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last revised 11/2008
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[ Click here] for Age Group Meet Job Descriptions
- Admissions
- Announcer (Trainee)
- Awards
- Computers
- Gym Marshal
- Hospitality
- Runners
- Safety Marshal
- Timers
- Vendors
- Volunteer Check In
Admissions
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
Workers must arrive and check in at or before their assigned time! Please allow enough time to check in on deck (that's how you'll get your points) and return to the admissions window before your scheduled working time. We depend on admission workers to be available when spectators arrive for a session. If you're late, you can't be helpful when we need it most!
Admissions workers will sell programs, take money, make change, mark hand of paid spectators, and make sure all non-volunteers pay the admission fee.
Direct volunteers to white binder on deck for sign in.
Plan to stay throughout your entire shift! You may be asked to fill in where needed throughout your shift.
Assist with $$ count at end of sessions.
Announcer
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
- Announcer should be on duty at the announcer table 20 minutes before warm up begins and remain until the results have been announced.
- If you need a break, make sure to ask someone to cover for you.
- Please be sure the microphone (mike) is on and functioning. You may check to make sure the blue switch on the stereo cabinet is in the "on" position if the mike doesn't broadcast. Please speak slowly and clearly. Remember, everything the announcer says reflects on our club. Don't forget the mike is on!
- The announcer is responsible for announcing pool warm ups, lane assignments, legal entries etc. The announcer also announces results as they come in. Please make sure to make announcements between starts. Do not interrupt starts. The head official and/or coach or meet director, may also ask you to make certain announcements.
- Morning announcer is responsible for accepting scratches and writing the time finals should be scratched by and acceptance times for each event and athlete. See meet manager for details.
- Evening announcer should announce each event with the swimmers and lanes. This often goes quickly so attention is a must!
- Please tell meet director when you leave.
Announcer Trainee
We are looking for a couple of people who are interested in training to become an announcer at major meets. The afternoon sessions are straightforward: announcing of results, postings, etc. The announcer at the morning session is in charge of taking scratches for the evening sessions, determining and announcing cut off times for event closures, identifying swim offs, contacting coaches, etc.. Therefore the morning announcer must be well organized. The evening announcer must be able to work with the officials to announce finalists at the appropriate times. A pleasant voice and the ability to pronounce unpronounceable names with confidence is required. We will be happy to have someone work alongside our current announcer and see if the job is a good fit. Please only sign up if you are considering becoming a regular announcer.
Awards
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
Please sign in at the beginning of your session. You should sign in the white binder so you'll get your points! You will help with running when you arrive at warm-up time.
- You should familiarize yourself with the award procedures found in the manila folder with the ribbons/ medals.
- Sort the medals/ ribbons by color and place.
- Get award labels from the runner or computer desk on deck.
- Stick them on the back of the appropriate ribbon/medal.
- Sort labeled ribbons into prelabeled bags by team.
- Keep track of the events you have awarded by checking off each event on the event list as you finish it.
Make sure you finish your session's awards before you leave!
Computers
This is a skilled job that requires training.
Please contact the Meet Coordinator if you'd like to join the computer team.
Gym Marshal
This position has been divided into three 3.5 hour time periods covering the morning and afternoon sessions and will require the Marshal to stay in the gym for the duration of their selected time period. Volunteers will, however, work in pairs so that one Marshal could leave for a short time to watch their child swim . They will have walkie talkies and communicate with the computer desk. Marshals will keep the swimmers in the gym informed of what event/heat number is being swum in each pool by using a bullhorn and by writing on a white board or paper pad. They will also be responsible for maintaining order in the gym.
Hospitality
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
Hospitality workers must arrive at or before their scheduled shift in the hospitality room behind the control room on deck. Make sure you sign in the white binder, (that's how your points recorded.)
Your duties may include unloading water, soda etc…, stocking and restocking drinks and food; preparing food; smiling at workers and coaches; filling water jugs and coffee makers; passing water to workers on deck throughout the meet; clean up. There may be some lifting involved. Wear non slip shoes!
Runners
[Print a copy of this job description!]
Runners are first of all “jacks of all trade” who may be asked to help out with any odd jobs that need to be done but the re are two basic areas of responsibility:
Posting heat sheets and posting results.
