the meet. Keep pool deck area free of people for meet volunteers to do their job. Monitor and maintain no more than 25 people on the upper deck and help rotate spectators so everyone has an opportunity to see their child swim.
Clerk of Course: Ensure all swimmers are lined up and ready to swim according the heat sheet entries. Get swimmers to start in line in the appropriate lane and ready for the starter’s signal at least two heats prior to their event.
Score Keeper (Away Meets): Will circle the "middle time" from the timers sheets (or average the times if there a only two different times recorded) and match the swimmer to DQ slips using a heat sheet to assist the Home Team in keeping the score for the meet.
A second round of registration for the following jobs will be made available after the majority of first round volunteer positions are filled. Volunteers that sign up for the following jobs are required to work three (3) meets. The fee for a missed shift of these jobs is $100 per missed job unless the family has paid the opt out fee in advance.
This will be charged to the credit card on file at the conclusion of the season.
If you choose to work three jobs all three shifts must come from one of these 7 positions to count for credit towards fulfilling your requirement.
Swimmer Round Up: At least one volunteer assigned to each age group. Swimmer round up volunteers are in charge of "rounding up" swimmers for their events and lining them up to hand off to the Clerk of Course. Loud voices are helpful. These volunteers are on the deck with the swimmers throughout the meet.
Ribbons: The morning following meets, apply printed stickers to ribbons for each child's earned ribbon the evening prior. The goal is to have ribbons available to each age group of swimmers before they leave practice and this job should be completed before 10:30 am.
Runner: Constantly picking up timers' sheets, finish judge slips and any DQ slips and delivering to the scoring table. Runners are on their feet and very active on the pool deck during the meet. They might be asked to temporarily fill in other positions as needed throughout the meet.
Event Board: Responsible for updating event board with every race and heat using a remote control. Need to remain focused on where we are in the meet.
Set Up: Arrives at pool by 4 p.m. to help hang signs, get out all meet gear, prepares concession area, set up tents, PA system and whatever Meet Director needs.
Clean Up: Stays after the meet to clean up and helps put away all meet gear. Helps pick up tent areas, takes tents down, helps put PA system up, etc. Take lane numbers and scorekeeping signs down. Remove all signage. Help clean up all trash from swimmers areas and deck. Take all items back into the clubhouse for storage.
Hospitality: Delivers drinks to coaches, timers and officials during the meet.
The following volunteer positions require training and will not be included in the sign-up. Anyone volunteering in these positions must either have current USA Swimming Official certification or attend an Officials Clinic hosted by the MOWSC (clinics will be offered in late May). MOWSC participants compete under the rules and regulations of USA Swimming. It is helpful if volunteers considering these positions have some understanding of competitive swimming, not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information covered in these Clinics as it relates to the “legal” way to swim every stroke and the rules regarding “legal” starts and turns.
Referee: Has full authority over all officials and enforces all applicable rules and decides all questions relating to the actual conduct of the meet. Must have complete knowledge and understanding of all rules governing competition in MOWSC including USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. Must have completed Stroke/Turn Clinic or be USS Certified with current year credentials.
Starter: Starts each event with the announcement of the age and stroke and the words "SWIMMERS TAKE YOUR MARK," pauses to make sure that all swimmers are motionless, and then gives an electronic sound or a blast of a whistle.
Announcer: Announces first, second and final calls for each event. Works closely with the starter to keep the meet running smoothly. The announcer will need to anticipate flow based on the number of swimmers, the stroke, the number of lengths to be swum, and the age of the swimmers. May be combined with Starter duties.
Stroke and Turn Judge: Ensure that all rules relating to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed and shall report any violations to the Referee on signed slips of paper detailing the event, the heat number, the lane number, swimmer’s name, and the infraction. Must attend clinic or be USA Certified with current year credentials.
Score Keeper/Data Entry (Home Meet): Is responsible for recording the official score throughout the course of the entire meet. Records information in Meet Manager software. Score Keepers receive the results of each heat and and enters the time into Meet Manager, enters DQs and verifies the swimmer's heat and lane matches the timers sheets and DQ slips.
Ribbons: The morning following meets, apply printed stickers to ribbons for each child's earned ribbon the evening prior. The goal is to have ribbons available to each age group of swimmers before they leave practice and this job should be completed before 10:30 am.
Runner: Constantly picking up timers' sheets, finish judge slips and any DQ slips and delivering to the scoring table. Runners are on their feet and very active on the pool deck during the meet. They might be asked to temporarily fill in other positions as needed throughout the meet.
Event Board: Responsible for updating event board with every race and heat using a remote control. Need to remain focused on where we are in the meet.
Set Up: Arrives at pool by 4 p.m. to help hang signs, get out all meet gear, prepares concession area, set up tents, PA system and whatever Meet Director needs.
Clean Up: Stays after the meet to clean up and helps put away all meet gear. Helps pick up tent areas, takes tents down, helps put PA system up, etc. Take lane numbers and scorekeeping signs down. Remove all signage. Help clean up all trash from swimmers areas and deck. Take all items back into the clubhouse for storage.
Hospitality: Delivers drinks to coaches, timers and officials during the meet.
The following volunteer positions require training and will not be included in the sign-up. Anyone volunteering in these positions must either have current USA Swimming Official certification or attend an Officials Clinic hosted by the MOWSC (clinics will be offered in late May). MOWSC participants compete under the rules and regulations of USA Swimming. It is helpful if volunteers considering these positions have some understanding of competitive swimming, not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information covered in these Clinics as it relates to the “legal” way to swim every stroke and the rules regarding “legal” starts and turns.
Referee: Has full authority over all officials and enforces all applicable rules and decides all questions relating to the actual conduct of the meet. Must have complete knowledge and understanding of all rules governing competition in MOWSC including USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. Must have completed Stroke/Turn Clinic or be USS Certified with current year credentials.
Starter: Starts each event with the announcement of the age and stroke and the words "SWIMMERS TAKE YOUR MARK," pauses to make sure that all swimmers are motionless, and then gives an electronic sound or a blast of a whistle.
Announcer: Announces first, second and final calls for each event. Works closely with the starter to keep the meet running smoothly. The announcer will need to anticipate flow based on the number of swimmers, the stroke, the number of lengths to be swum, and the age of the swimmers. May be combined with Starter duties.
Stroke and Turn Judge: Ensure that all rules relating to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed and shall report any violations to the Referee on signed slips of paper detailing the event, the heat number, the lane number, swimmer’s name, and the infraction. Must attend clinic or be USA Certified with current year credentials.
Score Keeper/Data Entry (Home Meet): Is responsible for recording the official score throughout the course of the entire meet. Records information in Meet Manager software. Score Keepers receive the results of each heat and and enters the time into Meet Manager, enters DQs and verifies the swimmer's heat and lane matches the timers sheets and DQ slips.
