I resent my kid getting sick before every big meet of my kid’s life after I’ve already paid the entry fees, arranged to take off work, and hired dog walkers. (This is tongue in cheek, but my gosh — NCI, PV SC Champs, NCSAs, Relay Carnival, PV LC Champs/Divisionals…kid gets sick every darn time. And, yes, kid has a medical condition that makes kid susceptible, but the timing is uncanny.) |
Teams that don’t let anyone see times. |
Yet another parent who knows nothing about swimming. According to our rep, there was one false start the entire meet. Starters can't control whether swimmers are properly set. If you don't like the starter, why don't you spend the hours it takes to get certified, get the practice starts in, and then convince your division coordinator to appoint you. Otherwise, you should STFU and stop maligning volunteers who are only trying to give every kid a fair start. You are part of the reason teams have trouble finding volunteers.... |
I was there as a volunteer and did not notice any particularly abnormal lag, and the CB starter who worked our dual meet at CB was not even working divisionals, so I’m not sure what the PP means. |
I thought they were fine. The starter has to wait for 6 swimmers to stop wiggling and that’s hard to do at a super crowded meet like divisionals. Manor woods was way too tiny for such a big meet. |
Oh yes. Unfortunately, these types are all too common. Even if they still have a kid on the team, they will NOT accept any input from parents. Many parents manage large organizations in their professional lives and know what works. Group psychology is often the same, regardless of the circumstances. |
There was only one false start but there were too many stands. Not sure if your rep mentioned that or not. You want to give everyone a good start, but you also want there to be a rhythm so the kids have a fair and equitable chance like the heat in front of them or around the league which is what you are comparing times to on that one given day. Don’t get me started on that process how one race determines your All Star chance. When you stand and hold kids it messes with the rhythm. Give them the time to stop wiggling then push the button. Don’t just stand them to stand them. I was at the meet and there was also a lot of crowd noise that could have contributed to the stands. I think he did the best he could, but could keep polishing his skills just like all of us. |
well, ages 5, 6, 7, and 8 for him. But the team has an unreasonable number of 3 year old swimming "prodigies" this year... |
He’s not polishing his skills. He’s been counseled by the Div Coordinator before for this exact issue and he is not supposed to working higher level meets (and is specifically barred from the CB-T dual meet). The crowd noise was groaning when he took over before breaststroke and immediately iced the 8U boys twice. |
The fact that this is an actual post referencing “counseling” and not being allowed to work “higher level” meets when what is being talked about is recreational summer swim is so insane. |
I love all the critics of the officials. I bet not a single one of you has stepped up to do the training for stroke and turn, done that for a couple of years, followed by starter training. Very easy to critique while you sit on your butt in the shade. It is not as easy as it looks to decide whether to stand them up or proceed. As a starter you feel some pressure to prevent the false start even if it’s the kids’ fault for not being set. Some mics and buttons are also more sensitive than others so it can be tricky to get a feel for them if it’s not your home equipment. Never mind the extra noise before the start. Like everything else in life there is more to it than what it looks like from the outside.
And no I don’t want to hear about how you volunteer many hours in some other job. No one cares. There are few roles that have such a direct effect on the swimmers. Officiating is a thankless job. Good luck finding people to do it if all you’re going to do is complain. This will set the Olympic Trials and people are human. — Starter thankfully not in NVSL, you all are nuts |
*this is NOT the Olympic Trials |
Well said. Trashing volunteers is classless. |
In NVSL division coordinators have the deciding say in which officials work at Divisionals. (The teams recommend their officials, and sometimes the officials of other teams, but then the division coordinator makes the final decisions). So it makes no sense that the division coordinator thought the starter shouldn't work at higher level meets, and they were the starter at divisionals. |
I thought the second half starter was from Overlee. Or am I thinking of the second half ref? |