Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Except the meet sheet said distance swimmers in the finals heats don’t provide their own timers AND if you went to time your distance swimmer you had to stay for the whole finals section. Of course, it makes sense for parents of distance swimmers should always time their swimmers…but this meet (and most don’t) do this at finals.

This language is found in last week’s PVS LC Open Champs Meet announcement. The PP is stating the language is not listed in the 14U Age Group Champs announcement posted on PVS website. I don’t see it either and this would now explain why so many parents showed up this past Friday to time their kids in the 800. Seeking solutions is what we all want.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Except the meet sheet said distance swimmers in the finals heats don’t provide their own timers AND if you went to time your distance swimmer you had to stay for the whole finals section. Of course, it makes sense for parents of distance swimmers should always time their swimmers…but this meet (and most don’t) do this at finals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely no language in the public meet announcement stating this specifically. I can assure you many parents read the meet announcements carefully and why there’s a total problem with messaging.

Please don’t say things you’re wrong about. It said, “Swimmers in the 800m and 1500m are responsible for providing their own timer, except for those swimming in the Final session on Thursday and Sunday.”

Distance swimmers were told they did not need to provide their own timers if they were in the Finals. Parents of distance swimmers who tried to enter to time were told that they would need to stay the entire session to time if they went to time just the Finals distance session.

Anonymous wrote:As a pvs official this thread really rubs me the wrong way.
1. Pvs officials are all volunteers
2 meet fees primarily go to facility rental. Pvs typically ‘loses’ money on the championship meets. They budget for this but the meet fees do not cover the cost of the meet as is.
3. As a pvs officlal I always work an entire session. I frequently work sessions that my kids are not swimming in. I have multiple kids and a complicated life, it’s just that I care about the sport and I care about meets being successful. I sometimes arrange carpools for my kids so that they can leave when they are done swimming and don’t have to wait for me. Or my kids hang out and wait for me. If you time your kids can hang out with my kids when they are done swimming. (:
4. Could they have the timers switch out 1/2 way? Yes but it would slow the meet down significantly. It would mean time for them to leave, time to track down missing timers, a second briefing etc.
5. Could you pay people to time? I don’t really think there are that many college students hanging around who want to be paid to time. Also, it’s a little strange to pay timers but expect officials to work for free.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Except the meet sheet said distance swimmers in the finals heats don’t provide their own timers AND if you went to time your distance swimmer you had to stay for the whole finals section. Of course, it makes sense for parents of distance swimmers should always time their swimmers…but this meet (and most don’t) do this at finals.

Therein lies the total breakdown of communication problem. This isn’t the USS Swimming days of the 1980s or 90s, as almost nobody prints/follows along a printed heat sheet in 2025. . It’s all meet mobile and if PVS is sending along critical messaging through heat sheets only, they are setting themselves up up for utter failure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note to PVS and UMD event staff. There is a saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

I’m less inclined to help out with timing multiple sessions when I’m a paying customer (meet fees - where does that money go?) and your staff is flat out rude and yelling.

Maybe UMD has more issues getting timers because of how they treat volunteers? As someone pointed out meets at GMU, PWCS, Fairfax Co, don’t seem to have these issues. They might be looking for a few volunteers at the start but it hasn’t been the catastrophe of UMD.

It’s got absolutely nothing to do with UMD staff or the security contractors/CSC.

The decision to not let parents into the stands and or to kick parents out of the building is coming from PVS deck officials. This is a PVS induced problem that needs a real solution.

The real solution is parents step up and time.

And I’m not going to step up any extra when I being treated disrespectfully.

If you had volunteered to time when your coach sent out the notice in the first place, none of it would have happened.

Our coach said maybe a week before: if you want to time, here is the doc to sign up. No further follow up, no notice that spots were unfilled. Waiting until people show up is not the answer when it is continually a problem for meets there. Send out notices well in advance which shows all spots taken and all needed. Require timers to be supplied pro rata based on number of swimmers participating from each team.

Um, that is what they did. There was a sign up genius assigning spots based on team participation and it was very easy to see how many open spots remained for prelims.

Right…and then nothing else. So if our team provided all requested timers and our team parents were then refused entry…that’s a problem with how the meet is run. Sending out the sign up with zero follow through about the gaps until the meet has begun is not problem solving…esp when this same thing happened in March.

Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely no language in the public meet announcement stating this specifically. I can assure you many parents read the meet announcements carefully and why there’s a total problem with messaging.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Except the meet sheet said distance swimmers in the finals heats don’t provide their own timers AND if you went to time your distance swimmer you had to stay for the whole finals section. Of course, it makes sense for parents of distance swimmers should always time their swimmers…but this meet (and most don’t) do this at finals.

