Canal Winchester Dolphins

What to Bring:

• Towels, 2 per kid 
• Sweatshirt, pajama pants, robe: many kids put these on in between events
• Pack snacks and drinks to get through the meet.
• Sharpie: write name on kids back, events on arm. This helps the bullpen, timers, officials so we know who each kid is and where they should be.
• Tent/Chairs: great way to stay shaded during meets and you can create a hangout for your swimmers to relax while not swimming. Space is limited, so show up early, and partner up!

Before the Meet:

• Registration: Each meet will have a deadline for signup, please register your child on the team website SWIMTOPIA  for each meet as attending or not attending. This helps our coaches get kids entered in meet events and relays. If we don’t have this information in a timely manner, it can cause delays at the meet, and entire relay teams to scratch.
• Volunteer: Sign-ups will be released a few weeks prior to meet. It takes work from all families to make a meet run smoothly. Each family should be volunteering during at least 3-4 meets, so all families get the opportunity to just watch and volunteer.
• Check Meet Entries in advance of meet. These will be sent out before the meet, by the coaches. Trust the coach’s decisions, but double check to make sure your kid is included (or not included if out for meet).

During the Meet:

• Arrive on time based on your warmup schedule. Home meets have earlier arrival times. There is typically an email sent before each meet with details.
• Check volunteer duties. There will be a timers meeting and officials meeting before the start of each meet. Please attend if you are timing in the first OR second half. 
• Make sure kids have their name written on them and their events. Keep an eye on the bullpen #’s so you don’t miss an event. If you don’t show up, you may miss your event!
• Double check heat sheets or swimtopia to see if your swimmer is entered in a relay. Please do not leave early if your swimmer is in an end of the meet relay. It affects other swimmers if the relay has to be scratched. 
• Use your manners: the volunteers running the meet are fellow swimmer parents, grandparents, friends and everyone is pitching in to help run a smooth meet!

After the Meet:

• Clean up after yourself: make sure your area is clear of trash, personal items, etc. 
• Ribbons can be picked up at practice 1-2 days following the meets in the Swimmers folders, located on table/pool shed near the practice pool. 

Volunteer Duties:

1) Bullpen:

The bullpen is where swimmers will be placed on benches by volunteers into their correct heats and lanes for their race. There will be a board by the bullpen that says the event that is being sat in the bullpen and it is important for swimmers to report to the bullpen on time.

The bullpen is only for ages 10 and under. At the bullpen, you must arrive early and wait to be seated into the correct spot.

***Swimmers aged 11&up will go to their lanes by themselves and must know the correct heat and lane. It is important to check with the timer that you are in the correct lane.

2)Timers:

There will be at least two timers behind each lane. A timer’s job is to watch for the light at the start of a race (on the starting system) to start their stopwatch and then they will stop their watch when the swimmer touches the wall.

A timer will record the times onto a slip of paper with the swimmers' names. Then someone will collect these slips to use for calculating scores and results.

It is important that a timer checks with each swimmer and says “are you ____?” to ensure they have the correct swimmer in their lane.

3) Officials:

These individuals watch the swimmers to find any improper strokes/technique. They determine if a swimmer is DQ or legal swim. This requires a training course but is a great opportunity to learn about the sport of swimming and up close to the action.  We need several officials at each meet. We greatly appreciate any parents that step up into this role.