Job Descriptions and Qualifications

Many thanks for volunteering at the 2009 MSL Championship Meet.  Many people are needed to stage this event for our league, comprised of over 1,900 swimmers and their families.  Your team’s Champs Volunteer Coordinator will help put the right people in the right positions.  Please confirm that you have the experience required for the job assigned to you.  Please be where you’re needed at the designated time.  If you can’t make your position, it’s absolutely critical that you let your Coordinator know as soon as possible.  Finding last minute substitutions often cause the meet to run longer than necessary.

IMPORTANT NOTE | STAYING ON SCHEDULE

  1. The Championship meet is more intense than a dual meet.  The meet schedule is very ambitious.  There will be only a short break at the mid point of each Session, which will give you just a little time to get in position for the second shift.  Plan on getting to your station before the first shift ends.
  2. There will be no mid-session orientations or briefings for second-shift volunteers.  This will have to be done before the end of the first shift, by each team’s Volunteer Coordinators, or the first shift volunteers.
  3. It will be the responsibility of each Team’s Volunteer Coordinator to manage any volunteers being rotated in, so that they don’t interrupt the flow of the meet.
  4. Everyone doing the first shift is expected to stay in position until a substitute arrives.

Here are the Job Descriptions; please make yourself familiar with these.
Again, many thanks for your support.

Set-Up Crews
Announcers
Computer Desk
Drink and Snack Runners
Gatekeepers
Marshalls and Clerks-of-Course
Clerks-of-Course
Parking Chaperones
Referee / Assistant Referee
Ribbon Desk Vounteers
Starters
Stroke & Turn Judges / Relay Exchange Judges / DQ Runners
Timers / Head & Assistant Timers / Lane Runners
Take-Down / Clean-Up Crew
Warm-Up Supervisors

SET-UP CREWS
In general, if you have assisted in your team’s set up or takedown, then you should have a basic understanding of what we’ll be doing – only on a 10 team scale.

Thursday, 2 to 5 PM - Equipment Check-In
Each team brings their equipment to IVC.  All donated/ borrowed equipment must be checked in first, before it can be taken to either set-up or storage. 
The Set-up Manager is David Smith.

Thursday, 4 to 9 PM - Timer’s Tents, Timing System, Scoreboards & General Preparations
Timing Systems
Should have a general familiarity with installing the Colorado wiring harness to their tents and installing the plunger-type timers.

Scoreboards
Most of the scoreboards will be installed on the steel fence, behind the bleachers. This will require working from ladders, lifting the scoreboards into place, rough wiring to each desk area.

NOTE: Team’s providing the primary scoreboards will also be responsible for helping set them up.

General Preparations
No real experience is necessary, but a general understanding of the set-up process and a “can do” attitude are helpful. Jobs include assisting with installation of equipment, electrical wiring, & taping it down for safety, running cables & speakers, setting up tables & chairs, roping off areas for safety, and ensuring general house-keeping at the end of the shift – the pool is used by others during the days.

Friday, 5-9 PM - Starting System, Desk & Computer Equipment & Final Prep
This shift is when all of the preparations come together and it can get a bit hectic. By this time, all major pieces of equipment and rough wiring have been completed. Computers & Colorado related equipment are being integrated. The folks who will oversee the desk and computer operations will be arriving to begin their piece and verify that all systems are a “go” for Saturday.

Starting System
Familiarity with how the starter, timing system, speakers, cabling to scoreboards is helpful.

Desk & Computer
Familiarity with how the Colorado, computer, printer, and desk are integrated is very helpful.

Final Prep
No real experience is necessary, but a general understanding of the set-up process and a “can do” attitude are helpful. The pool has been in use up to this point, so we’ll be moving things into their final position.
Other jobs include: final placement of chairs and tables, posting signs and labeling, removing IVC and Water polo equipment from the pool deck, marking off areas, placing trashcans & recycling cans, and ensuring general house-keeping at the end of the shift – the meet starts early Saturday.

Final note: Set up of each team’s Tent Area is not a part of this set-up. Each team is responsible for setting up their own tents, etc in their designated area.

Set-Up Manager is David Smith at dndsmith@comcast.net. All donated/ borrowed equipment must be first “checked in” with TBD.

ANNOUNCERS | Experience required
Morning-Shift Announcers are on hand at 6:30 am at the deep end of the pool. Afternoon-Shift Announcers are in position by 12:45 pm to direct arriving parents and children to volunteer meetings and warm-up lanes and to remind parents that information is posted at the field entrance and in programs. Announcers identify each event as requested by Meet Directors.

