Meet Manager (2 people)

First, thank you so much for volunteering to be Meet Manager for a session of an AGUA home swim meet.

Our long term goal is to run a meet that is friendly, efficient, well attended and well organized. The more families that volunteer, the greater our ability will be to bid for and run big meets for the development of our swimmers. You and your families are the leaders in this effort. Please keep these goals in mind if problems arise and remember that your patience in resolving issues is a great help to the team.

A few general tips: Don't plan to do much else the day of the meet. The AGUA Center staff know their job: treat them with respect so they will look forward to working with you. Don't hesitate to ask for help: the goal is to train yourself so please call team parent coordinators and/or home meet coordinator for help. We want you to learn the job and to enjoy it so you will want to manage another home meet.

During the 2 weeks before the meet:

1. Check the website daily: contact team parent representatives from each of the AGUA teams that are swimming in your session early about getting volunteers to sign up if they are needed. For example, if your session has 10 and Under and 11-12, Asphalt and Blue team parent reps need a reminder to get the word out.

2. Contact your co-meet manager to touch base about arrival times, etc.

3. Contact Hospitality person about caterer's arrival times.

4. Contact Admissions people: make sure they know to arrive an hour before warm up to set up: out of town parents tend to arrive early.

5. Contact the Psyche Sheet Manager: make sure this person knows how to run the copy machine which is located on the 3rd floor in case we run out of Psyche Sheets for the Admissions Desk. Brian or any of the coaches have the code.

6 Make simple signs that can be taped to the walls to help visiting parents and POST THEM BEFORE EVERYONE STARTS ARRIVING FOR WARM UP (EX: IF WARM UP IS 8AM, HAVE THEM POSTED BY 7AM). Typical signs include: Directions for parents, spectators and swimmers (Parents/Spectators upstairs; swimmers and coaches straight ahead through main door), Admissions fee and cost of program, Directions to Girls' and Boys' Locker Rooms, Pool and Age Events (ex: Shallow Pool on Left: 10 and Under Girls etc; Deep Pool on Right: 11-12 Girls), Remember, visitors won't know which side is shallow and deep and simple clear signs will avoid large shifts of parents in the stands before start time. Make a few copies of each and post them in obvious places (outside the main doors to the swim center). The Parent Volunteer Sheets on the website state where each group will be swimming and at what time.

*Note: The Admissions Desk is on the 2nd floor in front of the doors leading to the small vestibule and outside stairs.

7. Make up name tags for each of the volunteers; it is an easy way to see who actually came and who did not. Have them ready to be peeled off the sheet before warmup.

Day of the meet:

1. Print out the Parent Volunteer Sign Up Sheets from the website so you know who will be doing what during your session.

2. Bring with you: black and yellow marking pens, scotch tape, scissors, extra paper.

3. Plan on arriving at least 1 hour before warm up. Check in with the Admissions Desk. Post the above important signs for visitors.

4. Ask Brian for the plastic Meet Box that has the stop watches, clipboards, and pencils. This will be either in his office or in the "wire basket" which is locked in the storeroom to the left of the work out balcony. Ask him or one of the coaches for the key. The door is hard to open- push hard!

5. Set up tables on deck: Paul Taylor or Shioban Griffin (Aquatics Office) can help you with this: two tables are pushed together with two chairs.

6. Obtain at least 6 bundles of towels from the Gym (4th floor); tell them the AGUA swim coach sent you. Use these to form a barrier on the front of the tables so the water doesn't get your table (too) wet.

7. Arrange stop watches, clip boards and pencils: make sure there is one for each lane.

8. Timers should be on deck about 20 minutes before start time; give out clipboards at that time. Make sure that new timers are familiar with the stop watches and know what to do: one person times, the other person records the time. The sheets are handed back to you at the end of the meet and they go to Brian. Timers act as back up if the timing mechanism fails; it happens rarely but it does happen. Make sure that each lane sheet is labeled with the lane number.

9. When alternate timers come down to the deck, assign them a specific lane to relieve, or have them come back at a specific time and you assign the lane. Never turn away an eager helper! Make use of as many people as you can-make them feel that it is fun, and not onerous.

10. Check in with the Awards people; they may be sitting right next to you. Give them some of your towels to cover the awards table: they will be setting up medals and ribbons and posting the results.

11. One of the coaches will bring down the heat sheets just before start time. Make sure each lane has one. This tends to be last minute so prepare for many questions: "Where are the heat sheets?" is the most common.

12. Once the meet begins, you can relax (a little). Be prepared for all sorts of questions from swimmers and parents.

13. At the end of the meet, thank everyone who volunteered. Collect the time sheets and give them to Brian or one of the coaches. Make sure you have 16 clip boards and 16 stop watches. Put them in the plastic box and bring them up to Brian's office. Please, if a stop watch is broken or needs a new battery, do NOT put it in with the others, but in a separate bag that will be in the plastic Meet Box.

14. Check in with Hospitality to make sure that remainder of food-if any- is properly handled.

15. Leave any important communications for the next shift either on the table marked: Afternoon Session or in an envelope that can be put on Brian's desk if it needs to get to the next morning session.

Reminder: try to keep all the volunteers happy. Remind them where the Hospitality Room is (this is for coaches and staff only: don't let the children in- they will eat everything). Introduce parents to one another. Compliment their children.

Thanks again for managing a meet. You are now experienced and can manage another one! 11/03