Hello, Shark Families!

We are getting close to the start of our season, with practices starting Monday! It was great to see so many new faces at the meet and greet, and I loved that everyone was open to getting involved and volunteering.

*** I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to volunteer. ***

We need 50+ volunteers for away meets and 60+ for home meets. We cannot run a meet without all positions filled, and we thank you for getting involved! Besides that, volunteering is a great way to have a good seat at every meet to see your child swim, and it’s also a good opportunity to meet people and have a good time.

Can You Work a Socket Wrench?

We need someone to install our blocks to prepare our pool for the swim season. The dads who did it in the past don't have swimmers on the team anymore, but Patrick Fogarty has kindly offered to help anyone who wants to learn how to do it this year! He says it's super easy. You just need to know how to work a socket wrench. This can be done at your convenience, as long as your chosen time works for the pool and Patrick. If you are interested and willing to help, contact Debby DeRosa at [email protected] or 864-423-2043.

Volunteering at Meets

New families are encouraged to start by getting certified to be a timer or a clerk of course. You can also be runners or tent parents. These are the easiest positions, and we thank you! For returning families, we are desperate for volunteers for upper official positions. This year we lost several seasoned families who would normally fill those.

In-person and online training are going on now. The next in-person training is tomorrow! Click here for a list of dates/times. Online training session links are being added to the site, and we’ll let you know when they’re up. The other alternative is to review the online educational materials yourself. All officials need to take online tests to be certified by May 23. This includes new and returning volunteers.

Our first meet is in 3 weeks! Please step up to help our team, and if you have any questions about volunteering, please feel free to call me at 310-387-9065.

Thank you,

Laura Fee

New Family Volunteer Opportunities

• Timers: 3 per lane. Each uses a stopwatch to time the swimmer in their lane.
• Recording Timer: 1 per lane. This person records the times from stopwatches on the timing sheet in the same order after each race. Then they clear the watches to prepare for the next race.
• Clerk of Course: 3-4 per meet. They’re responsible for making sure all swimmers are lined up, in order, for their heat in each event.
• Tent Parents: 1-2 per meet. They keep an eye on the kids, making sure they are staying in the tent area, and call names to line up swimmers for the clerk of course.
• Runners: 1-2 runners per meet, and usually the home team provides them.

Returning Family Volunteer Opportunities

Please note: These trainings are progressive in the order they are listed on the website. For example, if you want to be a Starter, you need to attend the Stroke and Turn training as well as the Starter training. Meet Referee needs to attend S&T, Starter, and Meet Referee trainings.

• Stroke and Turn: 6 per meet (3 per half). S&T judges watch and judge the different strokes for the different swimmers. I know it can look intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward.
• Starter: 2 per meet. For most meets, the home team provides the Starter, who says, “Take your mark,” and hits the buzzer to start each heat. The visiting team usually provides the Assistant Starter. This person scans the pool to make sure everything is ready to start the next race. Then they blow the whistle to signal the Starter to begin their cadence.
• Meet Referee: 2 per meet. The home team provides the Referee while the visiting team provides the Assistant Referee. These people ensure the meet runs smoothly and fairly. Often, they are seen reviewing potential disqualifications with the stroke and turn judges or starter. They also are the final decision makers on meet issues that may arise.