2025-2026 BLAST Team Volunteer Policy

Each swimmer’s family is required to help the team in various capacities throughout two seasons (short course & long course). The annual commitment is based on the practice group of the most advanced swimmer in the family (see Schedule below) and consists of the following required elements. These hours are per Swim Year (September-August).

Volunteering is mandatory whether your swimmer participates in swim meets or not. BLAST is a year-round competitive swim club.

Swim Meet Timing:

• Each family is expected to sign up for at least one timing shift for each meet session in which their swimmer competes. 
• If your swimmer is participating in long-distance events and you did not sign up to time for that event, your family will be automatically assigned to that time slot. 
• Families may be asked to fill in empty timing slots when needed, even if they have already signed up for other shifts. 
• You can only sign up for 1 spot from 8:00-8:30 pm, and then after 9 pm, if you want to sign up for more spots, you can. That means you can only sign up for one spot for the whole meet. After 8:30 pm, you can sign up for as many spots as you want. Please make sure you add your cell phone number so that if there are any issues, you can be easily reached. 

Swim Meet Volunteer Jobs:

• BLAST hosts one or two large meets each year. 
• Each family is required to volunteer for at least 5 hours during the 2 to 3-day meet. 
• Please note that a swimmer’s participation in higher-level invitational meets may require more family volunteer time, even if their annual requirement has already been met.

Volunteer Hours:

• Our year starts on September 1^st and ends on August 31 of the following year. 
• Volunteer hours must be completed by August 31st. 
• You are responsible for your hours regardless of whether you take 1-2 months off from swimming or not. 
• Unfulfilled hours as of July 31, 2026, will result in a $25/hour charge on your Account billing through SportsEngine Motion.
• If your swimmer joins the competitive team after September 30, your team support hours will be prorated based on the month they joined, per Schedule B.

Required Hours per Roster Group (Schedule A):

Prorated Volunteer Hours (Schedule B): 

Shift Management and Accountability:

• You may edit job signups before the posted job deadline.
• After the deadline:
  • You must find your own replacement.
  • You must notify the Team Timing Coordinator, Tiffany at 818-522-7411 or email at [email protected].
• If shifts remain open after the meet deadline, the Team Timing Coordinator may assign shifts.
• You will be notified and are responsible for fulfilling those assigned shifts or arranging for a substitute.
• No shows or failing to find a replacement will result in a $25/hour charge.

Leaving the Team Midseason:

• If a swimmer moves groups after the start of the swim year, hours remain the same as the initial group. If the new group requires fewer hours, the requirement will be reduced to that group’s level. 
• Note: Pre-Team is exempt because they do not attend swim meets. Pre-team families are encouraged to join team activities and donate to the picnic/beach day.

Notes:

• There are NO volunteer hours awarded for food donations during meets and team events. ** Our mission statement refers to our “family-like atmosphere,” and we firmly believe that donating food to help the team during meets and events requires each of us to step up in this way.
• When joining the Team after the year begins, the required volunteer hours will be adjusted. See above Prorated Hours Table (Schedule B above).
• If a family has more than one swimmer on the Team, the family volunteer commitment is based on the swimmer’s requirements in the highest group.
• Alternate timers will only receive volunteer hours IF they must step into a timing role. This needs to be clearly marked on the timing sheet at the meet, and the timing coordinator must be informed of this change. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• The swim team needs active participation by all parents to make the meets and other activities successful. Volunteer hours can be accumulated in a variety of ways, for example:
  • Timing: the best job & best way to watch the action!
  • Setting up/Taking down canopies
  • Canopy transportation
  • Variety of positions at the team-hosted meets 
  • Miscellaneous jobs that come up throughout the year
• Check Sports Engine (formerly TeamUnify) often for volunteer opportunities. Need more info on how to time? Check out our Swimming 101 page on the team’s website!!

Volunteer Awards:

• BLAST recognizes parents/families who volunteer over 25 hours per season. Recognition will be in the form of a swim team award (hat, visor, tee-shirt, beanie, etc.). This award will be distributed at the end of each season, and we will recognize each volunteer via social media and the prize.
• Throughout the season, please make sure to email Amanda Perez with any hours you work that are not recorded through the Team Unify website.

Stay on Top of Your Hours:

• You are responsible for your hours regardless of whether you take 1-2 months off from swimming or not.  Each family is responsible for tracking their volunteer hours. Hours will be tracked automatically through TeamUnify. To report volunteer hours not listed on Team Unify, please email Amanda Perez at [email protected]

Volunteer Penalties: 

• BLAST values the family-like atmosphere at each site and the entire team. Failure to volunteer or failure to show up after committing to a job will also result in the following:
• Fees for each missed hour: $25 per hour. Your account will be charged $25 per “no-show” hour in the month immediately following the no-show and $25 per required hour left incomplete at the end of each year (August). If you are unable to complete a job you signed up for, please don't hesitate to contact Team Administration at [email protected] and our Volunteer Coordinator, Amanda Perez at [email protected] in advance to arrange for a replacement volunteer.
• Possible additional action by Head Coach Peter Lambert may happen, especially if a problem that violates the team's parent &/or swimmer code of conduct persists.
• If you have questions, please contact Team Admin at [email protected]

We hope that each family and swimmer can take immense pride in the team. They say it "takes a village to raise a swimmer." At BLAST, we are grateful to each parent and swimmer who strives for excellence and demonstrates their tremendous passion for the team and the sport through volunteering!