A swimming club relies heavily on its parent-volunteers in order to operate successfully. A volunteer role can take place in a variety of capacities—from running a swim meet on the deck, to organizing the swimmers’ awards banquet.
Why we need our parent-volunteers
Dear parents—you’ve signed your child up for competitive swimming; but, in the process of doing so, you may not realize what you’ve signed yourself up for!
We host 3–4 competitions throughout the year as a major source of fundraising; and each requires a broad base of volunteer support. Each family is asked to assist in these competitions, whether in the pre-meet organization or in the actual operation of the meets. Fortunately, much of the work is simple, non-physical, and requires no experience. However, we do call upon our veteran families to become trained in some of the more adventurous roles.
Swim meet officials
We encourage all our swimming parents (and other enthusiasts) to become a swimming official, since many are needed to run a proper competition. The majority of volunteer jobs that need to be filled are those of a swimming official and thus we need all our parents to help out. There are a few roles to be filled off the deck too.
The first step to becoming a swimming official is to take the Introduction to Swimming clinic. This is where everyone begins: you will learn about how a swim meet runs and how to be a timekeeper; the role of Safety Marshal is often also covered. Upon completion of your first clinic, you become a “Level 1” official! Congratulations! Our competitive swimmers thank you for your service; since without you, there could be no swim meets…
Some of the more adventurous roles include stroke/turn judge, chief timer, starter, clerk of course, meet manager, referee, or any of a variety of other positions.
Officials clinics may be offered throughout the year to allow parents the opportunity to begin or continue their official training. There are 5 levels in the national hierarchy. In Level 1 you learn to be a timer; and at Level 5 you’re a Master Official and could even be invited to officiate at the Olympic Games!
To learn more about officiating, visit the following resources:
If there is a clinic you would like to take, please contact our club’s Officials Chairperson (contact info below) to find out how to get trained! You can learn more about a clinic and its content by visiting the comprehensive Officiating sections of the Swim Ontario and Swimming Canada websites.
Clinics online
Officials Clinics–Webinars
Information will be posted here as it becomes available.
A computer or tablet is necessary for these clinics. Advance registration is required and closes one week prior to the webinar. Register at https://form.jotform.com/SwimOntario/official-clinic-webinars
Additional Resources & Further Info
What is taught at a clinic? Swimming Canada and Swim Ontario have put together several resources that can be accessed online. These resources are updated and modified over time.
- Swim Ontario: Officials: Clinics (reference material)
- Swimming Canada: Resources: Officiating: Certification & Clinics (reference material)
- Swimming Candada: Education: Officials: E-Learning System (online clinics for certification)
Swimming Canada E-Learning System: edu.swimming.ca
To access this platform, you must be a registered swimming official. For more info or to get registered, please contact our Club Officials Chairperson (contact info below).
Contacts
Please get in touch with our Club Officials Chairperson to learn more about any volunteer role or officiating position:
Angela Taylor
bnaofficials@gmail.com