We need a community to fulfill our team volunteer requirements at meets and we look to you to help. Providing volunteers, typically timers, is a requirement of entry. If our team does not provide the required number of timers, it is penalized and gains a questionable reputation as a team!

Timing Requirement:

Each swimmer's family is required to time a minimum of 3 timing shifts per swimmer per season (i.e., 2 shifts for short course and 2 for long course). If you have multiple swimmers, the family timing requirement cap is 8 shifts.

This is a minimum requirement. The more meets your swimmer attends, the more timing you should expect to do!

Most shifts are between 2-3 hours. It is often by far the best way to view and follow the action, especially for the meets for younger age groups, which can be very busy with spectators.

**The minimum requirement excludes timing your own swimmer for distance races. If you cannot time for your child during their distance event, you must contact a coach ASAP for alternate timing options, or your swimmer will not be eligible to compete **

 **It also excludes Championship meets, finals or travel meets**

Who Can Time:

Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to time. This includes family friends, college kids, sitters or grandparents. No experience is necessary! The meet hosts always hold a timers’ meeting before each session, to explain the role and what to do. We will also provide team training opportunities to those who may find it helpful.

How to Sign up to Time:

At the beginning of each season, once the meet schedule is confirmed, online timer job sign-up sheets will be created. These will be based on the published meet information, but please note that exact times and sessions may be subject to change.

We recommend that you sign up for your preferred sessions as soon as you know which meets your swimmer(s) will be attending. Voluntary sign-up will close the Monday before the meet. (This assumes a weekend meet and deadlines will be adjusted for any mid-week meets, i.e., the sign-up will still close 4 days before the meet starts). If you have signed up and can no longer attend, you must change your sign up before that date, or you will be responsible for finding a replacement. All volunteers are asked to provide a phone number on which they can be contacted by their fellow volunteers on the day of the meet.

For the purposes of planning, we will assume that the team needs to provide 4 timers for each session, with 2 alternates (the team is not usually notified of timer requirements until the week before the meet). If the actual requirement is less, we will consider splitting the sessions into shorter shifts. If the actual requirement is more, we will, if necessary, assign shifts (see below). If you volunteer and for whatever reason are not needed to time, it will still count towards your mandatory requirements.

If we do not have the required number of sign-ups for any particular session, on the Tuesday before the meet (or 3 days before for mid-week meets) we will assign shifts, based on when your swimmer is in the pool and the number of timing assignments already completed during the season (starting with those families who have not yet completed a shift or signed up for a shift at a later meet). You will not be assigned to time at a meet which your swimmer has declined.

If you are unable to fulfill a timing shift for which you have either previously signed up or to which you have been assigned, it is your responsibility to find a substitute and let us know by the THURSDAY before the meet.  

Alternate timers are for emergency uses only (such as injury or illness). If you are a main timer and unable to attend (or need to leave during the meet), you must contact the alternates directly, and let us know. It is not the coaches’ responsibility to find timers at any point during a meet, including in an emergency. 

Alternates must attend the meet and be ready to time the assigned session if called upon. Completing a session as an alternate (even if you are not called to time at the meet) will serve as one completed timing session. You may only select the position of alternate for one of your two mandatory timing shifts.

You must arrive in sufficient time to sign-in with the meeting organizers and attend the timers’ meeting. Timers are allowed to swap time slots and/or lanes with other timers at the meet.

If you will be arriving late to a meet, it is your responsibility to contact the alternate timer(s) (all volunteers must provide a phone number on sign-up) and ask them to cover your session until you arrive. You must then relieve the alternate timer when you arrive. If you arrive more than 30 minutes after the start of your session, you will be charged $125 for a missed session (see below). 

If for any reason you time at a meet at which you were not originally signed-up, it is your responsibility to notify us, in order to make sure you are credited with the session.

Penalty for Failing to Comply with Timing Requirement:

Failure to fulfill your timing requirements over a season will result in a penalty of $125 per shift. If two timing sessions are not available for a swimmer’s parent/family member they will not be charged and timing requirements for the season will be considered complete

If a family does not complete a timing shift for which they have either previously volunteered or to which they have been assigned, and fails to find a replacement timer, they will be assessed a $125 fee per shift at the next billing cycle immediately following the meet.

The timing requirement will be waived for swimmers who are unable to complete a season due to injury.

Opt-Out

If a family knows that they will be unable to meet the minimum timing requirements, we offer timing buyout options as follows:

$125:   - Opt-out single meet

$250:   - Opt-out short course season

$250:   - Opt-out long course season

$500:   - Timing opt-out for full season

Opt-outs exclude Friday distance events when swimmers must provide their own timer and championship meets if your swimmer attends and no other swimmers or timers are in attendance.

If you are interested in these options, please contact us.

Jenny Plant is the Board point of contact for all timer related questions – you can reach her on jenny@westonswimming.org or 860 748 9340.