4 Reasons Parents Choose the Volunteer and Official Life

Photo Courtesy: Donna Nelson

By Molly Lloyd, Swimming World College Intern

Man, our parents are fantastic and do so much for us every day. From giving birth to us to raising us; from packing our lunches to packing up our luggage and sending us off to college; from driving us back and forth and back and forth to and from practice, our parents have done so much for us, and a fair amount of our parents have gone the extra mile: they decided to volunteer and officiate at our swim meets.

Here are just a few reasons our parents might have decided to do such a thing.

1. They just really, really love us.

germantown-academy-volunteers-2016-easterns

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

Throughout our lives, we’ve come to realize that our parents love us and will do almost anything for us. Our parents want to support us in our endeavors and be right there next to us, cheering the entire way. What better way to be up close and involved in the action than to volunteer and work the meet itself? When our parents work meets, they’re able to be on deck instead of up in the stands and can cheer for us – if only quietly and under their breath – while timing or officiating. This is a way for them to be more directly involved in our swim careers. Our parents get into the official life because they love us and want to be able to support us in any way they can.

2. They themselves used to swim and feel connected to the sport.

Some of our parents were swimmers themselves back in the day. Whether they swam in childhood, through high school, or into college, swimming is the kind of sport that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. It makes sense that they would want to be on deck, directly involved in the action. The smell of chlorine and the sounds of the pool bring them back to a wonderful, important part of their lives that they may no longer be as closely connected to anymore. They also probably have a great appreciation for what the officials and parents did for them during their swim career and understand how important of a job it is.

3. The free…everything.

Photo Courtesy: Candace Cooper

Let’s be real, few of us would volunteer for something if there were no perk whatsoever, so it’s understandable that parents want to officiate because they get a few free things along the way. On top of being able to watch us swim up close, parents who volunteer to time and officiate get free access to watch the meet, which is much better than having to pay the fee to sit up in the hot, muggy stands where you really can’t see much. On top of that, free food is often available for volunteers, and who doesn’t love free food?

4. They really want to give back to the swim community.

Most of us have swam for the majority of ours lives and have gained so much through our experiences during our swim careers. We’ve made lifelong friendships, have accomplished personal goals and boosted self esteem, and have become better people because of swimming, and our parents have noticed that. They’ve noticed how happy swimming makes us and how much the sport and the community mean to us and want to be able to give back to community that has done so much for their child. Volunteering and officiating is the least they could do for a group of people who has given them so much.

To all the parents out there who have volunteered at our meets, year after year, we truly appreciate all you’ve done for us, and we want you to know that your kindness has not gone unnoticed. You’re the real MVPs.

USA Swimming has launched a campaign to recognize our terrific volunteers all month long! Honor all of the volunteers in your life this March by snapping their photo and posting with #1VolunTeam on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Tag @usaswimming and @swimmingworldmag too!

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