Team Manager

Team Manager

The Team Manager role is generally shared on a rolling basis by parents attending the actual
swim carnival. 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 carnivals.

A few days before each carnival, the Club’s Carnival Secretary will send out an email to the
swimmers’ families, allocating various roles to parent 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 carnival, e.g. morning or
afternoon.

 The role is usually shared between two parents for each session.

Guidelines for team managers

1. Before the carnival, liaise with the Carnival Secretary to get the Team Manager’s bag and
Club’s banners (we have a flag banner on a stand and a rectangle-shaped banner).

2. Check the Manager’s bag – it should contain spare Club swim caps, highlighters and a
Manager’s notebook. The notebook is used to record information about the carnival
(e.g. from the Officials Meeting, see point 7), swimmers who have made finals,
scratchings, sales of swim caps, etc.

3. 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 do not sit with the team.

4. Get the Team Manager’s programme from the Carnival Controller. At most carnivals,
each club is allocated a named pigeonhole where programmes, ribbons, etc will be
placed for you to pick up.

5. Go through the programme and highlight all swimmers’ events on the programme. Your
partner Team Manager does the same and then the two Team Managers should
compare the two programmes to make sure a swimmer hasn’t been overlooked.

6. If there are any errors or if a swimmer has scratched from a race(s) notify the Carnival
Controller. (Scratchings MUST be notified for finals, but not always for heats. This will be
confirmed at the Officials Meeting.)

7. Attend the Officials Meeting – thismeeting 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 carnival. 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

8. Have a quick meeting with all the swimmers and parents before the carnival starts.
Introduce yourself and explain the procedure for all races:

 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 from a final. Some carnivals impose a fine of $50 for not turning
up to a race – the swimmer is liable for this fine (not the Club).

9. Encourage the parents to let the Coach ‘coach’ and the parents to ‘cheer on’.

10. Call swimmers 6–10 heats before their race – the actual number will be confirmed at the
Officials Meeting – and mark them off on your programme as they go down to the pool
deck.

11. The Team Manager is the only person who may approach the Carnival Controller
regarding scratchings, race entries or protests.

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

13. Scratchings. Some carnivals have heats and then finals. For these carnivals, 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.

14. If a swimmer chooses to scratch from a final, this must be done (usually) within 30
minutes of the results being posted; otherwise, the swimmer will be fined.

15. If a swimmer is scratching, complete and sign the relevant form (available in the Team
Manager’s bag or from the Carnival Controller) and hand it in to Carnival Control.

16. 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.

17. Pass on any information from the Officials Meeting to the new Team Managers – either
directly or via the Manager’s notebook.

18. At the end of the carnival. Return the Team Manager’s bag to the Carnival Secretary (or a Club Committee
member).

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