When you first arrive: as described below in detail, check that the results are in good order and remove heat sheets as so on as appropriate.
General Idea: BE AVAILABLE!!! AND VISIBLE!!! You may so metimes feel as if you are not needed but when you are, the computer people and control room people will need you right away and won't have time to page you or go looking for you. It is easy to think you aren't needed and walk away or get involved in a conversation and miss that you will be difficult to find in a crowd. When not posting, please be next to the computer desk you are assigned to or in the control room.
Heat sheets will be posted in the 5-20 minutes before the meet begins. The computer people will be busy inputting scratches and generating heat sheets for posting and the runner MUST hang around the computer room and be available the minute the heat sheets are ready.
Heat Sheet Posting:
For Winter Long Course (formerly Burgdorff) and Memorial Day, heat sheets are posted above the gear boxes at the end of the warm up pool opposite the control room and at the far end of the competition pool, opposite the main score board, underneath the secondary scoreboard but a little to the right.
For JO's, the Main Pool heat sheets are posted above the gear box near the blocks of the Main pool (as at Burgdorff and Memorial Day) and the Dive Pool heat sheets are posted under the secondary scoreboard (as at Burgdorff and Memorial Day). BOTH sets of heat sheets are posted in the gym, on the wall nearest the hall/stairs. For JO's, make sure you are posting the right sheets at the right pool—Main pool near the Main pool, Dive pool near the Dive pool.
Responsibilities of the runner:
Remove any old heat sheets that are still on the wall and throw the m away. Do this as so on as the previous session is over, during warm up, well before you are ready to post the new heat sheets.
Make sure you are posting the right sheets in the right places. For JO's, the sheets will say ‘Main Pool” and “Dive Pool” on the m. MAKE SURE THE RIGHT ONES ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACES. This is your responsibility, not the responsibility of the computer workers, although the y will try to give you the correct ones. Post the sheets for the 12 and under sessions low enough that the younger children can read the m. Post three or four sheets down vertically, the n start again at the top and post again:
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 9
As you are taping up the sheets, scan for the following:
Make sure the events are listed in the correct order: Ask the computer people when you first arrive for a session listing that will tell you which events are swum in which pool in which order. They are not always swum in numerical order (distance events (1650/1500 and 1000/800) are often swum first in the evening session and last in the morning session.) Please go on line before you come and print out the meet information and read it so you understand how the session is being run.
Make sure no events are missing. The distance events and relays are often seeded later in the meet and posted at a later time. That is fine but no other event for that session should be missing.
Sometime the heats will print out strangely with lanes NOT in numerical order for one or more heats (instead of lanes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 it might be listed in this order: 2,4,5,8,7,1,3,6 for example.) If you see this, it is a computer glitch. Ask the computer people to reprint. Finish posting so the meet can start— the lane assignments are correct, just printed in the wrong order—and the n ask for a new one.
In the middle of the session, when the distance events are seeded, you will be given the m to post and rarely, you may be asked to REPOST an event if it has been reseeded. You may need to “cut and paste” to make it fit. They must be posted in session order. Reposts should be prominently labeled as “REPOST.” Scis so rs are available in the computer room. Please periodically check that no one has removed an event or pages haven't fallen down. The heat sheets are your responsibility. Please make sure the y are neatly, orderly and completely posted.
AT NO TIME should you allow swimmers to crowd in on you and make your posting job difficult. If the y push up against you, stand on the gear boxes, drag chairs over to see better or are unruly in any way, please politely but firmly ask the m to take two giant steps backward and tell the m you will not post any more sheets until the y have given you room to work and brea the . Never allow a swimmer to be rude to you. Almost all will comply. If so meone doesn't, get the swimmer's name and team and report to the meet director (after you finish posting.)
Results
Again, the posted results are your responsibility. When you arrive, please go to both places where the results are posted and make sure the y are posted neatly, completely and in NUMERICAL order, with the exception of the distance and relay events in the morning session of Burgdorff and Memorial and the relay events for 13 and overs at JO's ( the y will not be posted until the event in the evening session is finished.) Look for any missing events (people OFTEN take the event off the wall.) Events must be posted in numerical order. At JO's, if one pool has gotten ahead of the o the r, please leave room for the missing event(s) to be posted. Sometimes, because of a problem in the event, one event will be held up for an extended period of time. Check with the computer people to make sure that is the issue, not that the printouts have been lost. Leave room for the missing event and post the next events. If you haven't left enough room, take down, readjust and repost. The events have to be neat and in order for people to be able to use them.
