Summary so you can skip all the drama:

Summer Swim Team is:
- Fun, social for kids and parents
- Much more chill than club swimming in MOST cases ( A Division ?)
- Will provide life long memories, place where a nerdy kid can hang out with the “cool” kids
- Pretty cheap for the amount of activities in 6-8 weeks
- Can be exhausting, but it’s rewarding (see above)
- Chance to see if your kids have an interest in year round swimming
- 90 teams in MCSL, 111 teams in NVSL, at least… 25,000 kids
- Every team will do things differently
- Don’t like what’s going on, try to become a team rep and make changes
- Some people take way too serious. So what
- Pre-team, qualify (low bar) and your kids will learn to swim very cheaply
- A meets, often year round kids but not always, typically three swimmers per team/per event, one heat
- B meets, usually anyone who doesn’t swim in the A meets, usually no limit on swimmers/heats (some cross over both ways)
- NON year round swimmers and pre-team WILL get the most attention from coaches on MOST teams
- Coaches get paid, everyone else is a volunteer
- It takes a lot of volunteers to make meets/events happen
- Not every job is essential, BUT usually contributes to the overall experience
- Volunteering can be as simple as emptying a trash can, moving chairs after a meet
- Help if you can, don’t sweat it if you can’t
- Don’t know how to time, volunteer for a B meet, you will learn quick, best view at the pool

Now go to the pool and interact with your kids, another summer is over soon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!

40+ page thread we've been through this repeatedly. On our large team there are multiple jobs that can be done outside of the meet times. Volunteer to do ribbons, basically you stick all the result labels on the backs of all the ribbons. You can do that sitting at home.

Volunteer to do the weekly run to Costco to buy water, gatorade, snacks and drop them off the day before the meet.

Organize the end of year banquet, serve as team treasurer, run the spirit wear sales, or any one of the multitude of other jobs that need to be done to keep a team running. Yes, some are technically unnecessary (I mean, who needs a fun party or ribbons) but those are the things that make summer swim fun and memorable.

NP, I offered several times for things like this and other than bringing a contribution for breakfast a few times no one took me up on my offers. The only actual requests for volunteers were for timers and judges which, frankly, were completely intimidating requests. I wanted to help with cleaning up, setting up, bringing stuff, or to have significant hand holding/support before I’d volunteer as a timer (because I REALLY don’t want to do it wrong). So I ended up doing very little despite being very willing to help!

You don’t need experience to time - trust me! It’s nearly idiot proof

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!

40+ page thread we've been through this repeatedly. On our large team there are multiple jobs that can be done outside of the meet times. Volunteer to do ribbons, basically you stick all the result labels on the backs of all the ribbons. You can do that sitting at home.

Volunteer to do the weekly run to Costco to buy water, gatorade, snacks and drop them off the day before the meet.

Organize the end of year banquet, serve as team treasurer, run the spirit wear sales, or any one of the multitude of other jobs that need to be done to keep a team running. Yes, some are technically unnecessary (I mean, who needs a fun party or ribbons) but those are the things that make summer swim fun and memorable.

NP, I offered several times for things like this and other than bringing a contribution for breakfast a few times no one took me up on my offers. The only actual requests for volunteers were for timers and judges which, frankly, were completely intimidating requests. I wanted to help with cleaning up, setting up, bringing stuff, or to have significant hand holding/support before I’d volunteer as a timer (because I REALLY don’t want to do it wrong). So I ended up doing very little despite being very willing to help!

I do not think you are alone NP. I am the volunteer coordinator and we hold a parents' meeting to discuss these things and then the first few weeks on deck I try to meet and speak with everyone about roles and expectations one on one. We then have time trials which give a huge comfort level to the families to see how it all works. We also have a shadowing program to learn how to officiate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!

40+ page thread we've been through this repeatedly. On our large team there are multiple jobs that can be done outside of the meet times. Volunteer to do ribbons, basically you stick all the result labels on the backs of all the ribbons. You can do that sitting at home.

Volunteer to do the weekly run to Costco to buy water, gatorade, snacks and drop them off the day before the meet.

Organize the end of year banquet, serve as team treasurer, run the spirit wear sales, or any one of the multitude of other jobs that need to be done to keep a team running. Yes, some are technically unnecessary (I mean, who needs a fun party or ribbons) but those are the things that make summer swim fun and memorable.

NP, I offered several times for things like this and other than bringing a contribution for breakfast a few times no one took me up on my offers. The only actual requests for volunteers were for timers and judges which, frankly, were completely intimidating requests. I wanted to help with cleaning up, setting up, bringing stuff, or to have significant hand holding/support before I’d volunteer as a timer (because I REALLY don’t want to do it wrong). So I ended up doing very little despite being very willing to help!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ wrong. No one is shaming people who go to volunteer and can’t find an opportunity to do so. The shaming is for parents posting on here saying they work, they have babies, they have toddlers, it’s too much to ask for a summer swim team, the sah parents are obsessed with this and have nothing better to do, half the jobs are fluff so all the volunteers aren’t needed, etc.

Half the jobs ARE fluff.

Your opinion on the necessity of a job is worthless. Not a good excuse to excuse yourself from volunteering.

