Below is a description of each volunteer role for home meets, including where to check in, when shifts start, and what each role involves.

Timer Meeting

A timer meeting is held before each meet near the Snack Bar at 5:45. The meeting takes about 5 minutes and covers everything volunteers need to know for their shift.

Clerk of Course (see detailed information below)

Clerk of Course volunteers line up swimmers and get them to the blocks for their events. When you arrive at the pool, check in to get a name tag from the desk. See DETAILED description at below.

First half volunteers

• Assistant Coach will meet you by the benches near the blocks at 5:45 with a clipboard and heat sheet

• They will answer any questions you have and help you start lining up the 6 and unders

Second half volunteers

• Your shift starts after backstroke

• You will get a heat sheet and clipboard from one of the first half Clerk of Course volunteers

• Swing by anytime during the meet if you have questions

Head Timer

The Head Timer runs a backup stopwatch for every race and serves as the timers’ main point of contact during the meet. When you arrive at the pool, check in at the front to get a name tag and stopwatch. The timers meeting is at 5:45 near the Snack Bar.

During the meet

• Start two watches on every race

• If a lane timer has an issue with their watch, switch your started watch with theirs

• Hold the Stop/Go paddle to stay in constant communication with the starter

Timers

Timers run a stopwatch for swimmers in an assigned lane and hand out ribbons to younger swimmers. When you arrive at the pool, check in up front to get a name tag. The timers meeting is at 5:45 near the Snack Bar.

First half volunteers

• 2 timers per lane (this is new this year)

• White participation ribbons will be on your clipboard for each 6 and under swimmer in your lane

• Orange heat winner ribbons are also on your clipboard for 10 and under heat winners in your lane

• Lanes 3 and 4 receive more ribbons

• Kickboards will be at the end of each lane to use during backstroke for swimmers 10 and under

Second half volunteers

• Your shift starts after backstroke and before the IM

• The starter will announce the changeover, so be ready to step in and replace a FXH timer in a lane at that time

• Orange heat winner ribbons are handed out to 10 and under heat winners in your lane

• Lanes 3 and 4 receive more ribbons

While timing

• Write both times (computer person will take average)

• Write NS if a swimmer is a no show

Runners

Runners deliver completed timer sheets and DQ slips to the computer table throughout the meet.

During the meet

• Once a page is completed (2 events), collect all sheets at the same time and take them up to the computer (for example, once events 1 and 2 are complete, gather all sheets and take that full stack up together)

• Bring sheets to the computer helpers in order

• Pick up DQ slips from the S and T judges at the same time you collect timer sheets

• Second half runners stay until the end of the meet and help with clean up

Stroke and Turn Judges (see detailed information below)

• Stroke and Turn judges watch swimmers for legal strokes and turns and submit DQ slips when needed. When you arrive at the pool, check in at the front desk to get a name tag and your clipboard with heat sheets, vest, and DQ slips

First half volunteers

• Meet at the starter table by the blocks at 5:55 for more instructions

• One FXH judge sits on one end of the pool (opposite opposing team’s judge)

• The other FXH judge sits on the other end of the pool (also opposite opposing team’s judge)

Second half volunteers

• Your shift starts after backstroke and before the IM

• The starter will announce the changeover, so be ready to replace a FXH judge at that time

A few notes for all S and T judges

• Stroke and Turn judges do not call false starts. That is the job of the starter.

• Some year round swimmers may look like they are not touching with two hands on fly and breast because one hand is under the water on the wall. These swimmers have been reminded to make the touch more obvious, but know that they are most likely touching with two hands.

Clean Up

Clean up volunteers help reset the pool deck at the end of the meet. Starting around the Butterfly events, help clean up the pool deck by throwing away trash and moving tables and chairs back to their original spots. Coaches will help.

Clerk of Course Detail Information (at FXH)

• Line up heats on benches by lane. (one heat per bench) Once swimmers are set, it is best to not let them leave to go find missing swimmers. Ask a coach to track someone down instead.

• Depending on the number of heats for an event, girls can be lined up on one column of benches and boys on the other. (You can also set it up in a column of x benches and line up the boy heats following the girls.)

• When there is a row of chairs available behind the blocks, a volunteer should move swimmers from benches to chairs reminding the kids to stay in order and to stop at their assigned lane number. (reference arm markings and number they were sitting on.) For the younger swimmers and early in the season, a coach should help make sure the swimmers stay in order – usually assisting around Lane 3 or 4 to make sure the kids don’t miss their seat.

• It is helpful to have one volunteer lead the swimmers and one continue to manage the benches having swimmers move up one row on the bench so another heat can sit in the last row.