Results are posted in two places:
They are always posted on the glass wall next to the warm down pool, outside the locker rooms.
At JO's, the y are posted on the rounded wall, below Metro Swim shop, outside the gym. They should be posted in this same spot for Burgdorff and Memorial Day if nothing else is going on in the gym. IF the re is ano the r activity in the gym (basketball tournament, Dog Show), the y should be posted in the hall way, on the TILE wall, across from the glass windows looking down on the pool. Please post as contiguously as possible, in numerical order.
Each morning, the previous day's results should be removed as so on as you arrive and replaced with smaller print results—3 columns per page. Do not remove the previous day(s)' triple column results. It is your responsibility to make sure all results from all events are posted. Check the numbers. The triple column results will be in numerical order. Check your meet information to make sure all results from the previous day are the re. The triple column results for the older children should include both finals and prelims. Splits should al so be included. Bug the computer people to reprint if this is incorrect.
During the meet: Once results are posted, please hang out near the computer people. One runner will be assigned to each pool. When an event is finished and results are printed, you will be given 3 copies: one for the announcer, and one for each of the two posting sites. The event number should be written boldly on the top right. Give the one to the announcer first (at the main pool, the computer people may have already done this.) Then post. Please post promptly. In the morning, the swimmers only have 30 minutes to scratch once the event is announced. In any case, it is best if any mistakes have been made for the swimmers to see the m and tell us as so on as possible. By all means, stop and watch your child swim but you next most important task is printing results.
You may be asked, if no posting is needed, to help in o the r areas. Two good possibilitites: getting times. The computer people will instruct you; in general you may be asked to go to a timer in a particular lane or lanes and write down the times the y have recorded from a specific event and heat. You may al so be asked, especially during long events when all results have been posted, to help in the control room with printing and stapling. Your first obligation is to the computer people but if the y say it is going to be a while until you are next needed, please ask in the control room if any help is needed. You can certainly take bathroom/water breaks as needed but please let the computer people know where you will be and how the y can find you.
Berfore leaving, please check with the control room (meet director) to make sure you are no longer needed.
[Print a copy of this job description!]
Safety Marshal
Safety Marshal
Because Safety Marshals are on deck 15 minutes before warm up starts and must stay up to 30 minutes after the end of the session, an extra 1/8 th of a point may be awarded. Safety Marshals will receive comfortable, attractive, personalized shirts.
Listed below are general instructions:
- Wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
- Wear your Safety Marshal shirt.
- Arrive 15 minutes before warm-up.
- Sign-in at the table on deck in order to earn your points.
- Please see the meet manager for specific instructions. Safety Marshals must make sure that swimmers behave in a safe manner. This means NO running, NO abusive behavior, NO diving into the warm down pool or in the warm up pool and NO swimming under the bulkhead. Swimmers should not enter the pool from the side or opposite end of the pool during warm ups
- Alert meet manager or referee of unsafe conditions or swimmers. Please pay attention to what's happening on deck. Your role is to maintain a safe environment.
Timers
[Download a copy of this job description]
Timers have four responsibilities:
- Verifying the name of the swimmer about to swim (and the order in which the relay is swum)
- Starting and stopping two stop watches per lane (one for each timer)
- Stopping the button or plunger
- Writing the stop watch times down
When you first arrive, sign in and choose a lane to time in. If you don't sign in by the designated time (usually 45 minutes to an hour before the session begins) you may lose your spot. If you are not the re, we will assume you are not coming and recruit so meone from the stands to take your place. We must have timers and we have no way of knowing if you are going to show up if you are late. In addition, a timers' meeting is held 30 minutes before the session begins and even experienced timers need to attend. The head timer/official may need to make pairing adjustments to make sure two inexperienced timers are not paired. There may be so me special circumstances at the session.
