SHRSL - Southwest Houston Recreational Swim League

Meet Standardization

SHRSL Meet Standardization

Updated June 2026

The Week Before the Meet: Email

  1. The Home team should send an email to the Visiting team that includes:
    1. Parking for the meet
      1. Where to park and where NOT to park
      2. Will there be any reserved parking for the Visiting Board/Coaches?
    2. Placement of Visiting Team
      1. Visiting Team Tents
      2. Spectator seating/regulations
      3. Can they sit inside the fence? Outside? Where?
    3. What to bring for Data Entry
      1. Is there WiFi at the pool? Name/Password
      2. Bring for Data Entry? (Computer, extension cord, lamp, fans, clips)
    4. How many lanes will you run at the meet:6 or 8?
    5. Warm-up times & Volunteer Meetings
      1. Warm-up times
      2. Volunteer Meetings (Time & Locations)
    6. Who will be the Meet Director
    7. Who will merge the meet:
      1. Coach? Board member?
      2. Provide contact information if not already available
    8. Concessions: What food options will be available? Cash or cashless?

Standard Volunteer Numbers (Meet Expectations)

Positions can be split by shift.
*** Switch after Event 30 ***

  1. Timers/Scribes
    1. Home team will provide 1 Head Timer for backup and management
    2. Three (3) required per lane.
      1. Ideal to have 3 timers + 1 scribe per lane, but you can have 1 timer also be the scribe if in a bind.
      2. Home team: 12 total
        1. 2 timers for odd lanes
        2. 1 timer and 1 scribe for even lanes (or 1 timer/scribe)
      3. Visiting team:12 total
        1. 2 timers for even lanes;
        2. 1 timer and 1 scribe for odd lanes (or 1 timer/scribe)
  2. Ready Bench/Heat Bench
    1. Home team will provide a Head Ready Bench to manage flow of swimmers
    2. Each team provides 2 Heat Bench volunteers
  3. Scoring/Awards Area
    1. Both teams provide:
      1. 2 Data Entry,
      2. 2 Circlers,
      3. 2 Runners,
      4. 2 Awards
  4. Stroke Judges
    1. Both teams provide:
      1. 2 Stroke Judges (each) for individual events (4 total)
      2. Plus 2 (each) for relays (8 total)
    2. Smaller divisions may decide on reduced numbers during relays
    3. Must be 50/50
  5. Starter/Announcer
    1. Home team provides the starter.
    2. Home team: Separate announcer is optional.
  6. Water Distribution: Both teams provide water and a distribution volunteer

Meet Setup — Day of the Meet

  1. Home team provides tables/chairs for Data Entry, Circlers, and Awards
  2. Home team provides flip chart for events/heats
  3. Meet Director/Head Stroke Judge meeting
    1. Meet Director should not be the Coach, Starter, Announcer, or Stroke Judge
    2. Home team provides all Stroke Judge supplies
    3. Designate who should speak to the Meet Director in the event of an issue
    4. Designate position and assignments/responsibilities. Rotate after each event.
    5. Reminders:
      1. Watch takeoffs/touches as well as strokes for their half of the pool
      2. Dual confirmation required on relays — thumbs up/down
      3. Document every heat
      4. Give swimmers the benefit of the doubt
  4. Meet Director/Head Timer meeting
    1. Reminders:
      1. Step up to the edge of the pool. Watch for underwater finishes.
      2. Scribes need to write legibly — always include team, heat, lane, and 3 times on every slip; don’t pre-circle teams
      3. NO VIDEOING while timing
  5. Home team provides heat benches — preferably at both ends of the pool
  6. Home team provides shade for timers if possible
  7. Both teams provide stopwatches for timers — label stopwatches for easy identification
  8. Home team provides timer slips/pencils/clipboards
    1. OPTIONAL: Teams may use separate colored timer slips to designate home/visiting team lanes
  9. Home team provides all ribbons for Awards
  10. Be aware if extra light is needed for Scribes/Starter/Stroke Judges/etc.

