Parents

Members Section » Parents

NSS Parent Participation Policy (PDF)
NSS Child Pick Up Safety Policy (PDF)

Club Booklet 2012 (PDF)

Being an Official or poolside volunteer is an exciting and more productive way to spend your time while your child is swimming. You can be involved on poolside by becoming a:

• Time Keeper
• Inspector of Turns
• Stroke Judge
• Starter and Referee
• Team Manager
• Split Recorders
• AOE Room (Computer Room)
• Administration Room
• Meet Marshall
• Door Sales
• Kitchen or Catering Duty

• Squad Managers
• Medals
  

When you volunteer you're not just helping your swimmer, you're helping all swimmers. Remember, without volunteers, meets don't run! With your help, all swimmers have an opportunity to race and achieve their goals. Working at meets is fun and gratifying! It's a great way to meet the rest of the Team and to get involved in the program.

New members start off as time keepers. Officials require training/certification which is overseen by the Meet Coordinators. We always need more Officials and we need some of you to step up as Assistant Coordinators, so we can train another set for the future. No matter what job you have, you will always be able to get relief to watch your swimmer compete.

All parents will be trained as time keepers, and agree to train further in another officiating position or duty. A roster will be created assigning parents to meets.  Please be aware that you will be called upon to work at meets at regular intervals.  If you are asked to work can you please try and ensure that you are able to be there.

Volunteers help keep swimming fees affordable to as many people in the community as possible!

Parent Volunteer Roles

Time Keeper

All meets run under ASA and SNZ rulings, require a minimum of 3 time keepers per lane. The most experienced time keeper usually is the scribe - the person recording the 3 times clocked in their lane for a swimmer. Each lane is issued a folder with deck sheets, listing the event and swimmer in their lane for each race. Meets (usually level 2, 1, regional and national meets) where timing is electronically recorded, the time keeper uses a stopwatch and also the electronic back-up which is pressed at the finish. Manually run meets only operate with stop watches.

At Club night is the best time to start learning to be a Time keeper - like your children there is no pressure to perform here!  As we do not have the luxury of electronic boards to record a swimmer's time, we put 3 TKs on a lane, the highest and lowest time is discounted and the middle time is taken as the official time - which is what used to happen before electronic timing boards came into existence!

Each parent starting to train as a time keeper will be given a sign off sheet which is kept with the Co-ordinator, after you have achieved 5 sign offs (excluding club nights) with one being electronic you should advise NSS of the dates and names of those meets and NSS can apply to ASA to have you registered as being qualified.  You can get a yellow log book from ASA to record your meets and start your own swimming career as an Official!  You will be surprised how quickly you will fill it.

Chief Time Keeper

A Chief Time keeper starts two watches at the beginning of each race and looks for any hands up just after the start from other time keepers behind their lanes in case a stop watch did not start.  The Chief Time keeper looks for who is first in each heat/race and signs of the lane sheet after checking that the other time keepers in that lane got similar times to his/her own and to that on the electronic timing board (if applicable).

Inspector of Turns

You can become an IOT once you are a qualified timekeeper.

Each IOT shall ensure that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning, commencing from the beginning of the last arm stroke before touching and ending with the completion of the first arm stroke after turning. IOTs at the finish end of a pool must also ensure that the swimmers finish their race according to the current rules.

Each IOT at the start end shall give warning (ring a bell) when a swimmer in his lane has 2 lengths + 5 metres to swim in 800 and 1500 events.

IOTs shall report violations on DQ forms with details of event and lane number and infraction observed, and hand to Chief IOT (or Referee).

Each parent training as an IOT will have a sign off sheet which will be kept with the Co-Ordinator. As a trainee you will be expected to IOT at least 7 times and then sit an oral assessment and watched on pool deck by a referee before you can become registered as qualified.

Remember - as an IOT you don't disqualify swimmers - swimmers disqualify themselves, you merely report their incorrect action to the referee.

Stroke Judge

You can become a Judge of Stroke once you are a qualified IOT.

Judges of Stroke (JOS's) are located on each side of the pool. Each JOS shall ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and shall observe the turns to assist the IOTs.

JOS's shall report any violation to the Referee on signed cards detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement.

Starter and Referee

If you become qualified as an IOT or JOS you may be interested in becoming a Starter or a Referee. Booklets outlining these positions have been produced by the Auckland Swimming Association.

