Meets can't happen without parent volunteers. We require an adult member of each Mudpuppy family (mom, dad, grandpa, aunt, etc.) to volunteer for one of the jobs at three meets. To volunteer, click the Job Signup button associated with the meet and enter your name (or the name of the friend/family member you're signing up) in an available position.
Want to know what you're getting yourself into when you sign up for a job? This page describes all of the volunteer positions available to Mudpup parents. The jobs with an asterisk (*) are required only for home meets at the Meredith Townes pool.
Musical Heat Winner Prize Distributor*
Runner – Stroke and Turn Judge
Clerk of Course
The Clerk of Course is in charge of getting each Mudpuppy from the Kid Pushers to the appropriate starting block. It takes a lot of patience and excellent kid management skills. This is one of the toughest volunteer jobs and requires familiarity with how the meets are run. Before volunteering for this position, it’s best to sign up as a Runner - Clerk of Course (assistant Clerk) for a meet or two to get the hang of things.
Data Entry Assistant
This volunteer helps collect time sheets from the timers and enters each swimmer’s time into the team database during the meet. If you are comfortable using a Windows laptop, it takes about a minute to learn how to do this. If you’d rather get off your feet away from the chaos, this might be the job for you.
Heat Prize Distributor (Home Meets Only)
After each 6 & Under, 7-8, and 9-10 heat, the Prize Distributor hands out the ribbons and awards to all swimmers. The volunteer should take note of which kid touches the wall (or rope, for 6 & Under) first because the heat winner gets a special prize.
Hospitality Helper (Home Meets Only)
This helper hands out ice-cold water to the volunteers from both teams. The water, ice, and cooler are provided, and the helper is not responsible for purchasing or bringing these items.
Kid Pusher
The Kid Pushers round up the kids in their assigned age group and bring them to the Clerk-of-Course throughout the meet. As a general rule, the kid pushers need to have the swimmers to the designated line-up area 3 age groups before they swim. For example, 11-12 swimmers need to be reporting to the kid pusher when the 6 and Unders are swimming. The 7-8 and 9-10 kids pushers are also responsible for getting the relay team members to the correct end of the pool (swimmers 1 and 3 at the blocks, and swimmers 2 and 4 at the opposite end).
Lights Manager (Home Meets Only)
Since our meets typically last well after the sun goes down, we need a Lights Manager to make sure the lights go on at dusk and are turned off after the meet.
Musical Heat Winner Prize Distributor (Home Meets Only)
TBD
Parking Attendant (Home Meets Only)
This volunteer needs to arrive by 4 PM on home meet days to help direct drivers to available parking. At our home meets, we reserve the parking lot for the visiting team. Parking is also available along the streets and in the large lot (that has no lines) around the corner. It is important that vehicles don’t park too close to the corners and don’t park in any of the lots in front of the townhomes.
Place Judge
Each Place Judge is assigned a particular lane. During the first heat of each boy and girl age group, the Place Judges indicate the place the swimmer in their assigned lane finished (first, second, third, etc.) by holding up the number of fingers that corresponds to the place.
Recorder (Home Meets Only)
The Recorder looks at the number of fingers each Place Judge holds up and writes down the order of finish for each swimmer in the first heat of an event. The Recorder gives the race results for each event to the Scorers.
Ribbon Writer
After the points are recorded, the Scorer gives the event slips to the Ribbon Writers. Ribbon Writers write ribbons only for first heat swimmers. Swimmers in all other heats are given ribbons by the heat ribbon distributor immediately following their swim.
Runner – Clerk of Course
This job is essentially the Assistant Clerk of Course and helps get the kids from the Kid Pushers, to the benches (or chairs), and then to the blocks.
Runner – Stroke and Turn Judge
If a Stroke-and-Turn Judge disqualifies a swimmer, a disqualification slip is taken by the Runner to the Scorer. In other words, this volunteer hangs out near the Stroke-and-Turn Judge during the first heat of each event and takes DQ slips (if any) where they need to go.
Scorer
The Scorers tally team scores, and if the Scorers from each team are in agreement, the scores are sent to the Announcer (periodically and/or at the end of each meet).
Set Up (Home Meets Only)
The Set-Up volunteer shows up at 4 PM on home meet days and helps move tables and chairs.
Snack Shack Helper (Home Meets Only)
Gator Pops, Pizza, and Ring Pops, oh my! Swimmers and their parents work up quite an appetite at the meet, so the Snack Shack Helper is there to save the day. This position involves taking food orders, making change, and serving up tasty treats.
Starter (Home Meets Only)
This is the “Swimmers… take your mark… BEEP!!!” person. Experience with the efficient running of TSA meets is required.
Stroke-and-Turn Judge
This position requires prior training and certification through the Tarheel Swimming Association. Once certified, the Stroke-and-Turn Judge is in charge of making sure the swimmers from the opposing team use legal techniques, such as two-hand touches in butterfly and breaststroke and valid relay starts.
Timer
Equipped with a clipboard, pencil, and stopwatch, Timers get a front-row view of all the races. When the BEEP sounds for every heat in each event, the Timers (two per lane) start their watches. When the swimmer touches the wall (or crosses the rope for 6&Unders) the Timer stops the watch. One Timer writes down the two times for the swimmer on the timer sheets. The home team hosts a Timer meeting 15 minutes before the start of every meet to provide instructions for the home and visiting Timers.
Volunteer Check-In
This meta-volunteer position arrives at the meet early to sit at a table with a list of the volunteers who signed up to do jobs at the meet. As the volunteers arrive, this person checks in the other volunteers and makes sure everyone understands where to go and what they’re doing.
