Volunteer Opportunities
Please see below a list of all the volunteer positions that have to be filled for each meet, as well as a brief description of each. Note that the positions marked with an asterisk require league training and certification. These include starter, referee, and stroke & turn judges.
Announcer:Using a microphone and sound system, this person is responsible for announcing all races/events.
Awards Coordinator: He/she coordinates the ordering of the end-of-season team trophies and awards.
Chief Timer:Official who coordinates all timers. Collects all time cards, checks for accuracy, sends time cards to Time Recorder. Gives command to “clear watches”, signals Referee that Timers are ready for next event and starts 2 watches in case a lane timer’s watch fails to start.
Clerk of Course:As a swimmer nears the start of his/her event, he/she is sent to the clerk of course. The clerk of course makes sure that all swimmers for the event are present, and guides the children safely to their lanes just prior to their events. We like to have at least two individuals in this position at each meet.
Concessions Chair: This individual is responsible for the concessions stand at home swim meets.
Concession Workers: These volunteers help the Concessions Chair with set-up, sales and clean-up at the concessions area during meets.
Data Entry:Enters/reads times for the Hy-Tek software to score events. He/she generates event results reports (verified by awards clerks) for the announcer and ribbon labels for awards clerks and produces a hard copy of full meet results at the end of the meet for Referee review and signature.
Family Folder Coordinator: This person will set up and maintain the family folders and is responsible for filing ribbons and other materials.
Fundraising Chair: This person works with our current sponsors and helps solicit new sponsors. He/she will work with Team Reps to organize Spirit Dinners at local restaurants.
Marshal:Marshals are responsible for ensuring order during the meet and during warm ups in the pool, on the deck, and in the spectator area. They wear a brightly colored vest and stand in key positions around the pool deck to control the flow of people. They ensure that the spectators, including fellow swimmers, are quiet at the start of a race.
Pep Rally Coordinator:Pep rallies are held on Friday evenings before a home meet.We are always looking for ways to make this experience fun and different for the kids. If you would like to assist with a pep rally, to coordinate the theme, or provide supplies and enthusiasm, please let us know!
Photographers: Photographers will take photos of our swimmers and divers during meets and other activities and will upload them to a website where parents can download the pictures.
Place Recorder:Receive the time cards, ensure all times are legible and that the proper official time has been circled and recorded. Receive disqualification slips from the Referee and staple them to the appropriate time cards and check for league and team records.
Referee*:This is the chief official for each swim meet. He/she is responsible for the running of the meet and is the final authority on the interpretation and enforcement of all of the swimming rules.
Relay Take-Off Judges:Four relay take-off judges (two from each team) watch the relay teams to ensure legal takeoffs are performed (one swimmer has touched before the next swimmer takes off). Since fewer timers are needed for relays, we usually use four of the 'extra' timers to monitor the relays. This position does not require formal training, although you should be familiar with the rules regarding relays and relay takeoffs.
Runner:The runner is responsible for carrying papers from the Referee and Chief Timer to the official table.
Senior Day Coordinator: This person will coordinate all aspects of senior day including obtaining bios from the graduating seniors, ordering senior gifts and bringing flowers to the senior day meet.
Social Committee: These volunteers plan our team social events, such as laser tag, Top Golf, a movie outing and Teen Pool Night.
Spirit Wear Coordinator: This person will help with sales and distribution of spirit wear.
Starter*:The starter begins each race with the Colorado starter system after receiving the signal from the referee.They are responsible for insuring that all swimmers are given a fair and equitable start.
Stroke & Turn (S&T) Judge*:Officials who evaluate swimmers to ensure legal strokes and turns. If something illegal is observed by the S & T Judge, a DQ (disqualification) slip is written and presented to the Referee for concurrence. S&T Judges must be impartial and fair to all swimmers.
Table Workers: This team of volunteers receive the time cards and printed results from the Hy-Tek Meet Manager software and independently verify that the Name, Official Time, Disqualification Status, and Team on the time cards match the printed results. If there are any discrepancies, the Verifiers bring it to the attention of the Place Recorder and Data Entry workers immediately. They select the appropriate ribbons, plaques, medals, etc. and attach the correct computer generated label.
Team Reps:The Team Reps represent the team in the NVSL, to ensure NVSL rules and information are communicated throughout the team, and to make sure all of the volunteer positions are filled and that each meet runs smoothly.
Timer:In an NVSL meet, 3 timers work each lane. That's 18 timers for each meet, with 9 being provided from each team. Timers do not have to attend NVSL training, and you can learn on the job. Being a Timer is a good entry level position for new parents, though some have been Timers for years and wouldn’t want to see a swim meet from any other viewpoint. If you can start and stop a stopwatch, you can be a Timer. We even provide the stopwatch! Timers start their watches on the strobe light from the Colorado System and stop their watches when the swimmer in their lane touches the wall with any part of their body. There are three Timers per lane and all three times are recorded. The middle time is the Official Time.
How are officials trained?
Each spring the NVSL runs several training clinics to certify swim meet officials. Dates and locations are posted in the spring on www.mynvsl.com. The clinics serve the purpose of reviewing the rules under which meets are run in the NVSL and the techniques that should be used to judge fairly. The referee, starter, and stroke-and-turn judges must attend a clinic every two years in order to officiate at the NVSL dual meets. Please contact the Team Reps if you are interested in training to become an official.
