Dam West Dolphins

Other than the Head and Assistant Coaches, this team is run 100% with volunteers. Summer league swimming runs smoothly when every family helps out. Each family is expected to volunteer at each of the meets they attend.   There are various ways to volunteer.  If your family cannot provide a volunteer, please contact Candace Ellman at [email protected] and let her know.

These positions occur at home and/or away swim meets. Not every position is required at every meet. Away Meet positions will vary depending on the request and needs of the Hosting Team. 

Shift 1 typically runs from Event 1 through Event 48.   (End of Back Stroke) 

Shift 2 typically runs from Event 49 through Event 90. (Start of Breast Stroke)

Actual shift change may vary at away pools. Please listen to the Announcer for shift changes. 

Any help with breaking down and cleaning up after

a meet is always greatly appreciated!

Arrives by 6:45am to set up. Should start playing music by 7:15am. Music playlist needs to be fun, upbeat, versatile and kid-friendly and cover 5-6 hours of playtime. The Announcer will also announce First/Last call for events, advertises for the Concession Stand and makes other general announcements as needed throughout the day.  

Occasionally check both the 2 bathrooms near the pool as well as the 2 bathrooms in the clubhouse. Refill toilet paper, paper towels and soap as needed. Clean up any messes.  At the conclusion of the meet, do a final cleaning of the clubhouse bathrooms.    

Pick up both swim team tents from the Dam West pool and bring them to the Away Meet on Saturday morning by 6:45am. Tents can be picked up anytime during the week. They are located in the right shed behind the baby pool. The pool is open from 10:00am - 8:00pm. Lifeguards can let you into the pool and the shed. Requires a large vehicle: truck, minivan or SUV. Tents are 66" x 10" and 58 lbs each.

This person is a Head Volunteer position. They will be in charge of buying supplies, setting up and monitoring all things related to the concession stand. They will answer questions and handle any issues related to concessions.

Arrive early (preferably 6:15am) to help organize the concession tables and get coffee started. Everything will already be there, just need to organize everything on the table. Then run concessions for Shift 1.

Run concessions for Shift 2. Upon conclusion of the meet, help to put everything back into the appropriate bins and break down the tables. General clean-up of the concession area.

Has control over the competition in the pool. They are responsible for the safety of all swimmers in the competition pool and for accurate reporting of all disqualifications called and accepted during the competition.

This is a certified position. All new Meet Referees must have at least one (1) year experience as an MHSL Stroke & Turn Judge within the past two seasons or be currently certified as a USA Swimming Official. They are required to complete an MHSL conducted "Meet Ref/Starter" clinic. New Meet Referees must attend a New Meet Referee clinic. The complete MHSL guidelines can be found HERE.

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.  Requires training class.

Help set up tables, chairs, heating area, concession stand, signage, starting blocks, benches, flags, etc. There are maps and instructions posted.  The more the merrier and the quicker it goes.

Each volunteer needs to bring 3 dozen donuts to the pool by the appointed time. 

Sets up the grill and serves hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch. Cleans up the grill when finished.  Shift typically starts around 10:00am.  May start sooner depending on how fast the meet is going.   Will need to coordinate with the Concessions Manager.

This person will manage the heating area, working closely with the heating area volunteers, the Starter, the Meet Referee and the File Writer to ensure that all swimmers are in the proper place and that all scratches and lane changes are recorded. Typically this is 1 person that works the entire meet, however it can be divided into 2 shifts if there are 2 people interested. It usually requires attendance of a prerequisite course. Experience in the heating area is not required but would be extremely useful. 

Typically the certification process requires attending the "Clerk of Course" meeting held by the MHSL before the season starts. 

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.  An online presentation can be found on the MHSL page HERE.

Assist with checking swimmer's names, events and lanes and getting them seated in the proper order all the way to the starting blocks.  Heating Area is sometimes referred to as the Ready Bench or the Bull Pen at other pools.

This position requires special training. They set up, run and record home meets using the Dolphin System and Meet Manager software.  If interested in training for this position please talk to the Parent Delegate or Volunteer Coordinator.   

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.

Has full authority over the swimming competition.