• For the start of 6U and 7-8 in later events, multiple benches can move to the chairs if there are enough volunteers to help manage them as the chairs are usually empty during 15-18 events. If not, continue to move heats over one row at a time.

• If there is an extra volunteer / coach, someone should be positioned behind the blocks. He/she can double check lanes / heats once swimmers get in seats and move swimmers forward as the first row moves to the blocks. (Being sure to keep empty seats open if there is a no show or no one in that lane the heat before.)

• The Clerk of Course volunteers can decide the best way to manage the swimmers and it may change throughout the course of the meet depending on the number of heats. For the events with many heats, volunteers may need to help get all of the girl heats situated before starting the boys. For events with less heats, someone can manage girls while another manages boys.

• If there are no swimmers at CoC, the Clerk of Course can ask the announcer / starter to remind swimmers for a certain event to come line up. Typically, especially later in the season, 13-14 and 15-18 won’t even check in at the benches and just line up behind the blocks.

Relays

• Relays should gather at CoC but don’t need to sit on the benches. Where each leg is a 25, 2 swimmers will need to go to the far side of the pool and line up in the appropriate lane. (Medley relay is: Back / Breaststroke / Butterfly / Freestyle. Backstrokers and Butterfliers will go to the blocks and Breast Strokers / Freestyle will go to the far end of the pool.) For free relay, swimmers 2 and 4 report to the far end of the pool. Check with the coach, but in the past, swimmers should not change their order unless a coach has agreed to it.

Stroke and Turn Judges Detailed Information

SPSL Stroke and Turn Judge Please use these guidelines

GENERAL:

Starting on the blocks is not required – Swimmers may stand on the side or even begin in the water. No special exception or approval is required, as long as swimmers are touching the wall at the start and leave the wall according to the rules for the stroke (facing on back or breast).

As a general rule, if you are not able to check the infraction on the DQ slip, it is likely not a DQ. It is what we call “ugly but legal”.

Following are the most often called DQs. Remember if you are in doubt, do not call it! The benefit of the doubt ALWAYS goes to the swimmer!!!

RELAYS:

• Dual confirmation is required. i.e., both judges are watching all 6 lanes for takeoffs, and both judges must see the same early takeoff infraction for the call to be valid.

FREESTYLE:

• Swimmers may touch and even stand on the bottom. Swimmers may not push off of or walk on the bottom to gain an advantage.
• Swimmers may not pull on the lane line. Holding onto the lane line is acceptable.
• Primary call on freestyle is to ensure swimmers touch the wall at finish and turn. If swimmers miss the wall, they may go back and touch.

BACKSTROKE:

• Swimmers must finish on their backs. Swimmers can be on their sides, as long as they are not past vertical towards the breast.
• During a turn, swimmers may not do more than one pull once they are past vertical towards the breast. They may kick into the wall before making their turns, but they can only do one pull (this is High School, not a USA Swimming rule).
• Swimmers may not pull on lane line or push off the bottom to gain an advantage, just like freestyle.
• During the start and swim, there is no rule that arms must be simultaneous, alternating, etc. Swimmers just have to be on their backs.
• If the swimmer flips towards the breast early and then resumes the backstroke, this is illegal and should be written up as “past vertical towards the breast”.

IM:

• The finish and turn rules for each stroke apply, respectively (i.e., swimmers must finish the backstroke on their backs)
• Swimmers may do a bucket turn or a cross over turn from back to breast as long as they touch the wall first while on their backs.

BREASTSTROKE:

• Swimmers may not do more than one pull under water and one kick under water on the pull out from the start or the turn. Prior to the first breaststroke kick, swimmers may do one dolphin kick under water on the start and at the turn during the underwater pullout.
• Swimmers may not pull arms down to their hip lines during the stroke. (The one exception is the first underwater pull during the start and turn. These may include one pull past the hip line).
• The kick must be a breaststroke kick with toes turned out. All other kicks are illegal.
• Swimmers must touch the walls with two hands. The hands do not have to be parallel, and one hand may touch/swipe VERY quickly.
• If swimmers hang on the lane line or stand on the bottom, they have violated a number of rules for the stroke.

BUTTERFLY:

• Legs must be simultaneously kicking together (but they can be uneven and/or separated). They cannot be in two different directions.
• Arms must be over the water and simultaneous (over the water is defined as some portion of the arm between the shoulder and wrist must break the surface of the water).
• Swimmers must touch the walls with two hands (just like breaststroke).
• If swimmers hang on the lane line or stand on the bottom, they have violated a number of rules for the stroke.