Parent Commitment

 

 

 
The Sierra Marlins Swim Club is a non-profit organization which counts on its members to volunteer their time to promote unity and to enable the club to thrive. Earning volunteer points during the swimming calendar year of September through August is required. Each returning family, as well as families transferring from another team, will be required to earn thirty (30) team points. For families joining the team after December 1st, the team point obligation will be pro-rated. Each point is equivalent to one hour worked.
 
It is important for every parent to be involved with the club and their children’s activities. That is why clubs require members to meet team hour quotas. We do not want anyone to miss out on the fun!   A lot of our first time parents are a little nervous or confused about the many volunteer opportunities there are in a swim club. There is no need for either. We are all amateurs! Besides, everyone is watching the swimmers, not the volunteers.
 
USA Swimming is the most volunteer intensive sport on the planet. It takes every parent to prepare, run and recover from a big meet. But just what is that worth to the club? I ran some quick numbers and figured if we had to pay minimum wage for every volunteer hour spent to put on our three main home swim meets this season we would shell out close to $30,000. Most of us wouldn’t do what we do in a swim meet for minimum wage, maybe for any wage. It just proves we do things without hesitation for the love of our children we would never do for money.
 
The Marlins host 3 major meets per swim year. This is where families will earn the majority of their required 30 team points. Our biggest meets are the Annual Gobbler (Nov. 20-22, 2009) and Spring Splash (April 23-25, 2010) and a winter meet (March 5-7, 2010). Parents please put these meets on your calendar as your attendance is mandatory. All families are required to work our three main home meets regardless of swimmer participation. To ensure the continued success of your Sierra Marlin Team, we rely on the support of our members to fill our many jobs specifically at these hosted meets. These meets contribute a substantial portion of our fundraising efforts each year (about $25,000). The Marlins have a reputation of running high quality and efficient meets in a venue that swimmers enjoy racing in and families continue to attend year after year. Hosting a swim meet ultimately benefits every swimmer on our team.
 
After careful analysis, it was determined that it would take approximately 120 families, working 8 hours (two 4 hour shifts) to ensure our split session meets held in November and April, run smoothly and efficiently. Our smaller meets require each family to work one (1) 4 hour shift. Some of our smaller “in-house” meets are: open water, tri or dual meets etc. these are generally held in the fall.
 
We recognize there may be meet weekends with other commitments, if you are unable to work a scheduled meet, you must call the parent commitment coordinator to discuss other options. In lieu of working your shifts, you also have the option of “buying out” a 4 hour shift for $100. (This arrangement and payment must be made 2 weeks prior to the meet.) Each shift that is bought out will earn the equivalent of 4 team points. 
 
As stated earlier, for the 2009-2010 swim season, we are estimating a minimum of 30 hours family commitment from all families. These hours will be logged into Team Unify upon completion of each event. As it is mandatory for all families to work our home meets, each family will be able to accrue additional hours at fundraising events, awards banquet, open water swim, dual meets, Buddy Night, Team Parent position, etc. to achieve the minimum 30 team point/hour commitment.
 
At away meets we are required to provide timers and officials. While this does not fulfill the team points/hours commitment, each family is expected to time a minimum of one shift per meet weekend or officiate. Currently, communication to members is through e-mail where members sign up prior to the meet to fulfill this obligation, but it is the member’s responsibility to volunteer.
 
Lastly, we are working on developing an online sign up/tracking system to make it easier than ever to sign up for positions to fulfill your parent commitment. As we get closer to the October-2009 Gobbler we will make this transition as member/user friendly as possible with step-by-step directions. Once this is in place, we’ll let you know. For questions or suggestions, please contact the Parent Commitment Coordinator at: tracey@geogasch.com.
 
Participation in the “Swim-for-Marlins” fundraiser is required by every swimmer. Each year, SMST swimmers must raise a minimum of $200.00 per swimmer or $400.00 for families with two (2) or more swimmers.  
 
SMST’s primary family fundraising event of the year is this “Swim-for-Marlins” fundraiser. Last year, the swimmers collected over $33,000 dollars in donations! For this event, we pick a theme and a goal (last year it was to swim 888,888 yards). The groups all work together to reach this team goal. It is a fun day that includes a wacky entire-team relay with a big pizza party at the end. In order to raise money, the swimmers send out letters requesting donation to our team. The swimmers also send out “thank-you” cards to all who donated to our team. Families who do not meet the annual fundraising minimum amount will be billed for the remaining amount. 
 
The annual parent commitment hours and fundraising may be changed by vote of the board of directors each year. 
 
Each year, SMST may host several meets: Gobbler Classic (Nov.), Winter Meet (Feb. or Mar.), Spring Splash Long Course Meet (April), and some duel and/or tri meets (in-house meets).
 
Parents of swimmers are needed for each of the following jobs at our home meets.  
 