This is a certified position. All new Meet Referees must have at least one (1) year experience as an MHSL Stroke & Turn Judge within the past two seasons or be currently certified as a USA Swimming Official.  They are required to complete an MHSL conducted "Meet Ref/Starter" clinic.  New Meet Referees must attend a New Meet Referee clinic.  The complete MHSL guidelines can be found HERE.

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.

If interested, please talk to the Parent Delegate or Volunteer Coordinator.  

Stand or sit at the end of the pool near the officials and visually determine the order of event finishes.  Write down the order on a prepared sheet.  The information is used as a back up to the timers in case there is a failure and/or a discrepancy.

Responsible for running cards from timers and disqualification slips (DQs) from the Scribe to the Scoring Table at the end of each heat.

This person will sit next to the Meet Manager near the starting blocks and work with the Meet Manager as the file-writer.  This person watches the meet in "real time" and will take notes on each event.  They will collect relay cards from the Heating Area volunteers and make notes regarding changes to every event such as scratches or lane switches.  Usually one person does the entire meet (single shift) but we are offering it as 2 shifts this season.  We would prefer to train someone into this position for the entire season if possible.

These people usually sit in the officials area, though not always.  They will visually confirm that swimmers are in the appropriate lanes for each heat and work with the File-Writer to confirm scratches and lane changes.  At a home meet they are responsible for flipping the Event Number to indicate which event is currently in progress. They will run various errands such as posting results, collecting time sheets, taking DQ slips to appropriate team coaches and running information to and from the Scoring Table, the Starter, Heating Area and Meet Referee.  They may also help with score verification by looking over the results and processing the DQ slips.

Listens on the radio for disqualifications (DQs) from the officials and writes out the DQ slips. 

This is a certified position. Requires the completion of an MHSL conducted "Meet Ref/Starter" clinic.  The Starter works closely with Meet Referee and Meet Manager.   They make sure all lanes are numbered properly, call the swimmers to the blocks, announce the distance and stroke for each event, instruct swimmers to the blocks, give the starting instruction, “Take your mark” to ensure that a proper starting form is observed with at least one foot at the front of the block in a forward start. The complete MHSL guidelines can be found HERE.

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.

If interested, please talk to the Parent Delegate or Volunteer Coordinator. 

This is a certified position. Must attend an MHSL conducted "Stroke & Turn" clinic and/or re-certify each year. Attending the clinics is the easiest way.  Please see our calendar for details on the clinics and attend the one that works for you.  Once certified please notify the Parent Delegate and Volunteer Coordinator. 

S&T Judges ensure that swimmers conform with the swimming rules of the current stroke. If a violation is seen they notify the Meet Referee of a possible disqualification (DQ). Meet Referee makes the final decision.

* See "Volunteering - Officials" page for full description of this position.

Must be in place at the entrance by the requested arrival time. Must have the "Individual Entry List" printed out so they can check swimmers in as they arrive. Double check that swimmers are properly marked with their name and events and provide the list to the Coach before the start of the meet.  For Away Meets they will also be in charge of the "Team Box". The Team Box can be picked up from the pool any time during the week but will need to be coordinated with Toni Samudio.

Before the season they help install all the batteries and test all the stopwatches.  At the end of the season they help take all the batteries out.  At a Home Meet they are responsible for the Dolphin System stopwatches.  They run the "Timers Meeting" before each home meet and make sure all the Timer Volunteers know what to do.  They address any issues that may arise.

Stands at the end of the pool (best spot in the house!) and watches the swimmer in their lane.  Stops their stopwatch when swimmer touches the wall.  3 timers per lane for accuracy. We use the “Dolphin System” which automatically starts the timers so only need to hit “stop.”  There is a brief training before each meet.  It is a fairly easy job but if you are new to it we recommend that you check out the "Timer Instructions" under the "For Parents" tab.

Coordinates with Parent Rep to decide which volunteer positions are needed at each swim meet and all team events.  Tracks which positions have been filled and which ones still need volunteers.  Answers questions about each position and helps find volunteers.

Occasionally takes a tray of water, lemonade cups and snacks around to the officials and timers.  Trays, cups, water, lemonade and hard candies will be at the Concession Stand.