The Announcers will be positioned mid-pool on the BLEACHER SIDE of the pool so they can have the best view of what’s happening in the pool. Announcers will announce swimmers in each heat after the start of the heat.

Reminder | Starters and Referees run the meet, Announcers follow.  Announcers stop talking when the Starter's hand goes up.


COMPUTER DESK | Experience required - 6 positions per desk
The Computer Desk Head and Assistant advise desk personnel throughout the meet. The Colorado Operator sets the next event or heat, monitors/adjusts active lanes, arms/disarms buttons, stores/prints each race, marks off heat sheets and makes any adjustments on race printouts. The Colorado Assistant checks button times, collates timer sheets, adds DQ’s, takes Colorado race results from printer, attaches results to timer sheets and DQ’s, and checks to see if timer sheets match Colorado printouts. For every heat, the Data Entry person gets times, changes or moves swimmers if necessary, prints two copies of results and prints ribbon labels. The Heat Checker checks timer forms against Colorado results and if errors are found, the Data Entry person makes corrections and reprints results and ribbon labels. At the end of each event, the Recorder-to-Desk Runner moves along the lanes collecting timer/recorder sheets. The sheets stay in lane order and are delivered to the desk. The Results Poster tapes up results as available and takes new records to the Announcer.

DRINK AND SNACK RUNNERS | No Experience Necessary!
Drink Runners take drinks from the food concession to all deck workers once every hour. The drinks are provided by the Snack Bar Manager(s).


GATEKEEPERS | Previous attendance at Champs is helpful
Gatekeepers guard the entrances to the Timer Tents and Starting Blocks.  Only the swimmers for the current event, their coaches and authorized volunteers are allowed into this area.  Authorized volunteers include the race Officials and Timers for that shift.  Everyone else has to be kept OUT.


MARSHALS AND CLERKS-OF-COURSE | Experience required. Great job for 8 & Under parents.
The Marshals and Clerks line up the 8&Under swimmers for their races, and make sure each swimmer gets to swim his or her race. This operation also serves to maintain the pace and keep the meet on schedule. The Individual events for the 8&Under swimmers start on the bleacher-side of the pool. The staging areas are outside of the pool. Boys swim at the deep end, and their staging area is in the open area on the roadway leading to the gate on that side. The girls swim at the shallow end. Their staging area is the open area on the road behind and above the pool. The girls enter the pool down the stairs near the far corner at the shallow end. Once the swimmers are lined up in the staging area, the Line-up Marshal maintains order while the Lane Marshal escorts 5 heats of swimmers to their lane at the pool, at intervals determined by the Clerks of Course. The Block Marshal verifies the name of the swimmer for each race and helps him or her get ready for the start, and off at the right time.

Warm-ups begin at 6:30 am. Swimmer lineups start at 7:30 am. Staging areas have lanes marked by cones and chalk. The starting area will be roped off. Lane and Block Marshals help ensure that the roped-off area at the bleacher side of the pool is clear of swimmers and spectators. Marshals may rotate positions to watch their children swim.

NOTE: Marshals and Clerks must be prepared for a long morning. These positions require extra patience and complete calm to help the least experienced swimmers. The deck is very crowded and noisy, and both Ends of the pool will have races going at the same time. Marshals and Clerks near the center of the pool literally have to hold on to their swimmers to keep them from jumping with the swimmers in the other race.


CLERKS-OF-COURSE | Experience Required
Clerks-of-Course must have experience as Marshals at Champs
Clerks of Course are responsible for maintaining the flow of 8 & Under swimmers to the lanes, so the meet can run smoothly and stay on schedule.   The pace is set by the Starters and the schedule is demanding.   The Clerks also supervise the Marshals, direct traffic, and help maintain order.  The Head Clerks-of-Course carry megaphones in the staging areas and walkie-talkies to communicate with the Assistant Clerks-of-Course at the blocks.

PARKING CHAPERONES | No Experience Necessary!
Two volunteers from each team will be positioned at the Drop-off Zone from 6:00 AM to 8:00, to expedite the unloading of passengers and gear from their team’s vehicles.  Chaperones help unload passengers and gear from the cars, escort any unaccompanied younger swimmers to their team tents and help them carry their gear.  Chaperones should wear team apparel for easy recognition.  Each team will need to arrange for additional parental supervision at the tents until the parents/ guardians arrive, so that Chaperones can return to the drop-off area.

