Franklin Ridge Fins

General Information:

Meets start promptly at 6:30 pm.* Team warms up are as follows:

Home Team: 5:30-6:00 pm
Away Team: 6:00-6:30 pm

Around 6:15 pm an announcement will be made that all meet officials (parent volunteers) should meet in a designated place. This includes:

●Timers
●Runners
●Place Judges
●Stroke Judges
●Scorers
●Starters

At this time, you will meet the meet officials (parent volunteers) from the other team and be assigned to your correct location. You may also be provided any additional information needed.

*Most meets begin at 6:30 pm; however, some meets like Hampton will have a time change due to pool limitations. Meet times are communicated via Swimtopia.

Parent Volunteer Shift Descriptions

Meets are not possible unless we have parent volunteers! All families are required to fulfill at least three (3) volunteer credits during the regular season. There will be a sign-in sheet located where the swimmers are checked in for the meet. Volunteers should initial by their name. Below is a list of volunteer descriptions to learn about each position.

Announcer and Starter - The starter and announcer work together. Each will be provided with a heat sheet. The announcer must arrive at the meet at 6:00 to make pre-meet announcements. They will be responsible for announcing each event and heat. After the event and heat are announced, the starter will ask swimmers to step to the block, have them get set and hit the whistle.

Concessions – Concessions and Grill are split into two shifts “Early and “Late.” The concession workers are selling a variety of food to customers. Grill workers are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs.

Early Concessions/Grill Responsibilities:

• Report to pool by 4:45pm
• Set up the concession stand before the meet begins
• Grill should be open by 5:00pm
• Concession Shift ends around 7:00pm
• Grill shift ends around 6:30pm

Late Concessions/Grill Responsibilities

• Late Grill begins at 6:30pm
• Late Concessions begin at 7:00pm
• Shift ends when meet is over and clean-up is completed

Floater/Backup Volunteer - This shift provides the volunteer coordinator flexibility in assigning you to any open position listed above – thank you for your flexibility! 

Head Timer - Head Timer is provided with a stopwatch. Head timers start the stop watch when the starter gun or whistle goes off. If a lane timer needs backup, the head time and the lane timer switch stop watches.

Lane Timers - Lane timers are provided with stopwatches, clipboards and event lists. They are assigned to time a specific lane. Swimmers will hand the lane timer a card which has the swimmer’s name, team, and a place to write their time. Timers start their stopwatch as soon as the starting gum/whistle goes off. Timer’s pay attention to the number of length(s) the swimmer(s) swim:

25 – one length
50 – two lengths
100 – four lengths
200 – eight lengths

As the swimmer comes down to the finish, the timer leans over the edge, and watches for the exact moment that the swimmer touches the wall, and presses the stopwatch to stop timing. It does not matter if the swimmer touches the wall with his hand, head, or other body part. The timer pushes the button at the exact moment that any part of the swimmer touches the wall. The timer writes the time down on the swimmer’s card.

The timer looks up to the place judges. If the swimmer has placed first, second, or third, then the place judges should let the timer know, and the timer writes the place down on the card, and circles it. If there is no place, there is nothing to write.

If a swimmer is an alternate, then the time is noted on the card, but the place is not.

If a swimmer is disqualified, the stroke judge should let the timer know. The swimmer’s time is still recorded, and the card is marked with a DQ and circled. If possible, the stroke judge should let the timer know the reason, and it should be recorded on the card, as well.

The timer then gives the card to the runner, clears the stopwatch and goes on to the next event.

The starter always stays at one end of the pool. Timers move to the different ends of the pool depending on whether the event is one lap or two or more. The starter will tell the timers and judges when to move to other ends of the pool.

Parking Attendant – Stands at the entrance to our parking lot and allows only the visiting team to park in the lot. The parking attendant should arrive at the pool no later than 4:45pm to ensure parking rules are being followed and help the opposing team with directions upon arrival. This shift is for home meets only.

Place Judges - Three parents are required from each team. These volunteers decide the first, second and third place finishes after each event is run. This is how it works:

1) Before the meet begins, the three judges decide who will do first, second, and third place.

