CHURCH RUN ROCKETS

PARENT VOLUNTEER JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Trained or Certified Positions

The volunteer positions listed below are critical positions required to run a swim meet. Each of these positions requires training and/or certification. All positions are required for a home meet. During an away meet, we may be required to provide these positions in limited quantities.  

We are always looking for new faces in our pool of certified/trained positions, and your family will get volunteer credit for the shifts you must work to become certified. Interested in becoming certified? Contact Mike Molnar.

HEAD CLERK OF COURSE

Responsible for assembling swimmers and moving swimmers through benches to blocks. Responsible for assigning swimmers into heats and lanes for relays and when there is a computer error. The Head Clerk must complete a GRAL training course OR a one-hour orientation session prior to the training session. He or she must pass the written exam. He or she should work half of a meet and all relays in the clerk of course with a certified Head Clerk. To maintain certification, a Head Clerk should work a minimum of two sessions per year.

HEAD COMPUTER REP

At home meets, the computer rep enters registration information into a league-provided database and records pre-meet information on swimmers, heats and events to generate meet programs and event/heat cards for each event and heat. At away swim meets, records swimmer times and runs reports for meet officials, like triple/quad winners. Annual training is provided by GRAL. No other certification is required.  

HEAD TABLE WORKER

Sets up table prior to each meet with all equipment and materials needed. Coordinates tasks of Assistant Table Workers and Ribbon Labelers. Processes information from the Runners all the way through posting of the results. Tasks include receiving event/heat and DQ cards, sorting, verifying meet IDs, and ribbon labeling. To become a Head Table Worker, the candidate should work as a table worker for two halves (first and second). He or she should work as Head Table Worker alongside a seasoned Head Table Worker for one second-half session before working alone.

REFEREE

This person is the Head Official at home meets. Directly responsible for efficiently running the meet. The referee must remain on event/heat throughout the entire course of the meet and must signal the Starter that the competition can begin before each event. The Referee has final say in all swim competition-related disputes. The Referee should remain until the last event has been scored. The Referee must be trained as and have worked at least eight sessions (each meet half is a session) as Strokes and Turns judge prior to becoming a Referee. He or she must complete GRAL training courses for Referee, Head Clerk of Course, Strokes and Turns and Starter, passing all tests. New Referees must walk half  a meet with a certified Starter and half as Clerk of Course unless already certified in these positions.  Additionally, the Referee must walk one full meet as Referee, working alongside a certified Referee. To maintain current certification, a Referee must work a minimum of two meets per year as Referee, attend a Referee clinic every year, and pass Referee and Starter recertification tests every other year.

STARTER

At home meets, starts each race and makes sure that each heat begins evenly and legally. Also, disqualifies swimmers for false starts. Responsible for operation of electronic starting equipment. The Starter must complete a GRAL-approved training course and pass a written exam. He or she should work one full meet alongside a certified Starter. To maintain certification, a Starter must work a minimum of two sessions per year.

STROKES AND TURNS JUDGE

Ensures that all swimmers comply with the style of swimming, the turn, and the finish applicable to each stroke. A Strokes and Turns Judge (S&T) must complete the GRAL training course for S&T and pass the written test.  He or she must walk one entire meet and one half meet in order to view all strokes and relays. The S&T candidate should be supervised by a certified S&T judge one full meet prior to working alone. To maintain certification in S&T, he or she must work a minimum of two sessions during the previous year, review annual updates on the GRAL website, attend GRAL training course every other year, and pass written certification tests every year.