• Home
• Hosted Meets
• All-Time Top 10 and Team Records
• Swim/Diving Programs
• Store
• Parking
• Texas Swimming Center
• Links & Time Standards
• Sponsors
• Contact Us
• Facilities
• Coaches

Volunteer Opportunities

Following are descriptions of volunteer positions that may be available at TXLA meets. Find a volunteer position below that suits you and log in to Super Meets to find out what volunteer opportunities are currently available.

• Officials
• Volunteer Check-in
• Clerk of Course
• Safety Monitor
• Head Hospitality
• Computer
• Head Timer
• Hospitality
• Timers
• Runner
• Awards
• Store Clerk Helper
• Heat Winner Award

Officials (Stroke and Turn Judge, Starter, Referee)

Officials must be trained and certified in the USA Swimming process through South Texas Swimming. This is an exciting way to be involved in meets and thoroughly understand the legalities of swimming, and any TXLA parent who officiates at TXLA swim meets gets volunteer credit. Important: a TXLA parent-official needs to document these volunteer sessions by also signing-up as an official in Super Meets.

Volunteer Check-in

Must arrive 45 minutes before warm-up starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Read and become familiar with the meet announcement.
• Organize the badges before volunteers arrive.
• Check in all volunteers. (Have each volunteer sign in according to the volunteer schedule, and only allow write-ins if there are openings. If in doubt, check with the meet director.)
• Tell timers to sign in by their lanes, but don’t allow them on deck until 20 minutes before the meet starts.
• Remind each volunteer to sign out and return badges at the end of their shifts. (Most volunteers sign out with the clerk of course, and timers sign out with the head timer.)
• Help new volunteers understand their roles—have them read the summary of duties or find an experienced volunteer in the same position who can walk them through their duties.
• Address issues and find volunteers for no-show positions.
• Help the safety monitors control the entrance to the pool deck during warm-up. (Don’t let volunteers on deck until they are needed, and don’t give them their badges until it’s time to go on deck.)
• Go on deck and have the announcer call for missing timers about 25 minutes before the meet starts. Mention how many timers you need if slots are open. Double check with the head timers to make sure all slots are filled after the timers are seated.
• Deliver volunteer list to the clerk of course after the meet starts.

This volunteer slot lasts until 30 minutes after the meet starts—usually about two hours. It is a great way to meet team parents!

Clerk of Course

Must be on deck 30 minutes before warm-ups start

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Read and be very familiar with the meet announcement.
• Answer questions from coaches and swimmers.
• Take deck entries.
• Handle all meet administration. (Each meet may have different administration needs, such as deck entries, positive check-ins, collecting unpaid entry fees, relay entries, and scratches for prelims and finals.)
• Check out volunteers at the end of each session.

This position requires training.

Safety Monitor

Must be on deck 30 minutes before warm-ups start

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Control access to the pool deck by checking credentials. (Check to make sure all athletes are sanctioned by USA swimming or UT, all coaches have an ACTIVE or USA swim card, officials are in uniform and have valid credentials, volunteers are on the volunteer schedule and have a volunteer badge, and parents visiting the clerk of course have a deck pass.)
• Do not allow athletes on deck until 15 minutes before warm-up, and only allow coaches, officials and volunteers on deck as needed/scheduled.
• Rotate throughout the Texas Swim Center, patrolling and correcting any unsafe behavior of participants and spectators. (There should be no running anywhere, no climbing on/over rails, and no wet allowed swimmers upstairs.)
• Follow a predetermined rotation plan, and coordinate with other safety monitors to maximize coverage of the facility.
• Patrol the pool deck, exits, stairwells, locker rooms, halls and stands, and focus on safety around the pool, including warm-up safety.
• Keep handicapped areas clear.
• Wear a safety vest to improve visibility.
• Coordinate with other safety monitors so you can see your swimmers perform, and take breaks when needed.

The safety monitor should be familiar with the meet write-up, especially the warm-up procedures. No monitor should remain in one place more than 10 minutes. Patrolling must be constant and active. Monitors should not be on their cell phones or chatting with other volunteers or coaches on deck.