2) When called for the “Officials Meeting” before the meet begins, the home team will then introduce themselves to the opposing team’s judges, and learn who is doing the same place. There will be two people (one from each team) to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

3) The home team judges go to the finish end of the pool on one side. The opposing team’s judges go to the finish end of the pool, on the other side.

4) The event is run, and the place judge must note which swimmer/lane finished in his/her assigned place. For example, if you are doing first place, you must note which lane has the swimmer who finished first.

5) You hold up the same number of fingers of the lane of the swimmer that finished in your assigned place, and look to the other’s team judge to agree. For example, if you are doing first place, you see that the swimmer in lane three finished first, and you hold up three fingers, and look to the other team’s first place judge to hold up three fingers.

6) Once the place judges agree, they tell the timers of those first, second, and third place lanes, so that the timers can note it on the swimmers’ cards. For example, the first place swimmer finished in lane three, the first place judge tells the timer in lane three: “Your swimmer finished first”.

7) If place judges don’t agree, they must confer, look at times, and consult with the meet referee.

8) If there is a disqualification, the scorers will look at the times and figure out the places.

Ready Bench – Find swimmers for their events and line them up in order of event. Send them to the blocks to swim their events.

Ribbons & Time Input - The score keeper will give the cards to input the times to a provided computer in the gazebo. A brief lesson will be provided at the beginning of the meet. This is only required for home meets and only for Franklin Ridge Fins. This process is used to print ribbons for the end of the season.

Runner - The runner(s) stand behind the timers and swimmers on the pool deck. The runner collects the cards from the timers after the times and places are written. They take them to the scorer’s table.

During the 25 yd. events, swimmers are at one end of the pool, and the timers are at the other end of the pool. In addition, these events run quickly, there are many heats of the same event, and they involve the littlest swimmers who are often confused.

The runner must take the cards from all the swimmers, one event at a time, and take the cards to the correct lane/timer on the other side of the pool (again, this is for 25 yd events only). After the event is run, the cards must be collected from the timers and taken to the scorers’ table. Before the next event or heat is run, the swimmers’ cards must be collected from the next swimmers and taken to the other side of the pool to the timers. There are typically two runners during this time.

Score Keeper - Score Keepers usually sit at their own table, one scorer from the home team, and one scorer from the away team. They are provided with four sets of meet sheets, two sets from each team. Before the meet begins, the scorers sit down and cut the other teams’ meet sheets and paste the opposing team’s swimmers' names onto the lineup. The other team’s scorer does the same, so you both end up with one complete set of meet sheets, containing the list of all the events and all the swimmers’ names.

After each event, the runner brings all of the swimmers’ cards at the scorer’s table. The scorers take turns viewing the cards, writing down the information from first, second, and third place cards, and their times, and then recording the team points. Then, the team points are cumulatively added in its own column. The other scorer does the same, and in this way, you are able to check each other’s addition

Meet Scoring Points

Individual Events:

5 points for first place
3 points for second place
1 point for third place

Relays:

6 points for first place
3 points for second place
1 point for third place

When the meet is finished, each score keeper keeps the cards from their team, in order, if possible. The cards are secured with a rubber band. At the end of the meet, the meet sheets are wrapped around the cards within the rubber band and all of the meet information is secured together to pass on to the coaches.

Sometimes, scoring gets confusing when there are many heats of the same event. But the scorer should remember that the first heat of an event is the only one that counts, even if later heats are faster. In this case, the alternate cards are just added to the other swimmers’ cards.

Scoring may also be confusing when swimmers are switched at the last minute, and swimmers’ cards do not match your meet sheets. Do your best to verify your information by asking a coach or the swimmer if you are unsure.

Scorers are not expected to broadcast the score throughout the meet, in fact, they are expected to be discreet, in order to discourage swimmers from requesting the score throughout the meet. Periodically, the starter will announce the standings of the score.

Scorers are able to leave the scorer’s table in order to see their swimmer’s events. Often, scorers have the best seat in the house!

Sing the National Anthem - This person will start the swim meet by singing the National Anthem on the pool deck. A microphone will be provided!

Stroke and Turn Judge - Stroke and Turn Judge stands by the side of the pool and observe swimmers during races and ensure they comply with the rules for strokes, starts, turns, and finishes, reporting any infractions to the referee.