We are only a month away from the start of the 2024 season!

At the top of our to-do list is making sure we have parent volunteers in place for some key leadership roles. These are essential not only to the function of swim meets but also to the overall positive experience of the swim team for our kids.

As always, please keep in mind that the Hanarry West Dolphins are a volunteer-led and volunteer-run non-profit. Swim parents have already spent countless hours getting ready for the season, and so many more behind-the-scenes hours will be volunteered in the coming weeks.

Each family is required to volunteer for 3 meet shifts and 1 non-meet shift during the 2024 season. Meet shifts are: pre-meet, first half, second half, or post-meet. Our non-meet shifts for this season are: pool work days, 50th Anniversary Party, Fun Fridays and county championship activities. Any family not fulfilling their volunteer requirements will be charged a $75 fee per shift missed and may forfeit a spot on the team next season. Sign-ups for the April 27 work day are now available on the team calendar. Sign-ups for other activities will be available in the next few weeks.

Please read through the volunteer leadership roles below and consider if your skills might be a good fit for the team’s needs this season. We have a great leadership team already in place full of wonderful people to work alongside. If you have questions or are willing to take on one of these roles, please email us: [email protected]

Leadership Needs for the 2024 Season:

Starter – We are in need of one or two parents to be trained in the role of meet starter this season. For each home meet, our team provides two starters (one for the first half and one for the second half). Starters receive free online training. They are trained as Stroke & Turn Judges and as Starters. We have two veteran starters as part of our team already, and they will be happy to help train and provide guidance to any new Starters this season. Starters should have a strong voice, be comfortable speaking on a microphone and have an understanding of meet structure and rules.

Ribbon Coordinator – The leadership team is in need of a Ribbon Coordinator (or two people to share this role) for the season. This person would manage the team’s supply of ribbons for the season. During the second half of the meet, the coordinator would work with computer leads to get labels for the ribbons. As labels are ready, the coordinator would work with a fellow volunteer to place them on the ribbons. The coordinator would need to stay after the meet until all ribbons had been printed (usually 30-45 after the last event.) The remaining ribbons would need to be labeled and organized in the ribbon box and brought to the team’s Fun Friday for distribution.

Head Timer – The Head Timer serves primarily at our two home meets this season, overseeing all equipment used by the timers and the timers themselves. Prior to the meet, the timer makes sure all stopwatches are in working order and that all pens, clipboards, book lights, etc. that timers need are ready to go. The Head Timer holds two training sessions for timers of the meet – providing a quick but thorough instruction of the role for newer timers and a refresher for experienced ones. The Head Timer may need to serve as a timer during the meet (if there is a no show and a volunteer replacement cannot be found). The Head Timer has a reserved seat in view of all timers so that he/she can step in if there are issues or questions. The Head Timer will collect all equipment at the conclusion of the meet and place it back in the team shed. At the three away meets, this role would bring our team’s stopwatches to the meet and collect them at the conclusion of the meet.

Meet Breakdown Coordinator – At the conclusion of our two home meets, work to breakdown the setup for the meet and get the pool deck back to its normal state. Breakdown Coordinator would direct other volunteers in moving furniture, loading the shed, cleaning up trash and other items, etc. Coordinator would follow the breakdown checklist to ensure everything is cleaned up and the pool enclosure is ready for the morning.

Spiritwear Coordinator – Each swimmer receives a team shirt and swim cap. And parents are currently placing orders for spiritwear. For the 2024 season, we are looking for someone to train with/shadow the team managers, who have been handling this role so far this season. The Spiritwear Coordinator would work with team managers and other volunteers to organize spiritwear for distribution (on the morning of May 11) and then help to distribute the spiritwear bags to parents (not swimmers) the first week or two of practice, asking parents to sign for their items and reminding them to label with their swimmers’ names. Ahead of the County Meet, this role would distribute county caps and other items to county swimmers.