Happy Summer! With most kids now out of school are you ready for some summer fun?! Well let’s do just that and have some fun with these certified positions. The following job descriptions may or may not be 100% accurate, but if nothing else they are meant for some fun.

In all seriousness, we need you! If you have every considered trying your hand a new position, now is the time! Perhaps these job descriptions will leave you inspired.

Safety Marshal- Swim meets can be long. Does sitting still and waiting on your kids’ next event make you antsy? Then why not get those steps in and get 360 degree action at the next swim meet?! The Safety Marshal has full access to walk the entire pool deck during the meet to make sure all our swimmers, parents and spectators are safe and respectful, all while enjoying the best views in the house and probably hitting your step goal before the last event.

New to certified positions? Start here!

Clerk of the Course- Do you enjoy seeing the excitement on the kids faces before their event? Well how about getting to see ALL the kids?? The smiles and laughter, concentration and determination, those who are cool as cucumbers and those who are biting nails like their life depends on it; all the feelings! If you want to feel the heart of the meet then Clerk of the Course may be for you. Can it be a bit like herding cats? Well, sometimes, but It’s never a dull moment.

New to certified positions? Start here!

Time Drops Operator- Do you spend hours on your tablet Candy Crushing, Tower Defensing and “Wordling” your way to a new record? This may be like that….or not, but tablet and tech savvy individuals are wanted to make sure others are clicking all the right buttons. The Time Drops tablet is the timing hub of the swim meet, capturing all the swimmers times from the Lane Timers then sending that information to the Scorekeeper. If you’re great at solving those tablet puzzles then try your hand at this game of numbers.

New to certified positions and you’re a tech savvy individual? Try this!

Head Timer- My personal favorite. Do you want a prime pool side viewing spot to all the action? Can you give a little pre-meet speech to all the Lane Timers to make sure we are all on the same page? Are you really good at starting two stop watches at the same time?? Head Timer is a gem of a position if you want to see all the action while making sure those record breaking numbers are correctly timed.

New to certified positions AND been a Lane Timer before? Try this!

Scorekeeper- You know how summer nights can be really hot and humid and maybe those mosquitos are enjoying you a little too much? Well if you are a Scorekeeper at a HOME meet then you are in for a treat if you enjoy the cool breeze of air conditioning and indoor accommodations! Away meets? Well…there are no guarantees. Your tech savvy skills will go a long way as you control the digital side of the meet verifying correct pre-meet seeding rules, recording lane times and DQs as necessary. But don’t be intimidated because there will be plenty of people with experience to help you make a splash.

Tech savvy and have a general idea of how swim meets are put together? Try This!

Stroke & Turn Judge- I think we all might hold our breath a little when those difficult strokes come up and your kids’ heat is about to start. We all know the sting of a DQ but have you experienced the joy of watching your swimmer finally nail their first legal breaststroke or butterfly? That moment deserves a little applause for the Stroke & Turn judges. Not because the judge “looked the other way” or didn’t care, but because all those careful calls and DQs along the way gave swimmers the feedback they needed to improve and succeed. Stroke & Turn Judges are like the quality control at a swim meet. If you can identify a dolphin kick from an alternating kick, why not refine your skills and be a Stroke & Turn Judge?

Have a personal swimming background and/or know your strokes? Try this!

Starter- Have you ever thought about hosting your own podcast or radio show? Wonder what your voice would sound like broadcast to over a hundred viewers? Then this position may be your calling my friend. We want to know what the next event is and the Starter will be exactly the one to tell us. Of course you have to get all your ducks in a row first, or in this case swimmers, and get everyone ready at the starting line. But if this isn’t the definition of a captive audience then I don’t know what is.

Been to your fair share of swim meets, know how things run, have that great “radio voice”? Try this!

Head Referee- I don’t think there is a swim parent who’s been in the game long enough that would disagree with the amount of respect that we feel for our Referees. You have a working knowledge of multiple facets of a swim meet and you step forward to make sure everyone gets a fair chance to swim and feel proud of being a part of this league. Need some back-up? Your Admin Ref. will be there.

Admin. Referee- We see you out there supporting the Referee. You know your stuff because you yourself are a fully qualified referee. Maybe next time it will be your turn to shine at a home meet and take the Referee reigns and just remember that someone else will have your back.

Dabbled in various certified positions in previous seasons, particularly Stroke & Turn? Ability to understand and apply the RSL rules fairly? Please share your valuable knowledge and experience of the sport of swimming and try this!