Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 19:12     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
Anonymous wrote:The other thing that needs to be discussed at PVS is the way volunteers are handled at UMD. I’m a UMD grad, and I love the school, but after ten years of volunteering at meets there, I’m sick of the whole process. You are directed to be there early and sign in but then it’s an extended weight in that terrible storage area. There’s never chairs or any place to go to wait. The security thing, while I understand the need to be clear with parents, I’m just fatigued of being talked to like I’m a criminal suspect.

They have put timer t-shirts at NCI and at SC Champs this year, but there were no chairs in the timer room while we waited.

None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but it adds up to an inhospitable environment for parents who are almost always timing multiple sessions. I’m sure I’ll be back on the deck timing at UMD next season, but I see these meets and I dread doing it.


Agree!!! I worked volunteer sign-in at NCI and the UMD staff, particularly the UMD security/facility lead was impossible to deal with and acted like a dictator. Yelled at me multiple times and bossed around timers and make ridiculous decisions like she was the meet director. As a former meet director she has no business acting the way she does and making the decisions she does but they apparently let her get away with it as she threw in my face how many years she’d been doing this and that she was in charge. We’ve participated in swim meets around the country and overseas. I absolutely hate going to UMD, every meet is a stressful nightmare…from the parking to the bag inspections and no food to not being able to access your swimmer in an emergency on the deck. I hate the drive….its all just 😵‍💫
Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 12:15     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
Anonymous wrote:If you get a chance, talk to one or some of the security staff one-on-one when they’re in between crowd control actions. Just how you doing and small talk.

The couple times I did, they were very pleasant.

The lady at the desk at the entrance to the pool is really nice. She asks how my kids swam, says good to see you again when I’m down in the swimmer entrance area, etc.

She is also loud and stern when rangling the kids waiting to go in. Loud and no-nonsense when telling timers to sign in, pick a lane, get a wristband, go inside now to the briefing now etc.



This. We are at UMD for meets 4x a year. I volunteer a lot and make sure to say hello and be pleasant to the staff. The lady at the desk at the swimmers entrance is doing her job and she suffers no fools. My kid was scared of her when she was 10 and there for the first time because the young kids can be a lot to wrangle if they are waiting to be let in and she keeps them in line, but now she recognizes my kid, says hello to her, etc. They aren't the ones making up the rules. PVS needs to come up with clear policies about when the viewing area will be locked, whether a bracelet from timing previously gets you in (it should), etc.
Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 11:54     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
Anonymous wrote:If you get a chance, talk to one or some of the security staff one-on-one when they’re in between crowd control actions. Just how you doing and small talk.

The couple times I did, they were very pleasant.

The lady at the desk at the entrance to the pool is really nice. She asks how my kids swam, says good to see you again when I’m down in the swimmer entrance area, etc.

She is also loud and stern when rangling the kids waiting to go in. Loud and no-nonsense when telling timers to sign in, pick a lane, get a wristband, go inside now to the briefing now etc.



Same. They’re actually very nice to the swimmers, especially. But they run a tight ship. As a parent, I’m glad that woman and her team are the gatekeepers to people not getting on deck that shouldn’t be. I know my kids are generally safe.
Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 11:48     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
If you get a chance, talk to one or some of the security staff one-on-one when they’re in between crowd control actions. Just how you doing and small talk.

The couple times I did, they were very pleasant.

The lady at the desk at the entrance to the pool is really nice. She asks how my kids swam, says good to see you again when I’m down in the swimmer entrance area, etc.

She is also loud and stern when rangling the kids waiting to go in. Loud and no-nonsense when telling timers to sign in, pick a lane, get a wristband, go inside now to the briefing now etc.


Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 07:47     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
The staff at UMD is very unwelcoming and act like parents are nuisance and a bother. Who needs to feel that way when we sacrifice such much all year long. I have been very respectful and honor their silly demands every day. The least they can do is be somewhat nice or even lukewarm welcoming. It would go a long way.
Anonymous
Post 07/21/2025 06:59     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
I think you should get a spectator pass to the following sessions when you complete a timing session (a wrist band would do it).

I personally don’t think it works to switch out timers for a championship meet bc there is no half time.

Anonymous
Post 07/20/2025 23:15     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
I understand people’s issues with the security staff, but if they weren’t locking the viewing area, etc., there would never be enough timers. There should be a system that allows people that have already volunteered to get into finals on time, but I have zero sympathy for people who didn’t volunteer all weekend complaining about the security staff.

There really have been some good suggestions in this thread that I hope gain some traction with PVS.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2025 20:45     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
Same spectator area staff tonight and same entry delays, but the mood was somewhat more relaxed. There were repeated calls for more timers, they got them, they opened the doors. Still definitely feel unwelcome there, like we are considered to be invading the space and breaking the rules somehow. I'd like to see this meet run differently next time, maybe in a different place altogether.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2025 20:17     Subject: PVS Champa not letting parents in
Anonymous wrote:As a parent on deck Friday, I can attest it was the biggest single cluster that I have ever witnessed at a Champs event and PVS should be embarrassed by how it all went down. I witnessed one particular PVS official literally in glee saying how she proudly wasn’t letting any parents on the deck and was gloating how she was going to kick all parents out of the building. It was appalling. That particular official also started power tripping on deck with 800 parents, telling them they couldn’t leave and attempted to force them to time the whole session. I got her name and will be reporting her to the league. No official should act with that kind of complete contempt for parents who volunteer with timing constantly. The meet host was also way in over his head I’m in how to run a successful champs meet and it showed. Parents pay an exorbitant amount to these teams, volunteer around the clock, and work their tails off to get their kids to practices at all hours of the day. To rob them from watching their kids swim a finals champs race is downright wrong and PVS needs to find a better way.


My kid is done- but the way PVS officials treat volunteer timers is just awful. They are son condescending and obnoxious- I once walked off the deck speechless due to the ways I was treated. There is a reason why parents don’t want to time at championship meets- and I am a parent that always volunteers.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2025 16:24     Subject: Re:PVS Champa not letting parents in
Anonymous wrote:As a pvs official this thread really rubs me the wrong way.

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.



4- 2nd half timers are worked in seamlessly to our summer B meets.
Timers must report at a certain time, their names are announced over the PA if they are not where they need to be. The timer briefing should be, “See this button, press it.” It’s a giant waste of time for those that have timed before. Maybe 2nd half timers have to have timed before, no rookies. You can easily make this changeover in 2 minutes.