Meet Director – This position is required by USA Swimming for every meet held. The main responsibilities include, but are not limited to: obtaining a meet sanction, preparing and distributing meet invitations, organizing meet committees and distributing final results. The director is an overseer, avoiding direct involvement in any one committee or activity. Experience has shown that two individuals sharing the responsibilities works best. This person needs to be registered with SN Swimming either as an athlete, official or non-athlete. Experience has shown that two individuals sharing this job will work best.
 
 
Parent Commitment Coordinator – The Parent Commitment Coordinator attends monthly board meetings and helps to disseminate information and helps coordinate the scheduling of volunteers for meets. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to coordinating all volunteers ensuring coverage for all jobs for the duration of the meet.
 
 
Safety Marshals –   Responsibilities include, but are not limited to checking the deck and the stands to make sure exits and walkways are clear.   Marshalling ensures the safe environment for swimmers and enforces the USA swim rules of safety by monitoring the deck, warm-up and cool down pool from the beginning of warm-ups until the conclusion of the meet.
 
Head Timer – works with the timers. The Head Timer starts 2 watches at the beginning of every heat as backup in case a timer misses the start of the race. Provide the back up for timers who fail to start their watch on time. The Head timer is responsible for providing team lane assignments and watches for every lane. Once the meet starts, the head timer will run two watches and will switch their watch with the timer who did not get their watch started at the beginning of the race.
 
 
Setup/Breakdown – these volunteers’ transport and setup computer equipment and timing pads prior to and immediately after the meet. This job requires sometime the week of the meet to pick up equipment from storage, setup and breaking down and returning the equipment. Assist the Meet Director in assembling and removal of all aspects of the meet – including setting up canopies, starting systems, timing system, chairs, and tables. This job requires the pick up and returns of equipment to and from storage. A truck or large SUV would be helpful to have for this job.
 
 
Hospitality –  Shops, prepares and serves meet workers, coaches and officials with snacks, meals and drinks throughout the meet. Also includes set–up and clean up for hospitality.
 
 
Hospitality Coordinator – This person plans, prepares and coordinates volunteer for the duration of the meet.
 
 
Snack Bar/Concessions workers – sell food and drink to swimmers, families and other patrons. Work involves purchasing items, food preparation, restocking the food supplies, clean up and selling of food items. Our concession stand is another big fundraiser for the team when we host meets.
 
 
Snack Bar/Concessions Coordinator - plan, prepare, delegate and coordinate volunteers
 
Pancake Breakfast/Grill - This job requires someone to coordinate and purchase breakfast supplies to cook for pancakes. Requires cooking and setting up the grill.
 
Awards Coordinator – orders awards prior to the meet, prepares awards during meet and distributes to swimmers or coaches at end of the meet.
 
Awards – Place labels on ribbons and medals from results sheets and distributes awards to swimmers.
 
 
Program Sales –Develops a Meet Program for participants from documents generated by the Hy-Tek system, listing teams, lane assignments for timing, swimmer entries and advertisements. This job involves computer skills, coordinating the printing of the programs and selling at meet.
 
 
Announcing – Announces the events currently swimming in the water and any other necessary messages to the spectators at the meets.
 
Check-In/Scratch Table – Works with the Clerk of the Course and committee Chair of Check-In and is responsible for checking-in swimmers arriving at the start of the meet and checking in for the events they entered and scratching events they wish not to swim. Closing events approximately 30 minutes before the event is to be swum (according to the time line provided by the Hy-Tek computer operator.
 
Runners - There are two types of runners. One is responsible for obtaining the timed results from the individual lanes and giving them to the Hy-Tek computer operator. The second runner takes event heat sheets from the Hy-Tek computer person to the posting board. Duties include – distributing all swimmer lane assignments to the starter, officials, coaches, announcer, and distributing results to announcer, awards desk and posting results.
 
Computer/Colorado Operation – works the computer system that records the results of each heat and event.
 
Hy-Tek  - This person is responsible for creating the meet using Hy-Tek software, receiving and processing all electronic and paper entries until the meet is full (including all deck entries), coordinating with the Meet Referee/Meet Director before and during the meet to ensure a successful meet, processing any changes in entries from the Clerk of Course after check-in, running the computer during the meet and generating results and heat and ribbon labels.
 
 
Officiating - certified, volunteer officials ensure that competition at meets is fair and equitable for all swimmers. USA Swimming and SNS require that a number of officials work at each sanctioned meet in order that swims and times may be recorded as official. SMST needs parents to become officials (by taking a short clinic and working on deck at meets as trainees) and to volunteer to officiate at meets where our swimmers compete. Active officials have no trouble fulfilling their volunteer hour obligations. Meet officials include:
                        Stroke and turn judges (S&T)
                        Electronic timing officials (ET)
                        Starters
                        Referees