Therein lies the total breakdown of communication problem. This isn’t the USS Swimming days of the 1980s or 90s, as almost nobody prints/follows along a printed heat sheet in 2025. . It’s all meet mobile and if PVS is sending along critical messaging through heat sheets only, they are setting themselves up up for utter failure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Except the meet sheet said distance swimmers in the finals heats don’t provide their own timers AND if you went to time your distance swimmer you had to stay for the whole finals section. Of course, it makes sense for parents of distance swimmers should always time their swimmers…but this meet (and most don’t) do this at finals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea why people find the responses sad and aeem to think it’s a selfish-parents issue only. Officials who volunteer know upfront they are staying a whole session and have planned for it. Have all distance swimmers need timers at prelims and finals. This makes far more sense and cuts off 45 min from the timing requirement for non distancing swimming families AND ensures distance swimmers start on time with timers.

Other teams who host ensure they have timers. This is a repeat issue at Epply Ctr meets. Knowing you have had an issue in the past getting timers and knowing you already have insufficient timers for this meet beforehand - fix it.

How can anyone think it’s okay that John timed at prelims and was unable to get into finals. Or Mary and Louise each had kids in finals but Louise saw her kids swim bc it was the third event of the night and Mary didn’t bc her kid was in the first event…and neither volunteered. Or that they are announcing an issue getting timers as the meet is starting so parents could have planned ahead of time (so their kids aren’t waiting around).

95% of PVS meets do not have this repeated issue - this needs to be solved.

When my kid was a distance swimmer we were told that he needed to bring his own timer or he couldn't swim the event. We always timed every meet anyway, but that policy made particular sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note to PVS and UMD event staff. There is a saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

I’m less inclined to help out with timing multiple sessions when I’m a paying customer (meet fees - where does that money go?) and your staff is flat out rude and yelling.

Maybe UMD has more issues getting timers because of how they treat volunteers? As someone pointed out meets at GMU, PWCS, Fairfax Co, don’t seem to have these issues. They might be looking for a few volunteers at the start but it hasn’t been the catastrophe of UMD.

It’s got absolutely nothing to do with UMD staff or the security contractors/CSC.

The decision to not let parents into the stands and or to kick parents out of the building is coming from PVS deck officials. This is a PVS induced problem that needs a real solution.

The real solution is parents step up and time.

And I’m not going to step up any extra when I being treated disrespectfully.

If you had volunteered to time when your coach sent out the notice in the first place, none of it would have happened.

Our coach said maybe a week before: if you want to time, here is the doc to sign up. No further follow up, no notice that spots were unfilled. Waiting until people show up is not the answer when it is continually a problem for meets there. Send out notices well in advance which shows all spots taken and all needed. Require timers to be supplied pro rata based on number of swimmers participating from each team.

Um, that is what they did. There was a sign up genius assigning spots based on team participation and it was very easy to see how many open spots remained for prelims.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note to PVS and UMD event staff. There is a saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

I’m less inclined to help out with timing multiple sessions when I’m a paying customer (meet fees - where does that money go?) and your staff is flat out rude and yelling.

Maybe UMD has more issues getting timers because of how they treat volunteers? As someone pointed out meets at GMU, PWCS, Fairfax Co, don’t seem to have these issues. They might be looking for a few volunteers at the start but it hasn’t been the catastrophe of UMD.

It’s got absolutely nothing to do with UMD staff or the security contractors/CSC.

The decision to not let parents into the stands and or to kick parents out of the building is coming from PVS deck officials. This is a PVS induced problem that needs a real solution.

The real solution is parents step up and time.

And I’m not going to step up any extra when I being treated disrespectfully.

If you had volunteered to time when your coach sent out the notice in the first place, none of it would have happened.

Thanks, but I did my shift. Not doing any extra with the hostile environment.

And to the PVS officials - yes, you all volunteer a ton and it is very much appreciated.

That said, if someone is down right rude after you did your shift and you missed DCs swim due to not being allowed in but the meet started, you would be inclined to sign up for an extra stroke and turn shift on short notice? Doubt it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note to PVS and UMD event staff. There is a saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

I’m less inclined to help out with timing multiple sessions when I’m a paying customer (meet fees - where does that money go?) and your staff is flat out rude and yelling.

Maybe UMD has more issues getting timers because of how they treat volunteers? As someone pointed out meets at GMU, PWCS, Fairfax Co, don’t seem to have these issues. They might be looking for a few volunteers at the start but it hasn’t been the catastrophe of UMD.

It’s got absolutely nothing to do with UMD staff or the security contractors/CSC.

The decision to not let parents into the stands and or to kick parents out of the building is coming from PVS deck officials. This is a PVS induced problem that needs a real solution.

The real solution is parents step up and time.

And I’m not going to step up any extra when I being treated disrespectfully.

If you had volunteered to time when your coach sent out the notice in the first place, none of it would have happened.