Lake of the Woods Barracudas

Running a swim meet is a labor intensive production with upwards of 65 people needed.  Some of these positions are entry level requiring no special training.  However, some of the jobs require some training to do them right.  With this in mind, the Lake of the Woods Barracudas ask that one member of every family participating be certified for one of these trained positions.  Most jobs have a two year certification with the exception of Stroke and Turn judges who must be certified yearly.  Please take a moment to explore the different job opportunities that you or your family member can choose from.

• Referee

  The Referee runs the meet. They need to understand the RSL rules and duties of all meet officials and should have experience with other positions such as Stroke & Turn Judge and Starter. They will instruct all officials prior to the beginning of the meet. The Referee is required to attend training on an annual basis.

  Starter

  The Starter is responsible to ensure each heat is started in a fair and equitable manner. The Starter takes control of each heat from the Referee once all swimmers have stepped up to the starting blocks. They announce the event and with the use of the starting system, initiate each heat. The Starter is required to attend training every other year.

  Stroke and Turn Judge

  The Stroke & Turn Judge is responsible to ensure all swimmers are performing the strokes and turns correctly. They need to have a firm grasp of the competitive swimming techniques and requirements. They need to understand the RSL rules for strokes and turns. They need to attend an RSL clinic every other year. In the off years, they are required to complete online training at strokeandturn.com.

  Head Timer

  The Head Timer meets with and instructs all timers prior to the beginning of the meet. They monitor all timers to ensure their watches are working properly. They work closely with the Referee and Starter to ensure Timers are ready for the start of each heat. The Head Timer is required to attend training every other year.

  Head Clerk of Course

  The Head Clerk of Course organizes all entries for the meet to ensure swimmers are seeded into the appropriate heat for each event based on times submitted by the coaches. They ensure all swimmers get to their assigned lane in time for their heat. The Head Clerk of Course is required to attend training every other year.

  Head Scorekeeper

  The Head Scorekeeper is part of the Scorekeeping Team and responsible for determining the correct order of finish for each event and the proper scoring of the swim meet. They receive the individual cards from the Timers and determine the official swimmers time, order of finish, and correct scoring of each event and input that information into the scoring database. Head Scorekeepers are required to attend training every other year.

  Assistant Clerk of Course

  The Assistant Clerk of Course will help assign children to lanes and monitor the childrens’ whereabouts.

  Data Input and Data Checker

  The Data Input and Data Checker positions are an integral part of the Scorekeeping Team. As cards come into the scoring room, they are sorted and validated against the printed meet plan by the Data Checkers (one from each team). After the cards are sorted and validated, they are passed to the computer team (which includes the Head Scorekeeper) for data entry. Once times are entered into the computer, the cards are passed to the Data Checkers (one from each team) along with a print out of the results of data entry process. Data Checkers verify that there were no data entry errors.

  Runner

  The Card Runner transports the time sheets/cards from the Clerk of the Course to the Lane Timers and from the Lane Timers to the Scorekeeping Team.
  The Water Runner distributes water to officials, timers and other volunteers to help keep everyone hydrated during a meet.

  Ribbons / Awards

  Ribbon volunteers will attach “Placement” stickers for each event onto the ribbons during the meet. They are also responsible for sorting and organizing the ribbons as they are generated.

  Heat Winner Ribbons

  Following each heat, the Heat Winner receives a ribbon for touching the wall first in their heat.

  Timers

  Lane Timers are responsible for validating the names of swimmers and ensuring accurate times are captured and recorded for each swimmer in their assigned lane. Stopwatches are provided by the Marlins. There is no training requirement for timers.

  Safety Marshall

  The Safety Marshall is responsible with patrolling the deck to ensure safety measures are followed for the duration of the meet.

  Announcer

  The Announcer is responsible to make periodic announcements over the PA system before and during home meets to help provide information to swimmers, officials, and spectators. No training necessary, but experience is helpful.