Olney Mill Swim Team

ANNOUNCER — (home meets only) The Announcer reads names and events from the program prior to each event. No experience is required but need to keep a quick pace.

CLERK OF COURSE — Swimmers called for a race report first to the Clerk of Course who check them in for each event and tells them their heat and lane number. These people get to know every swimmer on the team!

CONCESSIONS — (home meets only) Sells concessions during the meet. Helps to set up and clean up the concessions stand. You can leave to watch your child swim in his/her race.

GRILL MASTER  — (home meets only) Starts the grill prior to meet and grills food during the meet.

PARKING LOT ATTENDANT — Works at the parking lot gate to welcome the visiting team and ensure that only the visiting team parks in the OMSC lot.

RIBBON WRITER — The Ribbon Writer places labels on the correct ribbons, separates them by team, and alphabetizes/files the OMST ribbons.

RUNNER — (home meets only) The Runner is responsible for collecting all time sheets from timers, and DQ cards from officials, at the end of each event and taking them to the automation table.

SCORER/VERIFIER — No experience necessary! Don't be afraid of the title. This person helps the automation person with organizing the score sheets, reviewing the times for accuracy, and posting results.

SETUP/CLEANUP — (home meets only) These parents arrive at least an hour before the meet is scheduled to start (when warmups start), and help with clearing the pool deck, roping off team areas, placing chairs for each lane, setting up the concession stand, starting equipment, and other activities. After the meet ends, these parents take down all the meet equipment, clean up the pool area and conduct a walkthrough of the bathrooms to make sure everything has been cleaned up and we leave the pool as good or better than when they arrived.

TIMER — There are 3 timers in each lane. The primary responsibility is to start the watch at the start of the race and stop it when the swimmer touches the wall. You get the best seat in the house with this job. No experience is required. Most people that do it once sign up to do it again and again. 

TIMER: ASSISTANT HEAD TIMER — (away meets only) Prior experience as a timer is required. Assistant Head Timer works with the Head Timer and is responsible for assuring that timers in three lanes have started their watches at the appropriate time and recorded their times accurately and for providing timers with support as needed.

TIMER: HEAD TIMER — (home meets only) Prior experience as a timer is required. Head Timer is responsible for assuring that all timers have started their watches at the appropriate time and recorded their times accurately, collecting all time sheets after the race, and providing timers with support as needed. Head Timer also keeps two extra watches for each race.

VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN — Checks in all volunteers prior to the beginning of the meet and hands out materials to the volunteers (stop watches, etc)

MCSL training is required for all Certified positions. To become certified, you must attend one of the league’s training sessions and must renew your certification every two years. Contact [email protected] with any questions about becoming a certified official.

STROKE AND TURN — Both teams provide Stroke and Turn (S&T) officials. S&T officials observe all starts, finishes, turns, and strokes to determine whether the swimmers performed their strokes and turns in accordance with the prescribed rules of MCSL.

STARTER — (away meets only) The visiting team provides the starter. The Starter has complete control over the swimmers from the time the Referee signals the start of the race until after a fair start has been achieved. The Starter calls the swimmers to their starting positions - to "take your mark" – and decides if any false starts have occurred, which needs the concurrence of the referee.

REFEREE — (home meets only) The home team provides the referee. Referees are responsible for running the meet and has full authority over all officials, assigning and instructing them. They are the final arbiters of all decisions and questions regarding the meet. The referee must be thoroughly familiar with all applicable USS rules and MCSL rules, all meet procedures and duties of all officials. Typically, referees were timers, starters and stroke and turn officials in their earlier years of volunteering. 

CHIEF JUDGE — ("B" meets only) The Chief Judge is an extra referee used to help with stroke and turn violations at the opposite end of the pool, to keep the meet running smoothly.