Family Volunteer Requirements
Swim and Dive Team Family Volunteer Requirements
The Northern Kentucky Swim League and Newport Penguins Swim and Dive Team are non-profit, volunteer-run organizations, making it imperative that all families with athletes on the Dive Team or Swim Team volunteer to help execute meets and operations. Consequently, all Penguins families with competitive swimmers or divers must volunteer a minimum of three times per season, per sport.
For example, if a family has an athlete on the Dive Team and Swim Team, the family must complete three regular season dive meet volunteer sessions and three regular season swim meet volunteer sessions at a minimum.
Importantly, the three volunteer requirements for regular meets must be completed as follows:
- one by the end of the first two regular season meets,
- two by the end of the first four regular season meets, and
- three by the end of all six regular season meets.
In addition to the Team's minimum volunteer requirements for regular season meets, each family MUST work a session at any NKSL championship meet hosted by the Team.
Finally, families with an athlete who competes in any NKSL championship meet(s) are also required to volunteer at the championship meets in which their athletes compete, as needed.
The failure of any family to meet these minimum Penguins volunteer requirements--including failing to timely meet the requirements for regular season meets--may result in the family's athlete(s) being removed from any competition(s) at the sole discretion of the Penguins.
Volunteer Sign-Ups on the Website or App
Volunteer sign ups are on the "Meets and Events" tab above or available on the Swimtopia App.
Volunteer job descriptions for regular season dive and swim meets are listed in detail on the NKSL website under NKSL Dual Meet Instructions.
There are a few additional volunteer jobs that the Team has found make the meets run smoothly.
Setup - This person comes before the event starts, sets up the pool for the swimmers and makes sure everything is ready for the swimmers, visiting team(s) and the parents to relax and enjoy the meet.
Breakdown/Clean up - This person will be there until the end of the meet. They will help put everything back in it proper place as well as help with the pick up of trash and any odds and ends that will help our pool be ready for practice the next day.
Fledgling Supervision - this group works watches and lines up all the 8 and under kids. This year we are asking all parents to do 3 things at the start of the meets.
- Introduce you kids to all the supervisors (4 in the first section and 2 in the second half). This will make sure our supervisors can put a name to a face.
- Show or ask for help on the arm markings so everyone knows what they are suppose to do.
- Instruct your children to check in with the supervision if they are leaving the staging area for any reason.
We are hoping that this will make this a much easier position this year. We are hoping this will help the new parents with the names and faces so they know who they are looking for and if they had to make a special trip.
Brief Description of Swim Meet Job Duties
Only the jobs that include "Must be NKSL certified" require any experience. All other jobs can be learned as you do them for the first time.
Meet referee: Must be NKSL certified. Verifies the meet is ran in accordance to the rules and regulations or the swim league.
Starter: Must be NKSL certified. Starts each swim event.
Timers: Times the swimmer. Must be able to walk up and watch for the proper touch. You will get wet!!!
Place judge: Work with the timers and record the timer information and determine the order of finish for all 6 lanes.
Stroke and Turn Judges: Must be NKSL certified. A stroke and turn judge shall not be permitted to disqualify a swimmer not swimming in his/her assigned judging lanes. In Tri Meets, if all 3 teams supply a Stroke and Turn Judge, the Meet referee will assign a rotation as to cover the pool with 2 Judges during all events.
Announcer: Announces the events and the events coming up.
Computer Scorer: Must be NKSL certified. (furnished by host club) validates the enters the results of heat of each event.
Assistant Computer Scorer (furnished by visiting club(s)): Aides the Computer Scorer with the results
Awards clerk: (one furnished by each club). Once everything is completed, the top 3 of each event will receive a ribbon. The ribbons must be labeled.
Runner: Collects lane/timer slips and DQ slips.
Fledgling Supervision: Makes sure the 8 and under are in the right event, heat and lane.Parents we do ask that you mark you child's arm appropriately (click here to see how). We also ask that you introduce your child to whomever is doing this job.
Brief Description of Dive Meet Job Duties
Judge - Scores the divers at the meets
Computer Operator - Must be NKSL certified. Handles all file management reporting and score entry.
Computer Operator Assistant - Aids the Computer Operator
Announcer - Announces the diver, the dive and level of difficulty and reads the scores for the Computer Operators.
Swim Practice Help
In addition to meets, the Team has found it to be extremely helpful to have parents sign up to help put in and take out blocks and lane lines at swim practices. These jobs that can be filled on the "Meets and Events" tab on the website and also count toward each family's minimum volunteer requirement.
