Flying Fish Arizona Swim Team
Parent Required Service Hour Policy
FAST has access to one of the best aquatic centers in Arizona and hosts several meets throughout the year. Not only does hosting meets bring in money for our team, but it also limits travel expenses associated with out-of-town meets.
The success of our meets, as well as our overall program, is dependent on our families’ involvement. With help from everyone we can keep our dues lower and avoid traditional fundraisers.
Thank you for taking an active role in supporting FAST and your swimmers!
Service Hour Obligations
Families (Green through Senior Plus) will be required to work the following sessions per meet whether or not the family has a swimmer swimming at the meet:
- Any home meet with six or more sessions - 3 sessions
- Age Group / Senior States (when hosting) - 3 sessions
- Any home meet with four or five sessions - 2 sessions
- Any home meet with three or fewer sessions - 1 session
You will be charged $75.00 per session for any missed required sessions. As an alternative, your family can make a direct donation of $1,000 to cover all service hour obligations for the year. This fee is non-refundable and will not be prorated.
Although, Flying Fish and Little Fish families are not required to work at our meets, we highly encourage and welcome participation and help from these families at our events.
The meets we current plan we host are as follows:
- Patriot Meet (September) – 2 Session Requirement
- Winter Lights (December) – 3 Session Requirement
- Age Group States (March) – 3 Session Requirement
- Mayflower Invitational (May) – 2 Session Requirement
- Oro Valley Open (June) – 1 session Requirement
Job Sign-Up
All parents must first register / sign up for sessions using the team’s website. Everyone must also check in at the Clerk of Course for each session to be counted. If the person working does not check in at the Clerk of Course, the session will not be counted, and your account will be charged $75.00 per missed session at the conclusion of the meet.
To sign up for a job for an upcoming meet:
- Log into your account
- Click “Events” at the top of the page and find the meet
- Click “Job Signup” to see the available jobs / sessions
- Choose the jobs / sessions you’d like to work
- Click the button with the green plus sign that says “Signup”
We ask that you please sign up for jobs / sessions no later than one week prior to the start of the meet. If there are no jobs available or if you have questions about the ones that are available, please contact the service hour committee ([email protected]) to discuss your options BEFORE the meet.
Common Meet Job Positions
Admin Official
Online/at home certification required prior to the start of the meet. All fees will be reimbursed by the team. Admins are responsible to work with officials and other meet personnel to accurately record swimmers’ times which may require timing adjustments and computer entries. This position requires a person that can focus in noisy situations and multi- task.
Admin Runner
No previous experience necessary. Runners collect the timing sheets from the lanes after the races and deliver them to the administrative referee. They may also post results throughout the facility or deliver them to the Clerk of Course.
Announcer
No previous experience necessary. Uses a public address system to announce each event and heat of the meet. Makes required sponsorship announcements and announces the results at prelim / final meets.
C6 Operator
Basic training is required by shadowing and working as an C6 Assistant/Trainee. Responsible for operating the Colorado Timing System (computer hooked to timing system) and monitors timing or equipment errors. Must have the ability to function and multitask in a noisy environment.
C6 Assistant/Trainee
No previous experience necessary to shadow / train. This person will shadow and work with a C6 operator to learn and help with the function of the timing console and the duties that go with that job.
Clerk of Course
Basic training is required – training can occur during the meet. Assisting with the administration of the meet, including but not limited to athlete and coach check-ins, distributing coach information, and other paperwork.
Hospitality
No previous experience necessary. Hospitality servers help coordinate the food set up, preparation, and serving in the hospitality room. Hospitality runners assist the hospitality staff
with bringing snacks, beverages, and meals to coaches, officials, and other key positions. Children 11 or older can sign up for sessions in the hospitality area. Families with younger children are welcome to bring them to help but it will not count as an additional session. For a child under the age of 11 to count as a session, they need to have worked in the hospitality area with a parent at a prior meet and have approval by the hospitality coordinator.
Head Timer
No previous experience necessary. Training is given prior to the start of the first race of the session. The head timer starts two stop watches at the start of each race to serve as backup watches in case there is a problem or malfunction in a lane during the race. They also communicate with officials regarding any replacement timer needs or problems.
Lane Timer
No previous experience necessary. Training is given prior to the start of the first race of the session. Timers operate either a button or a stopwatch during each race and record the stopwatch time on a timing sheet. Children 11 or older can sign up for sessions as a timer. Families with younger children are welcome to bring them to help but it will not count as an additional session.
Meet Marshal
Online/at-home certification required prior to the meet. The online training and test are quick. Any fees will be reimbursed by the team to gain this certification. Meet Marshals are required by USA Swimming to properly run a meet. They assist the officiating staff by observing the deck and surrounding areas to ensure that all safety rules are being followed.
Officials / Official Trainees
Online/at-home certification required prior to the start of the meet. All fees will be reimbursed. Only those interested in becoming an official should sign up for the trainee positions. No previous experience is necessary to shadow / train. Email [email protected] to learn how to become an official.
Additional Service Hour Opportunities
If you are unable to work at one of our mandatory meets, you may do one of the following:
- Provide other professional services. Contact [email protected] with any other skill, service, or creative ideas that you might have.
All the above MUST be pre-approved by a member of the Service Hour Committee. Please contact [email protected] with any additional questions.
