Volunteer Training

Free two-hour training sessions for particular volunteer positions are available through the RSL prior to the beginning of our season. These volunteer positions are not difficult and can be a lot of fun.  Please contact an ARRST Board member if you are interested in attending an RSL training session. Volunteer positions which require training are listed below.

• *Clerk of Course: Assembles all the swimmers into their correct lane/heat and distributes deck cards to each swimmer.
• *Head Timer: Gives instruction to all the timers before the meet and assigns them to lanes. The Head Timer’s watches are used for back-up.
• *Referee: An experienced official that authenticates disqualifications and determines if a heat is ready to begin.
• *Scorer: Oversees the entire scorekeeping process.
• *Starter: Signals the start of each race.
• *Stroke and Turn Official: Observes the swimmers during a heat to ensure their strokes and turns are legal according to USA swimming rules.

Training for meet for meet volunteers will be conducted on the following dates:

        28 May 7PM at Hampton Oaks

        30 May 11AM at Regency Park

        4 June 7PM at Spotsy Y

        6 Jun 9AM at Fox Point

        9 Jun 5:30PM at Eden Estates

Special Info on Stroke and Turn Judge Training

Beginning with the 2009 season, the Rappahannock Swim League and the Austin Ridge Rapids are pleased to be able to provide a new training tool for our Stroke & Turn officials and our Referees, and for anyone else who wants a better understanding of the strokes and deck protocols.

StrokeAndTurn.com is a website created by Ryan and Tyler Gimple who are swimmers in the Jefferson Swim League. The Jefferson Swim League is the summer league serving Charlottesville, VA. Ryan and Tyler have graciously offered use of their site to the RSL.
Registration and use are free. Here is a link to a YouTube video that gives a short description of the site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxrN1dnhMQ

When you go to the site for the first time, click on New User to register and create a password. Once your account is established, you will be able to take the course at your own pace, and it does not have to be completed in one sitting.

The course consists of chapters, or Checkpoints, and they do not need to be completed in the order presented. The Checkpoints make use of QuickTime videos. You can click Browser Requirements in the left-hand column to determine if your browser is set up correctly.

It is recommended that you start with the first Checkpoint, “Philosophy of Officiating”. The next four Checkpoints, which cover the strokes, are presented in the order they are to be swum in an Individual Medley. You can review them in the order presented, or you may want to review them in order of increasing degree of difficulty (Free, Back, Butterfly, Breaststroke). Once you complete the four Checkpoints on the strokes, the remaining Checkpoints would be best reviewed in the order presented.

There is a readiness quiz consisting of videos and multiple choice questions which requires a grade of 80% to pass. There is a second readiness quiz should you not pass the first one. Once you pass the quiz, print your certificate and you’re done!

One important note: StrokeAndTurn.com teaches the backstroke turn in accordance with USA Swimming Rules, while the RSL utilizes the Virginia High School League Rules. We will provide further clarification on this difference at the RSL training sessions.

Parents who complete the training and bring their certificates to RSL training will only be required to attend a brief overview with questions and answers as opposed to the normal 2+ hour presentation.