Anonymous wrote:^^ wrong. No one is shaming people who go to volunteer and can’t find an opportunity to do so. The shaming is for parents posting on here saying they work, they have babies, they have toddlers, it’s too much to ask for a summer swim team, the sah parents are obsessed with this and have nothing better to do, half the jobs are fluff so all the volunteers aren’t needed, etc.

Half the jobs ARE fluff.

^^ wrong. No one is shaming people who go to volunteer and can’t find an opportunity to do so. The shaming is for parents posting on here saying they work, they have babies, they have toddlers, it’s too much to ask for a summer swim team, the sah parents are obsessed with this and have nothing better to do, half the jobs are fluff so all the volunteers aren’t needed, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our team rep assigns each family a job every meet. Issue solved.

For real. Even in CRP training you learn you can’t say, “someone call
911.” You have to say, “Jan, you go call
911.” People like direction

I would prefer this to our current sign-up system. Some families over exceeded their point requirement while others couldn’t find jobs to meet the requirements and so they had less points. I don’t know how the logistics would work but if the team rep would point to me and assigned me a job I would gladly do that and I know most families would too.

We had the point to you one an old team and it was terrible as it was a hot mess. Our team rep just sends out and email if your child is swimming in the meet. That doesn't sound right if some families exceed and then they get annoyed at you for not volunteering when you don't get a chance. I'd just speak up and say that.

This happens at our pool. By the time I sign my kids up almost all the jobs are gone except for ones I’m not qualified for (S&T). The same people sign up,quickly. There is no complaining about volunteers but sometimes it’s had to sign up unless you’re one of the first people to sign up. I do volunteer in other ways during the week

So yes, it looks like I’m sitting around at every meet. Because I am. I would volunteer if needed but there is never a need.

OP your pool kind of sucks.

Same at my pool. I don’t know if the reps realize this is an issue. They send out heartfelt thank you to the parents who exceeded their points requirements while it looks like some of us have been sitting around avoiding work. In reality the jobs are spoken for very quickly which leaves us with nothing to do.

+1 and these are the people OP and others are "shaming". But it's okay, swim team and summer pool drama is all you have, and martyring yourself is all you have. Congrats. You're #winning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our team rep assigns each family a job every meet. Issue solved.

For real. Even in CRP training you learn you can’t say, “someone call
911.” You have to say, “Jan, you go call
911.” People like direction

I would prefer this to our current sign-up system. Some families over exceeded their point requirement while others couldn’t find jobs to meet the requirements and so they had less points. I don’t know how the logistics would work but if the team rep would point to me and assigned me a job I would gladly do that and I know most families would too.

We had the point to you one an old team and it was terrible as it was a hot mess. Our team rep just sends out and email if your child is swimming in the meet. That doesn't sound right if some families exceed and then they get annoyed at you for not volunteering when you don't get a chance. I'd just speak up and say that.

This happens at our pool. By the time I sign my kids up almost all the jobs are gone except for ones I’m not qualified for (S&T). The same people sign up,quickly. There is no complaining about volunteers but sometimes it’s had to sign up unless you’re one of the first people to sign up. I do volunteer in other ways during the week

So yes, it looks like I’m sitting around at every meet. Because I am. I would volunteer if needed but there is never a need.

OP your pool kind of sucks.

Same at my pool. I don’t know if the reps realize this is an issue. They send out heartfelt thank you to the parents who exceeded their points requirements while it looks like some of us have been sitting around avoiding work. In reality the jobs are spoken for very quickly which leaves us with nothing to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!

40+ page thread we've been through this repeatedly. On our large team there are multiple jobs that can be done outside of the meet times. Volunteer to do ribbons, basically you stick all the result labels on the backs of all the ribbons. You can do that sitting at home.

Volunteer to do the weekly run to Costco to buy water, gatorade, snacks and drop them off the day before the meet.

Organize the end of year banquet, serve as team treasurer, run the spirit wear sales, or any one of the multitude of other jobs that need to be done to keep a team running. Yes, some are technically unnecessary (I mean, who needs a fun party or ribbons) but those are the things that make summer swim fun and memorable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

So do other people and they still fulfill their volunteer responsibilities.

Don't like it? Your kid doesn't participate.

You are saying "we" which means two parents. One stays at home with the baby and one volunteers.

And, meets are in the evenings or weekends? You work both evenings and weekends?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

So do other people and they still fulfill their volunteer responsibilities.

Don't like it? Your kid doesn't participate.

You are saying "we" which means two parents. One stays at home with the baby and one volunteers.

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

So do other people and they still fulfill their volunteer responsibilities.

Don't like it? Your kid doesn't participate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!

This.

(As if you’re the only one with “real” reasons not to volunteer. We are all busy. We all have other obligations. It could be work, other children, caretaking of another family member, health issues, etc. if you work and have a baby and another child who you want to swim on the team, hire a babysitter and stay up later or get up earlier to work and the n volunteer or hire a teenager to go volunteer for you while you work and are with the baby. Go pay a kid $20 an hour for 4 hours to time or work concessions or help set the deck up or tear it down (less time).

Anonymous wrote:Look - I’ve got to work and we have a baby at home. Sorry!

Look -- then your kid can't be on the team. It's that simple! So sick of people like you!