REFEREE / ASSISTANT REFEREE | Experience required
Each Referee is in charge of the meet on his/her end of pool.  The Referees work with the Assistant Referees, Stroke & Turn Judges, Starters, Timers, Announcers, and Head Coaches to make the meet run smoothly and efficiently.  Referees work with their Starters and with the Referee/Starter pair on the opposite end to pace the meet and coordinate the starts.  Officiates the meet and arbitrates disputes. 

The Assistant Referee organizes the S&T Judges, Relay Exchange Judges, and Runners, attends Referee’s Meeting and reviews all deck assignments.

RIBBON DESK VOLUNTEERS |Experience preferred
Each Ribbon Desk Supervisor provides bags labeled for each team that are set in a row alphabetically. Periodically, the Data Entry Person at the Colorado Desk at each end of the pool prints ribbon labels and meet results.  As labels become available, heat winner ribbons are labeled by the Ribbon Desk Labeler and added to each bag by the Filer (except for the final heat in each event), along with awards for first through eighth place winners. For individual events, first through eight places receive medals with pin drapes; ribbons are awarded for ninth through sixteenth places. For relays, the four relay swimmers in the first 3 places receive medals with red/white/blue pin drapes

At the end of the meet, only the Head Coach may take the bag.

STARTERS | Experience required
The Starters attend the Referee meeting. Starters begin each race and call false starts.  Starters work with their Referees and with the Referee/Starter pair on the opposite end to pace the meet and coordinate the starts.  Two Infinity Starters will be set up at the side of the pool on each end.  The ones nearest the bleachers will be used to start the 8 & Under races and then will be recharged for PM backups.

STROKE & TURN JUDGES / RELAY EXCHANGE JUDGES / DQ RUNNERS | Experience & training required (except for DQ runners)
Four judges at each end of the pool (two per side per end) ensure that the rules for each stroke, turn and finish are observed. Signed DQ slips are sent by way of the Runners to the desk. Relay Exchange Judges are positioned next to lanes 1 & 4 and 8 & 5 on the diving block side of the deep end. For 8and Under races, Relay Exchange Judges are also positioned next to lanes 1 &4 and 8 & 5 on the bleacher side. Two signed dual confirmation forms are necessary for a relay DQ.

msl

TIMERS / HEAD TIMERS AND ASSISTANTS / LANE RUNNERS
TIMERS | At least one season's experience with the colorado timing system is required
The Colorado Timing System (CTS) is used at Champs, and all Timers should be familiar with its function. The CTS is linked to the starting system so that Timers press their push buttons only as swimmers finish.  Each lane has three timers.  One of the Timers will also have a stopwatch and get a manual time for each race.  One of the Timers will also carry a clipboard and be the Recorder for that lane. The recorder is responsible for verifying the names of the swimmers and recording the stopwatch times.  Stopwatches and clipboards will be provided.  If the stopwatch Timer misses a start, he or she raises a hand to alert the Head Timer or Assistant on the closest side, who will capture the time. The Recorder gets the time from the Head Timer or Assistant and records it.

HEAD TIMERS AND ASSISTANTS | Experience Required
The Head Timer meets with the first shift Timers before the meet and assigns clipboards and stopwatches.  Head Timers and Assistants back up the Timers in case one of the watches fails, dividing up the coverage so that each backs up four or five lanes.

LANE RUNNERS | No Experience Required
Lane Runners collect the sheets from the Timer- Recorders and take them to the computer desk to be matched up with the Colorado times.  It is very important to keep the sheets in numerical order.

TAKE-DOWN / CLEAN-UP CREW | Experience Preferred
The Take-Down / Clean-Up Crew meets with the Take-down Coordinator at 5:00 p.m. for assignments, i.e., taking down tents, returning tables and chairs to storage, removing signs from the walls, assisting desk volunteers with packing, etc. Rented equipment is stacked and loaded as directed by the Takedown Coordinator. Borrowed announcing systems, Colorado systems, printers, walkie-talkies, etc. are safely returned to the appropriate teams. 

Each team must designate one of their Take-down Crew members to take charge of borrowed equipment.  (They need not be responsible for taking home this equipment, but must coordinate how this equipment leaves the IVC premises that evening.)

WARM-UP SUPERVISORS | No experience necessary!
Warm-up Supervisors keep swimmers off of the lane lines and maintain order and safety during warm-ups and throughout the meet. During warm-ups without blocks, swimmers must enter the water feet first. The warm-up schedule is posted at the field entrance and in the program.