PARENT OBLIGATIONS:
Context:
OMPA is a volunteer-run league. Our swimmers and coaches work very hard throughout the swim season. Our Dual Meets and Invitationals are opportunities for them to compete and see the results of that hard work. These meets are not possible without the support of parent volunteers. Below are expectations of what will be required from each family. We want to highlight that we are a small team and if there are gaps in a particular meet, we may need additional help.
Regular-Season Obligations
Families with one competitive swimmer under age 15: You will have 4 regular-season obligations.
Families with two or more competitive swimmers under age 15: You have 5 regular-season obligations.
Families with one or more Junior Orca: You have 1 required regular-season obligation. (If you have one age-group swimmer and one Junior Orca, that would total 5 obligations for the season.
Families with 15 and up swimmers only: You only have obligations for Invitationals where your swimmer participates.
Families have the option to buy out their volunteer obligation for the season for $695 instead of completing the required hours, and must do so before the start of the swim season.
Invitational and OMPA Obligations
In addition to these regular-season obligations, every family with a swimmer in an invitational or the OMPA Championship is required to fulfill one Invitational work obligation per Invitational and two OMPA work obligations during the OMPA meet. Families with 15 & up swimmers only and families with Junior Orca swimmers only are still required to fulfill these obligations. We will communicate as soon as we have the detailed information.
Social Obligations
We are really excited for our new swim team and are looking to create a fun and inclusive culture. Part of that will mean that we have some exciting social events in the season, especially during Spirit Week leading up to OMPA. There will also be a need to support and help with fundraising initiatives. Each family is required to fulfill one Social Obligation through the course of the season.
Jobs:
| Role |
Description |
| Desk/Computer |
Persons seated at a table who sort lane sheets received from runners, sticker ribbons and post results generated by computer workers. |
| Floater |
The Floater's primary role is to temporarily relieve Timers & Recorders for a 15 minute food/restroom break. Must be capable of Timer & Recorder duties. On occasion, Floaters provide water to Timer & Recorders or fill in for a no-show. |
| Head Timer |
The Head Timer's primary responsibility is to provide a backup stopwatch for 'manual' timers in the event of a missed/bad start. Head Timer operates two stopwatches, properly starts stopwatches in sync with the official starting system's strobe light. In the case of a bad/missed start, quickly trade stopwatch with that lane's timer. Must have previously worked at least 5 meets as Timer and have good command of proper 'manual' starts. |
| Recorder |
The recorder's primary role is to record the 'manual' backup time for the swimmer in your designated lane. The secondary role is to verify that the proper swimmer is in the correct heat/lane. In addition, the recorder helps protect the head of younger swimmers during the backstroke with a paddle. |
| Ribbons |
Ribbon duty consists of placing meet results (by individual swimmer) onto colored placement ribbons and filing them into the appropriate family folder. The computer team will print out labels for each heat with swimmers' times and placement in that heat. At away meets, it is the Ribbon person's responsibility to bring and return the OMSC Family Folder boxes. |
| Stroke & Turn |
A trained position. Observe and judge swimmers' technical compliance with the specific swim stroke in the designated events: Freestyle, Breast, Backstroke, Butterfly and IM. S&T judges report disqualifications to the computer desk. |
| Timers |
Attentively monitor the swimmer's progress in your designated lane and stop the clock when the swimmer touches the wall at the conclusion of the heat. Stopping the clock is done in two ways: (1) pressing the computer timing system plunger and/or (2) using a manual stopwatch. When utilizing a manual stopwatch, duties include start & stop timer and reporting that 'manual' time to the recorder in your lane. |
| Timer/Recorder |
Monitor the swimmer's progress in the designated lane and maintain their race time when they touch the wall at the conclusion of heat. Record the swimmer's 'manual' backup time and verify the swimmer's name. |
| Set up/Take Down |
Set up tents and shade structures at designated team and official areas and arrange chairs and tables for timers, coaches, and officials. Assist with the setup of computers and related tech for meet operations. Help organize any signage, banners, or other visual displays. Be ready to help early — setup typically starts 1–2 hours before warm-up |
| Social Jobs |
Spirit week helpers Fundraising events Awards Night planning etc *Specific details to be released prior to volunteer sign up registration* |