Head Hospitality

Must arrive 15 minutes prior to warm-up

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Arrive early to help set up and serve food.
• Maintain hospitality area and deliver drinks and a snack to volunteers.
• Serve food to the coaches, officials and volunteers.
  • Avoid “buffet” service to control serving size and to maintain sanitary conditions.
  • Restock food from stores and communicate with the food vendor when stock is low.
  • Periodically take drinks to volunteers who are stationed on deck (timers, clerk of course, directors, and computer and console operators). Serve one snack per session.
  • Wear gloves (provided) and pull long hair back.
• Help transition to new hospitality volunteers when sessions end.

Computer

Must be on deck at the start of warm-up

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Run the computer on deck, making changes prior to the start of each session and running Hy-Tek during the meet.
• Enter all deck entries.
• Seed deck-seeded events.
• Print the starter’s book(s).
• Print lane/timer sheets and deliver them to the head timers.
• Run the meet in Hy-Tek.
• Print results and labels for awards.
• For prelim/finals meets: help with heat sheets for the finals session at the conclusion of prelims.

This position requires training and experience.

Head Timer

Must be on deck as warm-up begins

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Organize timers’ materials before the meet starts. (Prepare clipboards, watches, pencils, and timer sheets.)
• Check in each timer as they come to your table, and let the volunteer check-in person know if you are missing timers.
• Review the procedures with each timer before the meet starts. (Show them how to use the watch, plunger and time sheet, and tell them how to call for bathroom breaks and relief.)
• Find out who the runner is before the meet starts, and ask the runner to contact the entry desk whenever a relief timer is called. (The entry monitor will give the relief timer a deck pass.)
• Make sure retiring timers turn in their deck passes, and have them sign out.
• Ask timers to sign out at the end of the meet.
• Collect timers’ badges and return them to the entry desk.
• Collect supplies and forms, and turn in the paperwork and organize the equipment.

Hospitality

Must arrive 20 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Help head hospitality as needed.
• Maintain hospitality area and deliver drinks and a snack to volunteers.
• Serve food to the coaches, officials and volunteers.
  • Avoid buffet-style service to control serving size and maintain sanitary conditions.
  • Restock food from stores and communicate with the food vendor when stock is low.
  • Periodically take drinks to volunteers who are stationed on deck (timers, clerk of course, directors, and computer and console operators). Serve one snack per session.
  • Wear gloves (provided) and pull long hair back.

Timers

Must arrive 20 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Provide back-up to the timing system by timing swimmers in assigned lane using stop watch and timing system plunger.
• Check in with the entry monitor and then the head timer.
• For each heat, confirm the athlete’s name listed on the timer/lane sheet, start the watch with the light, not the sound and stop the watch and the plunger when the athlete touches the wall at the finish.
• Record the watch time on the timer/lane sheet.
• Sign out with the head timer at the end of your session.

Runner

Must be on deck when the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Act as the go-between for the computer station and clerk of course.
• Post results. (Post results on the pool deck and upstairs for parents.)
• Check-in with the clerk of the course.
• Run errands for meet director.
• Deliver a copy of results to clerk of course and awards (with award labels).
• Post heat sheets if events are reseeded.

No training required. As the name implies, this volunteer is on their feet most of the session.

Awards

Arrive as the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Check in with the meet director.
• Set up the awards table on the 2nd floor balcony on the American Flag end of the pool.
• Set up pulley system.
• Get ribbons out of mechanical storage.
• Organize awards distribution method. (The runner will deliver results and labels for each event.)
• Label and file awards. (Put labels on the correct ribbons and sort them by team.)
• At the end of the last day of the meet, deliver the ribbons (in large envelopes sorted by team) to the clerk of course desk for distribution to the coaches.
• Return the ribbon boxes and supplies to mechanical storage after the meet

No training required. Experience helps, though.

Store Clerk Helper

Must arrive as warm-up begins and may only stay 15 minutes after the meet begins

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Work in the store to help sell heat sheets during busy times at the store. This volunteer is only needed during warm-ups and may only stay 15 minutes after the meet begins.
• Check in with the volunteer coordinator at the entrance.

Heat Winner Award

Must be on deck 10 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Work one pool and give the winner of each heat an award (usually a ribbon, or a jingle bell in December) at the end of the race.
• Stand near the head timer/starter, confirm the winner with the official, walk to the winner as they get out of the pool, congratulate them and hand them the award.