The official at the timers' meeting will give more specific instructions and help you practice but you start the stop watch when the light at the top of the starter's instrument flashes and stop it as so on as any part of the swimmer touches the wall at the end of the race. You need to follow along on the heat sheet to know what event and heat you are on (it will be displayed on the scoreboard) so you know how many lengths the race is. The per so n with the plunger will simultaneously stop the ir watch and the plunger and the n the o the r per so n will write the two stop watch times down.
Some guidelines:
Step up to the edge of the pool so you can look down and have a clear view of when the swimmer touches. You are the second most important per so n at the edge of the pool ( the official is the first!!!) Ask anyone else to move aside.
If you fail to start on time or your watch fails or you accidentally stop the watch early, raise your hand, jump up and down and yell, “BACK UP TIMER” and a back up timer will take your place for that race. You can still stop the button or write times. Do not stop the back up timer's watch. He started it and should stop it.
Check your watch just after you start it to make sure it is running properly. Check it again about a lap before the swimmer finishes to make sure it is still running properly but yet you still would have time to call for a back up timer.
If you miss the finish, write “NT” for no time and don't worry about it. NEVER write the time that appears on the scoreboard. We would much ra the r you write “NT” than to make up a time. The time on the board could be incorrect. That's why you are the re!!
In general, your times won't be collected. However, so metimes a computer operator will come and ask to see your clipboard and write down so me times. They are usually good at timing the ir inquiry and may just slip the clipboard out of your hand while you are timing. Don't let the m make you miss a start or finish. The usual rea so n for coming to get times is that the swimmer missed the pad and your plunger (button) time is faster, pointing out the problem. The stop watch times allow the m to verify which time is correct. Sometimes the whole timing system fails or the button or pad is malfunctioning. Rarely has the timer done so mething “wrong.” Please do not feel criticized when so meone comes to get your times, it probably means you have done so mething RIGHT!!
Even if no one is in your lane, start your watch for each heat so you can act as a back up timer.
We have had MANY TIMES (several times each meet) where the pad and plunger fail and we ONLY have hand held times. Your job is very important.
We want two timers in every lane for every race, even the distance (800/100, 1500/1650) events. For Memorial Day and Burgdorff, both timers will be BAC timers. If parents from o the r teams mistakenly think the y need to time, thank the m but refuse. At JO's, the away meet timers are not required to stay for the distance events. Instead, each child must provide a timer. However, since we want two timers per lane, the BAC timer must stay the entire session and time until all the distance events are done. You will not receive any points unless you stay the entire time.
At JO's, in the morning and afternoon, each lane will have one BAC timer and one timer from ano the r team. The o the r team timers might only work one event or a half hour and rotate in and out. Since we really need consistency in pushing the plunger we want the BAC timer to push the plunger and the away team timer to write the stop watch times.
Sometimes, so me people aren't great timers. This is ok. (The meet director isn't the best timer—she gets too distracted!!!) Please do not be upset if we decide that timing is not your forte. It's ok. We're all good at different things. Missing a few times or getting the button too early or late is normal and to be expected. But so metimes people make more than the average number of mistakes. Don't worry. We will make you the back up timer or find ano the r job for you. There are many things that need to be done and we'll work it out.
Back up timers are VERY IMPORTANT. They must stand behind lanes 3 and 4 of the Main Pool or one near lane 8 and one near lane 1 of the dive pool. They must start the ir watches each heat and watch for timers to raise the ir hands to indicate that the ir watch isn't working or that the y missed the start. The back up timer should the n time the race and stop the watch the y started. The regular timer can still stop the button and/or write the times. After the race, the back up timer can the n return to the ir place. The back up timer may al so be asked to step in while a timer goes to the bathroom or sits down for a few minutes. The back up timer must stay until the end of the distance events. It is not unheard of for a regular timer to stop his watch early, to become ill, etc. during a longer event and to call upon the Back up Timer at the last minute.
NO CELL PHONES!! Please, no talking on cell phones while timing and even more importantly, no cell phones ringing or even vibrating. The swimmers are tensely on the blocks, waiting for the so and of the buzzer and more than once, a cell phone ring or vibration has caused a swimmer to false start.
Watches so metimes stop working. If you suspect your watch isn't working, ask the head timer for ano the r one.
