Swimming is still mainly a voluntary sport and so swimmers rely enormously on the goodwill of volunteers, in particular their parents, for the sport to operate successfully.
Swimming NZ have a great little 
Parents’ Handbook that explains what it’s all about for the uninitiated.
See our information on 
Racing with Pirates Swim Team – New Member Introduction.
See our information on Joining the Officials Team.
The following youtube link has videos of various strokes and rules: Swim Officiating Videos
There are two main types of volunteer roles and we really need everyone to be involved in both:
– official roles at swim meets; and
– other roles to do with running our club.
Official Roles
Just as Steve is keen for all swimmers to progress through the squads: racking up qualifying times for increasing distances by swimming a certain number of meets each season, parents need to rack up experience and qualifications by volunteering at and running the meets in which their kids swim.
Look at the Pirates Calendar to see which meets are suitable for your swimmer.
As a rule of thumb, you should expect to help at all the meets in which your kids swim. Some of the jobs are not technical and can be done by anyone: for example carrying food to other volunteers, making announcements, cooking sausages and so on.
We need all junior parents to come to:
Swashbucklers
Club Champs
Pirates Signature Meet
Plus a couple of others during the year
We also need parents to help with one off projects such as running bus trips outside Wellington, head-to-head meets against other clubs, swim camps, sausage sizzles and so on. These projects are particularly suitable for people who travel or can’t commit to regular responsibilities.
This is about getting the club working more collectively. We are a not for profit, community and volunteer-based club, and the club is better for everyone when everyone is getting involved. Who knows, you and your children may even make lifelong friends with other swimmers and their parents!
Other roles to help running our club
Outside of swim meets, there are also the obvious roles of joining the Pirates Committee. We are always looking for members, and parents who are keen can contact the secretary – secretary@pirates.org.nz.
Beyond the Committee, there are all sorts of other jobs that simply make for a happy, well informed and well functioning club.
Here are just some of the examples:
– contributing news and photos both on the notice board and through our Facebook page. Contact Steve at coach@pirates.org.nz if you have news or photos to be added to the Facebook page
– writing a report on a swim meet or swim camp,
– fundraising,
– developing our website and other marketing material,
– promoting the club in the media,
– coordinating uniforms,
– and so on…
The Club has now got to the size where it’s difficult to keep track of the skills and capability of all the parents of our swimmers. Parents who have skills that would benefit the Club (for example, people with website skills, financial skills, marketing skills, anything that would help grow the Club) are encouraged to be proactive and contact the Club President at president@pirates.org.nz.