Team Manager

A manager sits with the NSS swimmers and coaches during a meet and is responsible for the management and organization of our swimmers before and after their races. Also responsible for scratchings of any NSS swimmers and ensuring appropriate forms are filled in if a New Zealand record is broken.

The manager is the liaison person between the club hosting the meet and the NSS team. Any disqualifications are first given to the team manager. Medals are also collected by the manager who in turn presents them to the swimmers.

Split Recorders (Level 1 and 2 parents only)

Position themselves with the NSS team during a meet and record times and splits onto ready prepared split sheets as directed by the coaches. The Team Manager often helps the Split Recorder by calling out times for them.

AOE Room (Computer Room)

Formerly the AOD room, here you assist with automated and manual results (depending on meet), learn how to use Meet Manager, Ares software and generate results. The AOE room has a great view of the swimming pool and has the added bonus of being air-conditioned.

Administration Room

Various miscellaneous administrative duties are involved during a meet including printing programmes and collating and displaying results. Result sheets are double checked against the printed touchpad results and filed. The Administration room is situated adjacent to the AOE room, also offering you great views and air conditioning.

Meet Marshall

Is positioned on the pool deck and is responsible for marshalling swimmers from all clubs into their appropriate race and lane at least six races ahead of time.  They get the swimmers seated in order (on benches at one end of the pool) then send them off with another Marshall to the start end of the pool.  There is usually one heat of swimmers waiting to race before the other heat has finished.  And the next heat of swimmers waiting behind the timekeepers ready to step up.  For 50s marshalling obviously needs to be very quick!  This is best done with at least 3 marshalls.
For FINALS the marshalls check off the swimmers on their programmes.  If a swimmer has not arrived for their final then alternates can be entered in there place and the admin room needs to be advised of the swimmer who did not turn up for the final and the name of the reserve swimmer who took their place.

Door Sales

Direct swimmers, coaches and officials to their areas. Collect entry fee from spectators and sell programmes.  4 people are on door duty in a session and turns are taken to man the doors during the meet so you can still see your child swim. Door duty people must set up 30 minutes BEFORE the warm up.
2 people man position at Back Door of Westwave/front door of any meet until 30mins after session starts (normally).  1 person needs to check for Auckland Swimming passes which swimmers and coaches should have ready to show you upon entry.  1 person to check in all Officials and workers - they need to sign on Job Sheets.
2 people to man instide by steps to viewing area.  Take money from spectators, sell programmes and any raffle tickets.  Once back door is closed, 2 people then go to the top door (at Westwave on Spectator side) and sell programmes to people entering through here who should have tickets which they have bought from the main entrance to the pool downstairs. 
Float should be returned to the admin room.

Security Door Job Description (sliding door at Westwave)
To keep the general public from entering the pool at all times.  To maintain the number of swimmers coming and going through the sliding door to the bathrooms.  Set the door to lock on your side during the meet (not warm up) and just press open when letting swimmers in and out.  This door is NOT for general access for Coaches and Officials.

Kitchen or Catering Duty

Prepare platters of finger food as provided by all parents. Distribute food and water to all officials several times during the meet. Tidy kitchen ready for next session.

Medals

3 people required when not presenting/3 adults and 3 children when presenting
The medal helpers are to put together the medals based on the result sheet that is passed to them once the event is completed.  They will also receive a printed sheet with the information for the medals written out in full.  This sheet has to be cut up and the information stapled to the medal reibbons for each medalist.
They will then put the medals into club groups to be picked up by the Team Manager.  All medal people please check if issuing visitor medals that you only give to the visitors (Eg: Howick Pakuranga, Overseas teams) which are usually a little smaller and are additional to gold, silver, bronze that are for non-visitors.

Squad Manager

Squad Managers help the Coaches to organise their squads and act as a liason between Coaches and parents.  Some squads are quite large and this is a very necessary job to relieve pressure from the Coaches.  Especially in getting information out to the squad quickly if there is a change in training times or sometimes venue.  Squad Managers are also helpful to relieve some pressure from the office and can help ease new swim members into the squad, help arrange car pools, help Coaches on pool deck at Meets, help organise social functions.  Contrary to what many people think - swimming is not an individual sport - you need a supportive and competitive team around you to help all swimmers achieve to "the best that they can be".