Pataskala Area Swim Team

Each team is required to provide officials for meets. The officials are made up of our volunteer parents/guardians - YOU! Officials must be trained and certified (USA Swimming, YMCA, OHSAA, NCAA, FINA, or TCAL). No swim experience is need to be trained! A training clinic will be offered.

Timing is the most common position at swim meets and provides you with the best view of the meet! There is a timers meeting about 10 minutes before the start of the meet. An official will go over everything.

Timer Duties

• Make sure the correct swimmer is on the block.
• Start the stopwatch with the starter light.
• Stop the stopwatch when the swimmer touches the wall with any part of their body.
• Write the times on the sheet provided.

Head Timer Duties

• Start two stopwatches at the beginning of every event.
• Watch for timers who raise their hands, and trade stopwatches with them.

Assist in setting up before home meet and tearing down after: bullpen, starter system, scoring area, etc. and making sure all is put back for regular pool patron use

The runner collects time sheets from the timers and DQ slips from the officials and takes them to the scoring table. 

The bullpen is where the swimmers are staged to move to the blocks. Bullpen workers ask swimmers their name and line them up according to the heat sheet. You do not have to miss watching your child swim. Just step out for their races. 

The scorer enters times and DQs into the computer.

Labels for ribbons are printed throughout the meet and need to be put on the ribbons. The ribbons are given to the visiting team before they leave. 

Hospitality volunteers will periodically offer bottles of water to officials and timers. They will also check trash cans and take bagged trash to the dumpster as needed.

We like to celebrate our swimmers' individual achievements. Swimmers are encouraged to top by the kiddie pool area (at home meets) to let us know when they have completed their first race, gotten their best time, not DQ'd on an event for the first time, etc. We have a cowbell to ring and little awards to hand out. Bead necklaces will be taken to away meets to hand out.