Announcer
The Announcer is an integral part of meet management and the Starter/Referee team. THANK YOU for helping us keep the meet running smoothly! The essential job of the Announcer is to keep all meet participants informed and instructed. This helps the swimmers arrive timely at their events with best chances for success. Please keep your volume loud enough to be heard easily over the crowd, but without becoming hard to understand or creating feedback.
Protocol
The Announcer will develop an easy rhythm with the signals of the Referee/Starter, and the instructions of the Starter, as each “heat” (race) proceeds. The REFEREE will give a series of five short whistles as each heat is finishing, signaling the next heat to prepare, followed immediately by Announcer’s information (e.g., "This is event ____, boys/girls 25/50/100/200 [stroke], Heat ___ of ____"), The Referee will blow a single long whistle for the swimmers to enter the water. In backstroke, a second long whistle brings swimmers to their starting positions. After the long whistle, the Starter will say, "Take your marks" and then click a horn/buzzer to start the race.
For Every Event....
For every event, the announcer will call out the (1) Event number, (2) girls or boys, (3) distance, (4) stroke and (5) heat. For example, "This is Event 1, Girls 13 and over, 200 m Freestyle, Heat 1 of 2". If you are continuing to the next heat under the event, the announcer will call out the heat number (e.g., "Heat two").
It's important for the announcer to remain quiet at the start of each heat. There will be times when the Starter will ask the announcer to
- Call for a missing swimmer
- Ask for swimmer to "quiet for the start"
General Announcements
Once the heat starts, the Announce can make general announcements related to the swim meet including:
- Ask spectators to refrain from flash photography
- Ask spectators to remain in the designated areas (i.e., don't go behind the blocks)
- General swim team announcements related to upcoming meets
- Remind people to visit the concessions area
- Announce upcoming events (particularly for events for swimmers 10 and under)
Please keep these announcements short and simple. For longer announcements, wait to make those announcements during the 50 and 100 m events.
