Sully Station Swim Team

*At each swim team event, please check in with the volunteer coordinator, Jocelyn Brooks, so we know your spot is covered. Please reach out with any questions.

Q. Why are volunteers needed? 

A. There is a surprisingly large number of jobs to do! For example, a minimum of 57 Sully parent volunteers are needed just to conduct a Monday night "B" Meet at home.  When you consider that we host approximately 6 home meets each season, plus the volunteers for away meets, social events, leadership positions, etc. it is clear we need EVERYONE! Plus, we have fun!

Q. What's my commitment?

A. Based on the number of families and the jobs that need doing, each family is requested to earn 20 volunteer points over the course of the season. These points can be earned at meets, pep rallies, or other swim team events.

Families with only mini-stars are asked to earn 5 points over the course of the season. This will give our new families time to "learn the ropes" and ask questions of the seasoned parents. Pep rallies are the best way for mini-star families to earn points. 

Q. Can I earn more than 20 points?

A. You are always welcome and encouraged to help out anywhere you can, so, yes, more than 20 points are welcome!

Q. What's the Snack Bar? What do I do?

A. Operating the snack bar is one of the many ways the swim team gives back to the community for the use of the pool. In addition, the snack bar profits help fund the team. Running the snack bar is easy and instructions on what to do are posted inside the door. The key to the snack bar can be retrieved from the lifeguards at the pool entrance.  Families are asked to choose a minimum of 2 slots to run the snack bar. Feel free to check it out or ask questions when the Snack Bar is open.

Q. What do the specific jobs entail?

CLERK OF COURSE

The Clerk of Course is in charge of getting swimmers organized in the order of events and/or heats. They help the meet run smoothly by having the swimmers ready for their events as they're called.

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.

REFEREE

The referee is the head official at a meet and has overall responsibility for running each race. They are responsible for deciding if a swimmer is disqualified based on the observations of the Stroke and Turn Judges.

RELAY TAKE-OFF JUDGES

Relay Take-Off Judges, or “RTOs” are on deck only during relays and are responsible for determining whether an approaching swimmer has touched the wall before the swimmer of the next leg has left the wall.

RUNNER

Assists with Meet Administration by carrying time cards from younger swimmers to the Chief Timer and/or from the Chief Timer to the Scorer's Table. 

STARTER

The starter is the offcial responsible for ensuring that all swimmers in a race are given a fair and equitable start. They announce the stroke and distance, get the swimmers set, and start the race with the horn. A strobe on the starter horn also indicates for the timers to start their stopwatches.

STROKE AND TURN JUDGE

Stroke and Turn Judges are officials stationed around the pool observing each swimmer's stroke, turns, and touches to ensure they are legal. A Stroke and Turn Judge will raise their hand when they observe an infraction. They are trained to give the benefit of the doubt to the swimmer and only call what they are sure they saw. They will report and explain the infraction to the referee who will then determine if the swimmer is disqualified.

TABLE WORKERS

The Table Workers get the time cards from the timers and any DQ slips from the referee. They then determine the order of finish for each event, score the meet, and prepare ribbons for the participants.

TEAM REP

The Team Reps are the team’s representatives to the league. They attend the off-season league planning meetings and they are the only people allowed to interact with the officials during the meet. They are also the primary point of contact for parents during the swim season for questions and concerns.

TIMERS

People who time the swimmers during a swim meet. Three timers are used per lane. The official time for the swimmer's event is the middle time of the three timers’ watches or the common time if two watches match. Timers must wear a white shirt with dark blue/black shorts. It is recommended that timers sign up for an A meet only after timing a B meet first. 

Q. How are officials trained?

A. 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 chief of ofifcials with any questions or if you are interested in training to become an official.

Q. What other jobs are needed for Swim Team?

A. In addition to the jobs listed in each event, during the pre-season we recruit:

*A Meet Clerk of Course

*A Meet Marshal

*A Meet Announcer

*A Meet Data Coordinator

*B Meet Clerk of Course

*B Meet Marshal

*B Meet Announcer

*B Meet Data Coordinator

*B Meet Table Chief

*Banquet Coordinator

*Team Apparel 

*Team Publicity

*Snack Bar/Ice Cream Coordinator

*Grill Team Chief

Please let Jocelyn Brooks know if you are interested in learning about any of these jobs.  While they may be filled for now, we always need new recruits!