Tips, lists, and tools to help you find, get, and develop good volunteer help
Last updated on May 11th, 2023 at 08:34 pm Swim meet volunteers come with a variety of experience. Often, they have little or no experience for the role they fill on deck. That’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. However, quality training helps convey expectations and the need to follow governing body rules. Training meetings […]
Training Swim Meet Volunteers Read More »
Last updated on November 11th, 2023 at 05:20 pm Competitive swimmers come to meets to get times, experience, and have fun. Therefore, swim meet timers have a vital role. Most often timers are volunteers who come from different backgrounds. Many are parents of swimmers. Some meet hosts recruit timers from high school clubs or other
Timer Instructions: A Swim Meet Must Read More »
Last updated on February 6th, 2023 at 04:00 pm The task seems easy enough, get your officials, grab a bunch of people to time and then run a swim meet, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, many underestimate the number of people it takes to not only run a meet, but also to run one safely and in
Swim Meet Workers: How Many Do You Need? Read More »
Last updated on September 8th, 2023 at 10:11 am Why have a list of swim meet worker job titles and descriptions? Aren’t timers the only volunteers you need to run a swim meet? Many meets seem to run on this idea. As important as they are, it takes more than timers to run even the
Swim Meet Worker Job List and Descriptions Read More »
Last updated on November 18th, 2022 at 12:34 pm “What are they going to do, fire me or dock my pay?” Some volunteers love to say this with a smile, others ask it as a serious question. It sheds light on the fact that working with volunteers is different from working with employees. Keith Ranney, a professional
Advice From Hawaii: Treat Swim Meet Volunteers Like Family Read More »
Last updated on June 12th, 2023 at 10:03 pm The Problem: You’ve seen it before, the desperate last-minute scramble for swim meet lane timers. These essential meet workers collect and record race times as either a primary, or backup timing system. Correct times matter in swimming. Mere tenths or hundredths of a second decide an athlete’s placing and
Got Timers? Supporting Swim Meet Timers Read More »
Last updated on December 28th, 2022 at 03:57 pm Why would someone want to time at a swim meet, and what keeps people from timing? Careful consideration of these two questions before recruiting volunteers can lead to increased participation. Those who effectively enlist the help of volunteers have contemplated at least some of the answers. This
Motivate People to Time at Swim Meets Read More »
Last updated on February 28th, 2023 at 12:19 pm Swim meets have a way of creeping up on meet planners. We know the meet is coming but don’t start to recruit timers until after the beginning of warm-ups. Frustration follows because not enough volunteers step up. But consider this, even before setting the meet date you know
Recruit Volunteers Before a Swim Meet Read More »
Last updated on December 28th, 2022 at 04:06 pm Stress and time. Why is it that we always have plenty of stress and never enough time — especially when it comes to running swim meets? This post cannot give you more hours the day of the meet. However, it does show how pre-meet volunteer recruiting makes meet hosting more sustainable
Pre-Swim Meet Volunteer Recruiting: Why Do It? Read More »
Last updated on March 27th, 2023 at 04:52 pm At a swim meet and need timers? Here are eight ways you, or someone else, can ask for help. For best results, begin asking early in the warm-up period. Wondering what to say to those you ask? See, “Got Timers? Motivate People to Time at Swim
8 Ways to Ask for Swim Meet Timers Read More »
Last updated on April 15th, 2021 at 11:37 am A well-marked, easy-to-find table with helpful, friendly staff can greatly improve the swim meet volunteer experience. This makes recruiting volunteers easier next time! Here, people can check-in, ask questions, and received needed information and supplies. Volunteer Table Location Consider the following when determining a place: Put
Volunteer Management at Swim Meets Read More »
Last updated on March 19th, 2024 at 04:54 pm Imagine having a place where willing volunteers can sign up to work your swim meet before even arriving at the venue. A well-constructed and publicized online volunteer sign-up provides not only this but also Although it won’t solve all your volunteer challenges, an online sign-up form
Create an Online Volunteer Sign-up Read More »