Broad Bay Barracuda’s Swim Team Volunteer Requirements - 2023 Season

Thank you for joining the Broad Bay Barracudas! We are excited to have your family as part of our swim team. The Barracudas are a 100% volunteer run organization. To have a successful season, each family must complete a minimum volunteer requirement of 2 working slots per registered swimmer with a maximum of 4 slots per family (*families of swimmers who qualify to Divisionals and All Stars will be expected to volunteer at those events in addition to their minimum requirement*). To ensure all families participate and the workload is equitable, we have implemented changes to our volunteer policy and assignments.

Volunteer positions will be divided into two groups: skilled positions and general positions. Skilled positions will be available for advanced sign up. Families who fill these spots have the benefit of controlling their volunteer schedule. Some skilled positions require training and others do not. All general positions will be assigned to families that are not signed up for skilled positions. If possible please register children for meets early in the season so we can assign your family to volunteer during meets you plan to attend.

Skilled positions requiring training: Scorer, Referee, Starter, and Stroke-and-Turn Judges

Skilled positions not requiring training: Announcer, Head Timer (must be able to run Timer’s meeting prior to meet) and Clerk of Course

General positions: Timers (other than Head Timer), Runners, Lane Monitors, Clerk of Course Runner, Concessions, Ribbon Assemblers, Heat Winner Prize Distributor, and Meet Set-up/Clean-up

General position working slots will be assigned to families following meet registration. If the family is unable to fill a slot they are assigned, they must find a replacement by swapping with another family, asking a family member or friend to fill in, hiring a babysitter (at least 14 years of age), etc. If the family does not fill the position or notify the volunteer coordinator of the replacement, the family will incur a $250 penalty per volunteer slot (with a maximum of $1,000 per family). The family will be ineligible to participate in any Barracuda events, including practice or meets, until the penalty fee is paid.

What if you know in advance there is a meet or two when you’ll be unable to volunteer? Please sign up for a skilled position and choose the dates/times that work best for your schedule! If the skilled position requires training, there is information below on how you can get trained for free.

What if my child doesn’t plan to participate in any meets? We encourage your child and family to participate in meets. Competing in swim meets is a major component of being a Barracuda! Regardless of meet participation, all families are required to fill their minimum volunteer requirement and are subject to penalty if not completed as assigned.

If my child makes Divisionals/All-Stars, why do I need to volunteer if I already met my requirement? The minimum volunteer requirement applies only to regular season meets. The Barracuda team is required to fill volunteer spots at Divisonals and All-Stars. If your child qualifies for one or both of these events, please plan to be assigned a volunteer slot. As with the regular season slots, if you are unable to fill it personally, it is your responsibility to find a replacement. Unlike the regular season financial penalty, families unable to fill assigned volunteer slots will not be able to participate in the Divisonals or All-Star meets.

For those interested in training required for Stroke-and-Turn, Referee or Starter, please see the training opportunities below. We are in search of 2 volunteers who are willing to take the Referee and Starter training to support our 2 home meets. 6 Barracuda Stroke-and-Turn judges are required for all regular season meets (home and away).

In-Person training will be offered on:

May 13th - 8:00 a.m. for Referee and Starter training; 9:00 a.m. Stroke-and-Turn Judge training

Little Neck Swim & Racquet Club

864 Little Neck Rd

Virginia Beach, VA 23452

June 6th - 6 p.m. for Referee, Starter, Stroke-and-Turn Judges

Ashvillle Park

1868 Ashville Park Boulevard

Virginia Beach, VA 23456

June 12th – 6 p.m.

Great Bridge Swim & Racquet Club

Scheduled trainings do not work? You can become certified as a Stroke-and-Turn Judge through a brief online course - www.StrokeandTurn.com. It costs $25 but, when you complete the certification, the ‘Cudas will reimburse you! Simply e-mail a copy of your certificate to [email protected] for reimbursement. (Online certification allows you to judge any regular season meet, i.e., not Divisionals or All-Stars.)

On behalf of the Barracuda volunteer board members, thank you in advance for helping our team have a great summer!!!