Team Manager

The Team Manager role is generally shared on a rolling basis by parents/caregivers attending the swim meet. The Team Manager’s main task is to make sure swimmers get to their races on time. There will be a Team Manager from our Club for all swim meets.

A few days before the swim meet, the Club’s Meet Secretary will send out an email to the swimmers’ families, allocating various roles to helpers, e.g. timekeepers, team managers. If you are unable to take up the assigned role, please make every possible effort to find a replacement.

Generally, Team Managers are assigned for one session of the swim meet, e.g. morning or afternoon. The role is usually shared between two helpers for each session.

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Guidelines for Team Managers

• Before the swim meet, collect the Team Manager’s bag from the Club's gear room under the staris at Baywave.
  
  
• Check the Team Manager’s bag – it should contain spare Club swim caps, highlighters and some pens. 
  
  
• Arrive 15 minutes before the warm-up starts and organise a seating area for our Club’s swimmers. All swimmers sit as a team. Parents/families do not sit with the team.
  
  
• Get the Team Manager’s programme from the Meet Director. At most swim meets, each club is allocated a named pigeonhole where programmes, ribbons, etc will be placed for the Team Manager to pick up.
  
  
• Go through the programme and highlight all of our Club's swimmers' events. If you have a partner Team Manager, they should do the same on their programme and then the two Team Managers should compare their programmes to make sure a swimmer hasn’t been overlooked.
  
  
• If there are any errors or if a swimmer has scratched from a race(s) notify the Meet Director. (Scratchings MUST be notified for finals, but not always for heats. This will be confirmed at the Officials Meeting.)
  
  
• Attend the Officials Meeting – this meeting is generally held during warm-up and is where Team Managers (and other officials, such as timekeepers, referee, IOTs, etc) are informed of the details for the swim meet. Take particular note of:
  
  
  • Whether there is marshalling
    
    
  • How early (i.e. the number of heats) swimmers must be at either marshalling (if relevant) or waiting at their allocated lane.

• The Team Manager calls the swimmers to get ready for their race.

• Swimmers come to the Team Manager to be checked off, are given their race details and lane number and then go to see the Coach.
  
  
• Swimmers then go either to marshalling or directly to their lane.
  
  
• Each swimmer should give their name to the timekeeper.
  
  
• After the race, the swimmer goes to see the Coach and then to warm down.
  
  
• Swimmers should check with the Team Manager before leaving the seating area for any reason – this is to make sure they don’t leave too close to their race.
  
  
• Swimmers must notify the Team Manager if they are going to scratch from a heat and ESPECIALLY if they're goint to scratch from a final. Some swim meets impose a fine of $50 (or more) for not turning up to a race. Note: the swimmer is liable for this fine (not the Club).
  
  
• Call swimmers 6–10 heats before their race – the actual number will be confirmed at the Officials Meeting – and mark each swimmer off on your programme as they go to the pool deck.
  
  

• The Team Manager is the only person who may approach the Meet Director regarding scratchings, race entries or protests.
  
  

• Collect ribbons, DQ forms, etc as required and distribute to the swimmers

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Swimmer scratchings

• Scratchings. Some swim meets have heats and then finals. For these meets, it is important that the Team Manager checks the results to see which swimmers have made finals and then to check that the swimmer intends to swim that final.
  
  

• A swimmer should consult the Coach before choosing to scratch from a final. The scratching must be done (usually) within 30 minutes of the results being posted; otherwise, the swimmer will be fined.
  
  

• If a swimmer is scratching, the Team Manager should complete and sign the relevant form (available in the Team Manager’s bag or from the Meet Director and hand it in to Meet Control desk.

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At completion of each session and at the end of the swim meet

• At the end of the session, put the Team Manager’s programme into the Team Manager’s bag, ready for the Team Manager for the next session (if you are not covering the entire meet).
  
  
• Pass on any information from the Officials Meeting to the new Team Managers – either directly/in person or via the Team Manager’s notebook.

• At the end of the swim meet, return the Team Manager’s bag to the Club's gear room under the stairs at Baywave.

• Give any remaining ribbons or DQ forms to the Coach to pass on to the swimmer(s).

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