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
• Clerk of Course
• Safety Monitor
• Head Hospitality
• Computer
• Head Timer
• Hospitality
• Timers
• Runner
• Awards
• 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-ups start

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Reading and becoming familiar with the meet announcement.
• Organizing the badges before volunteers arrive.
• Checking 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.)
• Telling timers to sign in by their lanes, but not allowing them on deck until 20 minutes before the meet starts.
• Reminding 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.)
• Helping new volunteers understand their roles—having them read the summary of duties or find an experienced volunteer in the same position who can walk them through their duties.
• Addressing issues and finding volunteers for no-show positions.
• Helping 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.)
• Going on deck and having the announcer call for missing timers about 25 minutes before the meet starts. Mentioning how many timers you need if slots are open. Double checking with the head timers to make sure all slots are filled after the timers are seated.
• Delivering the 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:

• Reading and being very familiar with the meet announcement.
• Answering questions from coaches and swimmers.
• Taking deck entries.
• Handling 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.)
• Checking 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:

• Controlling 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.)
• Not allowing athletes on deck until 15 minutes before warm-ups, and only allow coaches, officials and volunteers on deck as needed/scheduled.
• Rotating 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 swimmers allowed upstairs.)
• Following a predetermined rotation plan and coordinating with other safety monitors to maximize coverage of the facility.
• Patrolling the pool deck, exits, stairwells, locker rooms, halls and stands, and focusing on safety around the pool, including warm-up safety.
• Keeping handicapped areas clear.
• Wearing a safety vest to improve visibility.
• Coordinating with other safety monitors so you can see your swimmers perform and taking 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:

• Arriving early to help set up and serve food.
• Maintaining hospitality area and delivering drinks and snacks to volunteers.
• Serving food to the coaches, officials and volunteers.
  • Avoiding “buffet” service to control serving size and to maintain sanitary conditions.
  • Restocking food from stores and communicating with the food vendor when stock is low.
  • Periodically taking drinks to volunteers who are stationed on deck (timers, clerk of course, directors, and computer and console operators). Serve one snack per session.
  • Wearing gloves (provided) and pulling long hair back.
• Helping 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:

• Running the computer on deck, making changes prior to the start of each session and running Hy-Tek during the meet.
• Entering all deck entries.
• Seeding deck-seeded events.
• Printing the starter’s book(s).
• Printing lane/timer sheets and delivering them to the head timers.
• Running the meet in Hy-Tek.
• Printing results and labels for awards.
• For prelim/finals meets: helping 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:

• Organizing timers’ materials before the meet starts. (Preparing clipboards, watches, pencils, and timer sheets.)
• Checking in each timer as they come to your table, and letting the volunteer check-in person know if you are missing timers.
• Reviewing 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.)
• Finding out who the runner is before the meet starts and asking the runner to contact the entry desk whenever a relief timer is called. (The entry monitor will give the relief timer a deck pass.)
• Making sure retiring timers turn in their deck passes and having them sign out.
• Asking timers to sign out at the end of the meet.
• Collecting timers’ badges and returning them to the entry desk.
• Collecting supplies and forms, turning in the paperwork, and organizing the equipment.

Hospitality

Must arrive 20 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Helping head hospitality as needed.
• Maintaining hospitality area and delivering drinks and snacks to volunteers.
• Serving food to the coaches, officials and volunteers.
  • Avoiding buffet-style service to control serving size and maintain sanitary conditions.
  • Restocking food from stores and communicating with the food vendor when stock is low.
  • Periodically taking drinks to volunteers who are stationed on deck (timers, clerk of course, directors, and computer and console operators). Serve one snack per session.
  • Wearing gloves (provided) and pulling long hair back.

Timers

Must arrive 20 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Providing back-up to the timing system by timing swimmers in assigned lane using stop watch and timing system plunger.
• Checking in with the entry monitor and then the head timer.
• For each heat, confirming the athlete’s name listed on the timer/lane sheet, starting the watch with the light, not the sound and stopping the watch and the plunger when the athlete touches the wall at the finish.
• Recording the watch time on the timer/lane sheet.
• Signing 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:

• Acting as the go-between for the computer station and clerk of course.
• Posting results. (Post results on the pool deck and upstairs for parents.)
• Checking in with the clerk of the course.
• Running errands for meet director.
• Delivering a copy of results to clerk of course and awards (with award labels).
• Posting 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:

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

No training required. Experience helps, though.

Heat Winner Award

Must be on deck 10 minutes before the meet starts

The main responsibilities of this position include:

• Working one pool and giving the winner of each heat an award (usually a ribbon, or a jingle bell in December) at the end of the race.
• Standing near the head timer/starter, confirming the winner with the official, walking to the winner as they get out of the pool, congratulating them and handing them the award.