Swimming is a very interactive sport when it comes to parent participation, without which there is no swimming club or competitions. Aside from the Head Coach, all roles are carried out by volunteers. There are a number of roles within Swimming Club structures whether that be general volunteers, Committee members or on poolside.  IASC constantly need volunteers and as a member you will be required to assist either on poolside or dryside. Each administrative role can be split into smaller roles allowing for more members to become involved and also to share the workload. This also allows for resilience and future planning.  

Within the competitive structure of swimming, the general acceptance for parents is that when taking part in competitions away from Inverness, at least one parent should be volunteering (at home meets, officials are sought from other clubs attending).  As a general rule of thumb, at least one parent will be expected to be a time keeper.  Time keeper courses are run locally and very simple to pass.  If you can see a stopwatch and press a button then you can pass!!! Our Technical officer (STO) arranges these courses. Please make contact on [email protected] to enquire or arrange to be on the next available course. Please see information regarding Technical Officials at the bottom of the page.

If you are interested in helping poolside whether as a poolside helper or as a coach then please speak to any member of the coaching team.  The club run a Poolside Helper course occasionally which you may wish to be part of to introduce you to helping the coaches on the pool deck. If you think this would interest you then contact one of our coaches, Jen by email to [email protected]

There are various administrative/committee roles within the club  - Please read through these and let us know that role which is more suited to yourself.  You can then contact the Chair initially to let us know . Email: [email protected]  We like to think we are a friendly bunch and will help each other out and be there to support each other. You will not be left on your own or unsupported.

WPO - We currently have a vacancy for a Welfare and Protection Officer. 

Meet Secretary - The club have vacancies for Meet Secretaries.   This would involve uploading meet information onto Sports Engine (swim system) and to make club members aware of any upcoming meets, check entries and send off entries to the relevant Hosting Club by the closing date. Distribute draft programmes when received and send an officials list to club holding the meet. The Meet Secretary will update the Treasurer with meet entry information so fees can be paid and ensure the process is complete via Sports Engine. On receiving information from other clubs the meet secretary will send entry lists to coaches and email any withdrawals as received and keep coach up-to-date re these. 

Website/Media - We are looking for members who are interested in Social Media .  We would like this role within the club to be shared out amongst a parent from each squad so we can get a general overview of the each squad within the club.

Club Records - We have a section that needs required to be updated on Sports Engine. Unfortunately information was lost from the clubs last website including the club records. We now are looking for a volunteer to check all club records via the SS website. This would suit someone who could go through the website and upload a document for top times for all ages groups and strokes for our club.  This would really benefit swimmers so they can work towards records in the future and is easily accessible for all swimmers and members.

Fundraising Group - To put together a fundraising plan for the club to help raise funds for long course training trips, kit etc.  We are looking for a group of parents who could work together to look at fundraising ideas for the club or look for club sponsorship.

There are other supportive roles within the club or roles we are looking initiate.The club AGM is in November every year but there are always roles available.  If you would like to help but are unsure how you can help please contact the chair.

Swimming Official Roles

Swimming Technical Officials or STOs, like many of our volunteer roles, are central to every swimming event and play an important role in ensuring the events run smoothly, safely and within the sport’s regulations. A number of roles exist within officiating, including Timekeeper, Recorder, Judge 1, Judge 2, Judge 2S, Referee and Automatic Officiating Equipment (AOE) Operator.

There are already hundreds of STOs across the country and with the sport continuing to grow, there are lots more opportunities to get involved.

If you are aged 14 years or over, with an interest in swimming – or the enthusiasm to learn, then you have taken the first step to becoming a Swimming Technical Official!

Firstly, you must be a member of a club affiliated to Scottish Swimming so you are insured for your activity on poolside.  

Timekeeper

Timekeepers are an essential position in any competition or timed event. Located at the finish end of the pool timekeepers are responsible for accurately stopping a watch or the timing system for the lane they have been allocated to ensure the swimmer receives a time. A timekeeper can also fill the role of Chief Timekeeper who is responsible for ensuring that all Timekeepers are fulfilling their roles and that the recorded times are passed to the recorders.

Judge 1

Judge 1 is the first level of judging swimming at competitions. An Inspector of Turns (J1) is positioned at each end of a lane to ensure the swimmer complies with the rules after the start at turns and at the finish of the race. A Judge 1 could also act as a Chief Inspector of Turns as well as partaking in additional duties when there is distance swimming or relay events happening.

Judge 2

A Judge of Stroke or a Judge 2 is located on each side of the pool and ensures that swimmers comply with the rules during the race. A Judge 2 can also act as a finish judge who records the finish order of each race.

Judge 2S

 A Judge 2S is the Starter. The starter starts the race and works with the referee to ensure all swimmers have complied with the rules associated to starting and that it was a fair start.

Referee

The referee is the most senior technical official at a competition. They are responsible for ensuring the rules for the competition are adhered to and disqualify swimmers for rule infractions reported to them by other officials or any they personally observe.  They are also responsible for ensuring that the competition takes place in a fair and safe manner and for ensuring that all technical officials are in place and carrying out their duties as required.

Training is also available for a Recorder Examination and for AOE Operator which is by assessment. If you would like to find out more how to qualify as any of the above please visit our Qualifications and Training page for more information and then get in contact with your District Convenor, as follows: