Sherwood Oaks Swim Team

In order to determine what to volunteer for and help you know what you're getting yourself into, please read all about our volunteer roles & jobs before you sign-up. Below you'll find descriptions of the various roles & jobs to help provide an overview of what the position entails. 

Another key aspect of volunteering is consistency throughout the season, especially when it comes to judge positions. Our judge roles are crucial and if you intend to fill one of these positions, it is strongly recommended that you try to fill something you are going to consistently volunteer for and always remember to ask questions before the meet so you are prepared.

Role vs Job

A role is a position that someone typically holds throughout the duration of the season. Coodinators & Assistant Coordinators take on a role and assist with and manage other volunteers associated with a type of volunteer activity. If you would like to take on a role, please reach out to a Board Member and we can provide information about the roles that are available. 

A job is a position that is taken on for an activity or event and is specific to that event and can change per activity/event. If you have a job associated with an activity/event that has a coordinator, defer to them for guidance around the job tasks. The job descriptions below should also serve as a guide.

Please reach out to a Board Member or another veteran parent if you have any questions and we'll make sure you are comfortable. We prefer if parents chose a role that they remain consistent in volunteering in that role to avoid having to re-train parents every meet for a different position/role. This helps the season run more smoothly.

Be sure to keep up with the team calendar for our team meetings and training opportunities! (See Calendar)

Our team relies on the support of our parents, and we all lean on each other during meets so everyone both parent and swimmer can have a positive experience.

Coordinator Roles involve leading and managing other volunteers associated with the event and are crucial to keeping our other volunteers organized. Please see below and reach out if you have any questions. 

Volunteer Check-In Assistant

• Home & Away Meets
• Assists Volunteer Coordinator
• Helps assist management of the volunteer check-in before meets and helps coordinate any needed changes if parents are unable to fulfill duties
• Arrives 30 mins before meet start

Lap Counter (Swimathon Only)

• Swimathon only, 1 point per Swimathon event (See Calendar)
• Sits poolside during Swimathon to assist with counting laps for swimmers during Swimathon
• Stays for the entire event and hands in sheets following Swimathon
• Assists swimmers w/water and anything they need during the event

Age Group Parents: "Shepherd"

• Home & Away Meets (See Calendar)
• Keep assigned group of children together in designated area until last child in age group is finished swimming
• Arrive a little early to give yourself time for arm marking!!
• Make sure swimmers are : 
  • Marked with the following 15-20 mins before warm-ups start
  • Help assist parents with arm marking for races
  • Keep the kids together
  • Get them to the ready bench on time for their events 
  • Remain with their swimmers until the end of the meet
  • Make sure swimmers clean up all trash and snacks before they leave
• Get swimmers excited about their races!!

Pizza Server/Register

• Assists with managing pizza distribution for team when we bring pizza for an event
• Home poolside
• Collects additional money for non-swimmers who choose to buy pizza
• Swimathon Only
• 1 point per shift

Event / Heat board turner*

• Home Meet Only (See Calendar)
• Each shift covers half the meet (early/late shift)
• Sits by the pool at the 'Event/Heat' Board and changes the display of the event/heat as each race proceeds to the next

Starter*

• Home Meet Only
• (Training required through MSBSC - see dates above) (See Calendar)
• Uses P.A. system to start races per the meet director, broadcast upcoming events, race results and other miscellaneous announcements 
• Arrive 30 prior to meet and stay throughout meet
• Wait for the Meet Director to tell them when to begin the next race
• Tell the swimmers at the end of the race when to get out of the water
• Wait for all swimmers to be motionless before starting the race
• Use a quick consistent cadence once swimmers are motionless
• In the event of a false start, the starter will activate the false start mechanism on the starting device to recall the swimmers. If in the judgement of the meet director, the recalled swimmers need a break before they re-swim, the next available heat will be swim ahead of the heat where the infraction occurred. Otherwise the heat where the infraction occurred will immediately recommence
• The meet director must notify the swimmer(s) who committed the infraction and identify which lane(s) have received their 1st warning. The swimmer(s) will be disqualified if there is a second infraction

Floater

• Each shift covers half the meet (early/late shift)
• This is a "Jack of all Trades" role that will fill in at positions as needed during the meet. (exception: stroke and turn judge)

Ready Bench Volunteers

• RB Greeter: Calls swimmers to the ready bench area, making sure swimmers are sorted by heat/by lane
• RB Seater: Seat the swimmers in their benches, based on heats and lane position.
• RB Runner: Getting the kids from ready bench to the pool lanes
• Lots of patience and organization for all ready bench positions :)

Meet Set-up

• Partial meet position
• Home Meet Set-up:
  • Strong people are needed to set up tents for Ready Bench and Timers. 
  • Also set up lanes for Ready Bench and block off designated areas with caution tape for safety reasons
• Strong people are needed to set up tents for the age groups
• Away Meet Set-up: largely revolves helping transport and set up of age group tents

Meet Tear-Down & Clean-Up Crew*

• Home & Away Meets (See Calendar)
• Home & Away meet tear-down largely revolves around helping transport and break-down age group tents
• Clean-up assists with cleaning our area at the pool at the end of the meet. 
  • Pick up trash
  • Take down Ready Bench and Timer Tents
  • Put equipment back in shed
  • Ensure clean up of pool facilities after meet 

