This week Hanarry West Volunteer Coordinator Kym Chapman will be reaching out to families by email about their volunteer roles for meets. Please let Kym know if you have questions or concerns as she coordinates the roles for all 6 meets.

It takes approximately 80 parent volunteers to run each meet. During our home meets, we’ll need more volunteers than at away meets -- roles like setup, which occurs before the meet, and breakdown (see below) after the meet, and concessions, an important fundraiser for our team. Most volunteer slots are divided into “first shift” and “second shift” during the meets. You’ll also spot members of Hanarry West’s Leadership Team troubleshooting, offering support and filling in as needed on the pool deck.

Each family is expected to volunteer for 4 shifts this season. Please take our requests for your time seriously, as meets cannot function without all the parent volunteers. And, as you know firsthand, our swimmers work hard all week to give their best on Thursday nights.

Meet Volunteer Role: Breakdown

Since registration, a new volunteer role at meets has been added -- meet breakdown. If you would be interested in serving in this role, please let us know: [email protected]. Parents would work after the meet ends (which is usually around 10:30 p.m.) to breakdown tables, move chairs, cleanup the pool deck and other physical tasks to get the area ready for morning practice.

Meet Volunteer Role: Stroke & Turn Judge

We need a few more parents to train as Stroke & Turn Judges this season. The training can be done on your own and consists of 3 online training videos (less than 2 hours total) and a short quiz. Or, the league has a Zoom training May 20 from 8-10 a.m. Certification is good for 3 years. While no one wants to disqualify a swimmer, the judges are an essential part of the meet. The training will emphasize that the benefit of the doubt goes to the swimmer and that clear violations need to be called to help swimmers learn. You don’t work alone -- each end of the pool has two judges, one from each team. The Meet section of our website has information about common reasons for disqualification. If you are interested in being trained, please send us an email: [email protected]

Meet Volunteer Role: Starter

Meets can’t function without a parent serving in the volunteer role of starter. Our team has been so lucky for many years to have the amazing Jamie Kruger serving in this position. He’s not leaving (thank goodness), but he is looking to train a few fellow parents -- people who have a strong voice and the ability to keep the meet moving along. There is a free, online training provided by the Gwinnett County Swim League, and then Jamie will provide training during meets. The starter takes the Stroke & Turn Judge training (see info above) and then a shorter training specifically for starters. If you are interested in learning more about this position, please let us know: [email protected]

Leadership Team: Sponsorships

Hanarry West is so appreciative of the time and energy Kelly Blake has put into the Sponsorship Coordinator role the past few years. Kelly will still be helping the team – with her camera in hand, but we are looking for someone take on the Sponsorship Coordinator this season and next. This position is part of the HW Leadership Team and leads the team’s sponsorship efforts with the team itself (e.g. kickboards & Fun Friday) and with local businesses (an area we’d like to further develop). Next year is the team’s 50^th anniversary, so there will certainly be some unique fundraising activities. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer role, please email us: [email protected]

Leadership Team: Spiritwear

The Dolphins are so grateful to long-time Spiritwear Coordinator Astrid De Leon. You will still see her around the pool deck this season, but we are looking for someone to take on the role next year. The Spiritwear Coordinator is part of the HW Leadership Team and leads and coordinates selection and ordering of the team swimsuit, team shirt, parent shirts, swim caps, pins and other spiritwear items. Next year is the team’s 50^th anniversary, so there will be a few special items to add to this list. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer leadership role, please email us: [email protected]