DETAILED SWIM MEET JOB DESCRIPTIONS

 Administrative Official: Must be YMCA Swimming certified. Responsible for the “dry” side of the meet. Works directly with the Meet Referee and supervises/directs the following positions: Entry Chair, Clerk of Course, Timing System Operator, Meet Management Software Operator. Positioned between Computer and Timing Console to oversee operations.

Announcer: Keep the meet moving by calling the kids in an orderly fashion to the blocks so they don’t miss their event : First Call, Second Call, Final Call for each heat and each event. Run the recording for the National Anthem. Some other “color” announcing as needed. This is an EASY job for people who don’t mind hearing their own voice and who are organized.

Awards Worker: EASY Places pre-printed labels with swimmer’s name/ place on the correct ribbon and keeping them in orderly piles to give to visiting coaches and our kids. Usually a great view of the kids swimming, too.

Bullpen: Organize our littlest swimmers in the correct lane and at the correct end of the pool so they don’t miss their events.

Computer Operator: Training required. Not difficult if you are comfortable behind a laptop. We use software called Meet Manager. Computer retrieves times from Timing Console to put in database. Operator prints out updated Meet Programs for Officials/Coaches, results for posting, labels for awards worker, and seeding for longer events.

Concession Chariman:  Organizes the concession menu, puts together a food and donation list for items.  Sets up concession area and deligates tasks to concession workers.  Gets together with Parent Board Treasurer for Concesstions money and money box.  

Concession Worker: EASY Sell food and drinks. Keep the area stocked and clean. Be friendly and personable and make sure your bank balances.

Head Timer: Be able to start and stop two stopwatches simultaneously and run and exchange your working watch with a timer’s who has broken or they have missed the start of a race.

Heat Sheet Sales and Positive Check-in: EASY Sell heat sheets at the beginning of a meet and during session breaks. Must be at the meet early to set up and get your bank. Friendly greeting of all participants and Smiles required.  Also incharge of Positive Check-in where other teams meet with to get bag tags, scratch slips, and any other packets.

Heat Winner: EASY Give a prize to the winner of each heat. Involves lots of movement and a sharp eye for who actually touched the wall first. You will get wet. Very fun job, the kids all love you.

Hospitality Chairman: Puts together the Hospitality Room for Officials and Coaches. If required, puts together small gift bags/baskets for our visiting coaches and officials. Also provide waters and snacks to the other parents working the meet.

Meet Coordinator: Organizes all workers at the meet to ensure smooth running. The go-to person for all issues during the meet. Organized, efficient, good with people, good decision maker, good running shoes and an upbeat attitude are all needed. Jobs include but are not limited to: Signing in and receiving payment from visiting teams that is accurate, Payment of officials, in charge of making sure banks are accurate for Hospitality and any other sales, organizing swim and tri to be at our meets, organizing advertising, heat sheets and any ads in the heat sheets, coordinating with the facility, making sure the meet is fully staffed, making sure that any gift bags are completed for visiting coaches and officials. This job starts between two weeks and a month before the actual meet and continues until the meet is concluded and put away. Also involves record keeping and reporting to our Office Manager the expenditures and income from the meet. In charge of making sure the visiting coaches and teams have a great experience and that the meet itself runs smoothly. 2 meet coordinators per meet makes.

Meet Coordinator Apprentice: Shadows Meet Coordinators and helps in all aspects from the beginning to end of process. Willing to take on being a Meet Coordinator in a future meet. Involves a lot of active movement, a sharp mind and great attitude of service.

Meet Marshal: Make sure all facility rules are being followed. Responsible for the safety of all at the pool. This job is usually performed by an experienced parent. Order of Finish: Your job is to sit at the end of the pool and write down in which order the lanes (swimmers) finished.

Recorder (Timer): EASY If you are new, this is one of the best choices for you. Write down the times as you and another timer time your lane. Give completed slips to a runner at the end of each event. You will get wet.

Referee: This is a TRAINED POSITION. We do need more of these moving forward. Contact the YMCA Officials trainer for future training dates.

Runner: EASY you will be assigned to one of several people: a meet coordinator, a hospitality coordinator, the timing consol, be the person running the slips to the computer operator, or be assigned to an official. You just go do what they need done. You will get wet and the word “runner” is not applied lightly.

Starter: This is a TRAINED POSITION. We do need more of these moving forward. Contact the YMCA Officials trainer for future training dates.

Stroke and Turn Official: This is a TRAINED POSITION. We do need more of these moving forward. Contact the YMCA Officials trainer for future training dates.

Timer: EASY This is where we recommend you start if you are a new parent. Kids as young as 12 can be timers. You will be given instruction on how to work the stop watch and then you just start it when the flash goes off and stop it when your swimmer touches the wall at the end of the race. You will have help knowing how long the race is, and you will have backup. We always need timers.

Timing Console Operator (Colorado System): Training required. Timing Console is the control unit of automatic timing system. In addition to the console, the complete timing system includes the starter (strobe/buzzer), the scoreboard, the touchpads, plungers or “pickles” that the lane timers have in hand for the finish, and the cables that connect all of these parts. The console collects race times automatically from touch pads and semi-automatically from pickles. The operator stores these times after each race, resets the system for each subsequent race, and ensures the scoreboard display is correct.

Volunteer Sign In: EASY keep a record of all the workers who show up for their sessions, and make any changes necessary to roster so we have an accurate record. You will need to be there early for ALL sessions you are signed up to do this, and be willing to chase people down and make them sign in. Nicely of course. ☺