Volunteer Duties & Responsibilities

  1. Stroke Judge
    1. Each Stroke Judge is responsible for the 3–4 lanes and the wall closest to them
    2. Watch strokes and touches on individual events, and strokes, takeoffs, and finishes on relays
    3. Document all infractions on the provided sheet
  2. Starter/Announcer
    1. Needs to be by the edge of the pool
    2. Use air horn for start
    3. No recalls on false starts — the only exception is starter error
    4. Announce every event/heat
    5. Remind timers/scribes/coaches/swimmers not in that event to step back during the start
    6. Commands: “Timers — clear your watches” → “Take your mark” → “Participation in lane ___”
  3. Timers
    1. Activate the watch at the start of the race on the sound of the horn
    2. Stop the watch when ANY part of the body touches the wall — lean over the pool to see the finish
    3. Offer watch to the Scribe for correct documentation
    4. Don’t clear the watch until the Scribe is done
  4. Scribes
    1. Mark team, event, heat, and lane
    2. Record 3 times
    3. Record swimmer number(s)
    4. Listen for Participation and circle it
    5. DO NOT circle the place that they finished
    6. Record NS (No Swimmer) if there is no swimmer in that lane for that heat
  5. Ready Bench/Heat Bench
    1. Have heating on both ends of the pool
    2. Home team provides benches, chairs, rope, cones, etc. for heating
    3. Each team is responsible for printing their own heat sheets
    4. Home team provides a Head Heat Bench volunteer, but each team will heat their own swimmers
    5. Head Heat Bench person can fill lanes to eliminate heats. Do NOT have a heat with 1 swimmer.
    6. Keep parents out of the heating area (excluding Tent Parents)
  6. Runner
    1. Pick up timer slips from the Scribes
    2. Clip heat together with clothespin, paper clip, etc.
    3. Deliver to Circlers
  7. Circlers
    1. Receive timer slips from the Runner
    2. Circle the middle time
    3. If “DQ” is circled, X out the entire slip
    4. Circle the place on each slip
    5. Put slips in place order
    6. Keep heat together for Awards — use clips
    7. Give to the Runner to deliver to Awards
  8. Awards
    1. Receive timer slips from the Runner
    2. Hand out ribbons to both teams according to timer slips:
      1. Verify swimmer numbers;
      2. DO NOT hand out in lane order
    3. Clip heat together. Give to the Runner to deliver to Data Entry.
    4. Misc:
      1. DO NOT write on ribbons.
      2. DO NOT file for later.
      3. DO NOT print stickers for ribbons.
    5. Keep the awards area clear of spectators and parents (excluding Tent Parents)
    6. OPTIONAL: Group ribbons by full set before the meet starts
  9. Data Entry
    1. Receive timer slips from the Runner
    2. Enter the MIDDLE TIME ONLY into Meet Maestro (circled time) for all swimmers — verify swimmer number in case swimmers moved around
    3. Enter NS for No Swimmer
    4. Enter DQ for Participation — you will not know the reason for the DQ; enter “No Reason.” You can add the reason from the Stroke Judge forms later if you want.
    5. The Home team may choose to separate slips and enter times by team, or enter by entire event and then separate by team
      1. Each team can store slips how they want: index card box, staple event together, or binder clips

Swimtopia / Meet Maestro Procedures

  1. Entries must be completed, locked, and marked as Ready by 8:00 PM the night before the meet.
    1. OPTIONAL: Teams may agree on a later time, but no later than 10:00 AM the day of the meet
  2. The Home team is responsible for merging the meet into Meet Maestro.
  3. Any changes the day of the meet (scratches, last-minute additions, etc.) should be done in Meet Maestro only.
    1. Please do not re-seed unless agreed upon by both parties. Heat sheets will be incorrect if they are printed before re-seeding.
  4. Each team is responsible for printing their own heat sheets.
  5. After the meet, each team should use the timer slips to verify that times/DQs are correct and communicate completion.
  6. The Home team will Merge & Finish the meet after both teams have reviewed their times. This should be done by noon on the Wednesday following a Monday meet, or Thursday following a Tuesday meet.
  7. Since coaches should have the opportunity to challenge or question the Stroke Judge regarding a DQ, no DQs should be added to Meet Maestro after the completion of the meet. In the rare event that, while reviewing DQ forms, an erroneous DQ is found to have been logged, coaches from both teams should be notified and must both agree to delete the DQ before action is taken.