Judges: Stroke*

• Each shift covers half the meet (early/late shift) 
• (Training required through MSBSC - see dates above) (See Calendar)
• League Judge Guidelines
• Judge each event to ensure fairness
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet and stay throughout meet
• Report any infractions to the Meet Director
• Responsible for knowing all the appropriate strokes and kicks for each stroke swum in the meets
• Examine the swimmer’s stroke from start to finish and signal any infraction by immediately raising a hand or waving a flag if provided with one
• There shall be no disqualification in the 6 & Under through 7 – 8 age groups, unless, in the opinion of the Stroke Judge the swimmer has had an unfair advantage in swimming the stroke incorrectly
• Watch three lanes of the pool on the side closest to them. They move along the side of the pool as the swimmers swim the stroke

Judges: Finishes* (Place)

• Each shift covers half the meet (early/late shift) 
• Pass out ribbons to swimmers after each event 
• (Training required through MSBSC - see dates above) (See Calendar)
• League Judge Guidelines
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet and stay throughout shift
• Judge each event to ensure fairness
•  The Home team is responsible for places 2, 4, 6
• The Visiting team is responsible for places 1, 3, 5
• Each Judge calls his/her own place ONLY (for example, 1st calls 1st, 2nd calls 2nd, etc)
• At no time is it acceptable for a judge to call any other place finish except for the one they are responsible for (for example, 1st place calls 1st, 2nd and 3rd or 2nd place calls 1st, 2nd, and 3rd)
• If there is a close finish, a judge may refer to the next place judge to discuss in order to help determine who came in what place (for example, a close finish for 2nd and 3rd place may be discussed by the 2nd and 3rd place judges only; 1st and 3rd place judges do not discuss the finish)
• If the place judges cannot come to an agreement, only then can other place judges and the Meet Director come in and make an opinion
• The Meet Director cannot say, “I saw it this way and this is how we are going to place the swimmers”. A meet director may be asked to mediate a conflict and facilitate a final decision by the places judges. The meet director does not have the final word. Ties are an acceptable alternative and permitted by the league. 
• Under no circumstance will a stopwatch time or digital recording be considered by the place judges
• Timers may not interfere with this position or call out times to places judges

Judges: Flip-Turns/Touch Turns*

• (Training required through MSBSC - see dates above) (See Calendar)
• League Judge Guidelines
• Judge each event to ensure fairness 
• Writes and delivers disqualification slips upon infractions 
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet and stay throughout meet 
• Report any infractions to the Meet Director 
• Responsible for knowing all the appropriate strokes for turns and finishes, watching the stroke as the swimmer enters the turn, the turn itself and the exit
• Also watch the touch as the swimmers finish the race
• Responsible for watching for any false starts on the relay takeoffs
• Signal any infraction immediately by raising their hand or waving a flag if provided 

Timers

• Requires being able to maintain focus and record swimmer's times as accurately as possible
• Requires minimal training
• Use a stopwatch to time each swimmer’s event
• Verify name of swimmer with the name on the card where time will be recorded
• Record time for each event for an assigned lane during meet
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet and stay throughout meet

Tech Timer*

• (Training required through MSBSC - see dates above) (See Calendar)
• Assist Lead Meet Tech Manager w/tech timer duties
• Helps Lead Meet Tech Manager with push notifications for events on Swimtopia
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet

Scorekeeper*

• Home Meet Only
• Works at Meet Tent poolside to track points scored
• Keep running total of event points throughout shift at the score table
• Arrive 30 min prior to shift

Concessions* (Grill, Drinks, Check-out)

• Home Meets Only (See Calendar)
• Check each role for the, each shift (role) covers half the meet (early/late shift) - 1 point per shift
• Arrive 30 min prior to meet
• Assist Concessions Coordinator with set up and sales of concessions during shift time
• Grill (Set-Up):
  • Arrive 2 hours before swim meet to set up grill
• Grill 
  • Work the grill throughout shift during meet
  • Assist with set up and clean up based on shift time

Ice Delivery*

• Drop-off ice before the meet (3:30 - 5:00pm)
• Deliver ice to freezer prior to home meets (See Calendar)
• Details around the total ice needed will be provided

Beverage Purchase & Delivery*

• Home Meets & Events Only (See Calendar)
• Work with Concession coordinator to prepare and sell beverages at swim meets
• Responsible for purchase and delivery of beverages to pool shed
• Early shift will arrive 1 hour min prior for drop-off
• Coordinate efforts with concessions and special event coordinators regarding needs for specific events

Parking Lot Attendant

• Home Meet Only (See Calendar)
• Early Shift Only, done before meets
• Assists with getting folks parked around the streets near pool and making sure parents know where to park
• Arrive one hour before meet begins to place parking signs throughout neighborhood and direct traffic to approved parking areas
• Requires arrival at pool one hour prior to start of meet

Club House Detail*

• Home Meet Only (See Calendar)
• Clean & Manage the Club House before and after meet
• Clean bathrooms and make sure they aren't trashed

Team Spirit

• Home & Away Meets (See Calendar)
• Depending on the event, this is a really fun job for families to get involved before the meet to welcome swimmers, create banners to show our support for the other team, and show your team spirit. Check each event, as this changes for Home/Away Meets