You will more than likely be asked for so me of your times at so me point in the session. Please write the m legibly. Many people circle the name of the swimmer when the y have verified it (especially important on 50's at Burgdorff and Memorial Day when the swimmers have started at the o the r end of the pool and are more likely to have swum in the wrong lane.) The times can be written beside the heat or even over the top of the words as long as it is legible.
hen relays step up, if your heat sheet lists the relay times, check to see that the swimmers are the same as the ones listed and ask if they are swimming in the order listed. Often, just before a relay begins, you will be given a separate heat sheet with the relay names listed. The teams can change the relay members and/or the order they are swimming until the moment the first relay swimmer steps on the blocks. It is not your job to control who swims on the relay, merely to note it. Just write the name down or use arrows and numbers to indicate the order in which they swam.
Don't start the plunger/button. Only push it once, at the end of the race when the swimmer touches the wall. It is started automatically by the starting system.
Write the times to the hundredth. If your watch has thousands, just drop them (truncate.) Do not round. This is a USA swimming rule.
Write both your time and your partner's time even if the y are the same.
Try to write the times in the same order each time. This can help in trouble shooting issues (again, usually issues with the swimmer, not you!!)
If you are timing with a non-BAC timer or if you are a more experienced timer, please help the o the r per so n. If after offering helpful suggestions, you feel the o the r timer (BAC or not) is incompetent, ask for a back up timer and quietly tell the head timer. They will take care of it. An incompetent timer can cause many, many problems and even result in erroneous times for the swimmers. Make sure your partner is not making up times or parroting what the scoreboard says. We all want to get the most accurate time for the swimmer. Be nice, but don't settle for a shoddy job. Again, not everyone is cut out for timing and that's ok.
Occasionally, the starter will announce that so me swimmer is trying for a cut in a shorter distance than the total race (e.g. the swimmer is trying for a fast time in the 100 fly as part of the 200 fly race. The swimmer will be going much faster in the 1 st 100 of the race than the o the r swimmers and, as a courtesy to the o the r swimmers, we announce this.) The normal timers will time the race as it is supposed to be swum (stopping only at the 200.) We may put additional timers on the lane to stop watches at the 100. Just ignore the m. Sometimes coaches will request additional timers for the first leg of a relay because the swimmer is trying to make a time. Again, we will put additional timers on the lane. Just ignore the m and time as usual.
Swim offs: when we have prelims/finals, so metimes kids tie and we need to do a swim off. Someone will give you a heat sheet and tell you when it will happen (it might even be added in the middle of an event—say after heat 2 and before heat 3 of so me event.) If the re is a swim off and you don't have anyone participating in your lane, join one of the lanes where so meone is swimming and start and stop your watch so we are sure to get good times for those lanes.
[Download a copy of this job description]
Vendor
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
- The vendor will wear an apron to hold cash, JO pins and BAC lanyards.
- Stand by the entry door to sell merchandise. Lanyards and pins are $5.00 each.
- Responsible for getting cash from the meet director for change 2 days before the 1st day of the swim meet.
Volunteer Check-In
Please wear your BAC nametag. You may get it from the meet manager if you have not yet received yours.
- This is a fun job that will help you meet many other BAC parents!
- The morning session volunteer check in person will arrive via the back door before the main doors open to be on deck when the main doors open. All other sessions, the volunteer check in person should be on deck by the control room ½ hour before warm up.
- Please wear your name tag.
- Get the white binder from the meet manager.
- You are responsible for the accuracy of the attendance of all initialed volunteers. No volunteer should leave without completing his/her job barring exceptional circumstances. See meet director.
- Check in person will initial his/her own initials beside each BAC volunteer as they arrive in person to check in on deck.
- Each volunteer should have his/her BAC name tag. Blank name tags should be issued to volunteers on deck and returned at the end of each session.
- Please distribute BAC name tags to BAC parents who haven't picked theirs up yet. Only parents who are volunteering that session may have their name tags. Please date name in the name tags portion of the white binder when name tags are given out.
- Blue ribbons in the name tag box may be given to those who don't want to purchase a lanyard for $5.00.
- Once the meet is started, please see meet manager for instructions.
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