Job Descriptions
REFEREE - Requires approximately 2 hours of training
The Referee is responsible for all events and issues pertaining to the swimmers and the judges.
a) The Referee will hold a meeting before the meet begins with all officials (timers and judges) and coaches to review meet procedures.
b) The Referee cannot disqualify or place swimmers.
c) The Referee cannot overrule a judge but can ask questions to verify understanding of the rule if the Referee believes the applicable judge may not understand a rule. If needed, the Referee has the authority to remove/replace any judge or timer.
d) Only the designated head coach can speak to the Referee about disputes, disqualifications, or questions. If parents and/or swimmers approach the Referee, they are to be redirected to their team’s head coach.
e) The Referee will be at the finish line to observe the finish and check with stroke and touch/turn judges for disqualifications.
f) The Referee will coordinate with the Console table and the starter, giving the clear for start signal.
g)The Referee is charged with maintaining good sportsmanship during the meet.
STARTER - Requires approximately 2 hours of training
The Starter is responsible for starting each race and charging false starts to swimmers. The starter will use a League approved electronic starting device. In the event that such starting device fails, a referee’s whistle that is loud enough to be heard by swimmers in the furthest lane from the Starter is a permissible replacement to start races. This volunteer announces all upcoming events to alert the children & ready bench volunteers. He/she also makes general announcements.
STARTER ASSISTANT
This volunteer will be responsible for flipping event cards. The event cards will be on a stand and the cards will need to be turned at the start of each event.
OFFICIALS (Judges: Stroke Judge and Touch/Turn Judge) - Requires approximately 2 hours of training
a) A stroke judge will disqualify a swimmer who violates any stroke or kick rule listed in Appendix A except for the following:
i) A swimmer in a 6 & under event is not disqualified unless there is an unfair advantage. A swimmer in a 6 & under event is allowed two (2) stroke infractions per race in the backstroke.
ii) A swimmer in a 7-8 event is allowed one (1) stroke infraction per race and/or relay leg.
iii) All swimmers, including a swimmer in a 6 & under event, shall be disqualified if they do not finish the race legally, e.g., on their back in the backstroke. This is a touch-turn infraction, not a stroke infraction.
iv) A stroke judge will disqualify a swimmer who gains an unfair advantage by doing any of the following:
(1) Pulling on a lane rope.
(2) Pulling on a pool's side.
(3) Pushing off the pool's bottom.
(4) Pushing off a pool's side other than at the starting or finishing ends
b) A touch/turn judge will disqualify a swimmer who violated any turn, finish, or relay race rule listed in Appendix A.
c) During a meet, judges report any infractions to the Referee.
d) The referee annotates any infractions on the lane/timer sheet for the swimmer in question.
CONSOLE OPERATORS - Requires approximately 2 hours of training
Each team must have at least two certified console operators. Training sessions will be held in the spring of each year to train and refresh the console operators. In order to obtain certification, the console operators will be required to attend one of the training sessions each year. The console operators will be responsible for managing the Dolphin Wireless console and the Meet Manager software. They will also receive the event timer sheets and double check automatic times against the backup times.
CONCESSIONS
These volunteers will be responsible for selling and organizing the concession stand items.
The Concessions volunteer will serve water to all of the meet workers throughout the entire home meets.
We will allow preteen/ and teens to assistant in this position to receive volunteer hours. An adult MUST be present at all times since moneys will be exchanged.
BENCH PARENT
Each age/sex group has 1-2 ready bench volunteers. This volunteer will inform the swimmers of their events, their assigned lanes, and take the swimmers to the ready bench area when these events are called. Swimmers must be in the appropriate lane in the Ready Bench area before the volunteer can leave to watch the event. This volunteer will distribute ribbons to their swimmers. The Ready Bench Volunteer will be provided a heat sheet (list of all the events in the meet) to assist in lining up the swimmers. Under each event, the swimmers have been placed into particular heats (dependent on swim times) and particular lanes. Attention must be paid to relays because there are 4 swimmers in each lane. See the Ready Bench Boss for help on setting up for relays. All swimmers will participate in the Freestyle Relay and Individual Freestyle and Individual Backstroke (early in the meet). Only swimmers per coach’s discretion will participate in Breaststroke, Butterfly, Individual Medley and Medley Relay. The Ready Bench Volunteer must know where their swimmers are at all times. This is a great position to sign up for, although it may sound stressful, it really isn't. Most parents sign up for the age group of their own swimmer in order to be close to them during the swim meet.
RIBBONS
Ribbon Volunteers will receive heat result labels from the console/scoring table and attach the label to the correct ribbon. Then deliver ribbons to each ready bench parent to distribute to swimmers.
HEAD TIMER
a) The Head Timer will stand on one side of the pool, providing primary coverage of the pool. The Head Timer has two stopwatches.
b) At the start of the race, both stopwatches are started at the flash of the starting system.
c) Head Timers will look towards the Timers to see if any hands are raised. If a Timer has a hand raised, or otherwise indicates a need for assistance, the Head Timer will deliver one of their stopwatches to the Timer in exchange for the Timer’s old stopwatch.
TIMERS
The Timers are responsible for recording of swimmers’ times during the meet.
a) Each lane will have two (2) timers and they will be positioned as follows:
Each lane will have one (1) timer from each team; One timer has a Dolphin Wireless Watch and a manual stopwatch; and One timer has a Dolphin Wireless Watch and a Lane/Timer sheet.
b) Each timer will be assigned a lane. The assigned lane is the only lane for which the timer has any responsibility.
c) Each timer is to sit at the end of the pool as directed by the Meet Director in his/her assigned lane and is responsible for following the timing instructions produced by the League and provided to the timers by the Meet Director.
RUNNER
The Runners pick up and deliver completed event timer sheets to the Console Operators regularly throughout the meet.
SET-UP AND TAKE-DOWN CREW
Set-Up volunteers show up early to set up the pool for the swim meets. This will include helping set up ready benches, tents, chairs for timer, and whatever needs to be done in order to have a successful swim meet.
The Deck Clean-Up volunteers return everything back to the way it was before the meet. The clean up volunteer will be responsible for taking all the trash from a swim meet to the Community Center trash bin.
