Glenwood Park Piranhas

2023 Swim Meet Volunteer Roles 

Find your passion :)

Swim meets are the heart of summer swim.Swim meet volunteers are the vessels that make it work. If you’ve never done it before, we promise it’s easy and fun, but maybe a little hot sometimes. We ask that every parent sign up 2x or more throughout the season. Everyone can have a hand in making this season awesome.

Choose the job that suits you the best.

• Swimmer Check-in: 1 per meet

Assist with checking in swimmers as they arrive at the meet at the Piranhas waiting area. Direct swimmers to coaches and bullpen areas.

• Deck Manager: 2 per meet

Organize swimmers on deck by heat and lane. Line up all swimmers on the deck for their events. Help swimmers understand when to go to the blocks to start their race. Work with Bullpen parents to make sure our swimmers report to the ready area from the team area in time to be lined up for their swims. Switch at the halfway mark.

• Computer Worker: 2 per meet

Work with the opposing team's timing and meet management workers to input times. Tip: This job usually takes place under a tent. Nice and shaded!

• Bullpen Parents: 2 or more per age group per meet (approx. 24)

Supervise swimmers in gender/age group on the deck and ensure they are prepared to line up for their swims throughout the meet. Help kids have fun and get focused and help them understand what to do and where to go. Communicate with swimmers, their parents, coaches and deck manager throughout the meet.

• Timers: 12 per meet

Clock and record swimmers’ times in their lanes for all events/heats. Requires two volunteers/lane: two per lane from each team. Each timer is provided with an electronic stopwatch.

• Place Judge: 2 per meet

Record swimmers’ placements at the end of each heat and give form to the Master Recorder. You have a keen eye and are an objective observer. You help to ensure that swimmers' places are recorded accurately as you collaborate with other team’s place judge. Also, you get to be seated at the edge of the pool with the best view!

• Master Recorder: 2 per meet

Records times for each lane and delivers them to the scoring table. You keep the written records of our swimmers' times before they get entered into the computer.

• Floater: 2 per meet

This position will fill in during the designated shift as needed during the meet. Your shift could be anything from timing to setting up relays to the bullpen. Your help may be required the entire shift or part of the shift.

• Ribbon Puller/Writer: 2 per meet

This is a great role for someone who has time Tuesday night or Wednesday during afternoon practice. You will leave the meet Tuesday night with labels printed by the scorer’s table for every swimmer. You are responsible for pulling ribbons, placing printed labels on them and bringing them to practice Wednesday afternoon so the coaches can award on Wednesday.

Preparing for a Swim Meet

To prepare your child for a swim meet, look at/download the meet entries for your child the day before the event. if unforeseen delays mean that you don’t receive these the day before, you will receive copies at the meet.

• Use the meet entry sheet to mark up your swimmer.
• Marking up entails writing the event, heat, lane, and stroke on your kid’s arm or thigh with a sharpie.
• Let’s imagine a swimmer's meet entries (below) to make a sample.
• Doug is swimming in two events at the meet. The first one is event #1 and the second is event #23.
• The entry sheet says his event is #1, 1/2. This meant Event 1, Heat 1, Lane 2 means heat 1, lane 2. Doug’s other event is event 23. He’s swimming in heat 1, in lane 2 and the event is 50 Breast
• On Doug's arm, his parent will write a chart with the headers E, H, L, S (Key: E for event H for heat L for lane S for stroke)
• Underneath each header, they will fill in with the event, heat, and lane numbers. In the last column they will write the stroke.

More meet details:

• Coaches will help bullpen parents set up kids in their waiting areas.
• Be sure to look around the pool to get a sense of where families are setting up, how to keep an eye on your swimmers, find the bathrooms, buy snacks if available, and explain to your kids what they’re allowed to do while they wait and what they can’t (i.e. sometimes playgrounds or baby pools are closed for meets and this is easier for adults to read than it is for kids).
• When you arrive at the meet, check in with our check-in volunteer at 5. We’ll help you find your job location if applicable.