PASA – Palo Alto Swim Club Work Hour Obligation
Swimming is a labor intensive sport and our team is dependent on parental support for its continued success. Each family is asked to sign and return a Work Hour Obligation Agreement form (Microsoft Word Document). Families are expected to fulfill an annual Work Hour Obligation of at least 30 work hours per year. First year families with swimmers under 8 years of age are expected to fulfill an annual Work Hour Obligation of 20 hours. It is each family’s responsibility to keep track of their hours and report them to the Club when they have fulfilled their hour obligation. Families that do not fulfill their entire hour work obligation will be billed $15.00/hr. for each unfulfilled hour at the end of the swim year.
There are plenty of opportunities to fulfill the Work Hour Obligation. Palo Alto Swim Club hosts at least 3 major swim meets each year. We ask that you plan to earn the majority of your family’s work hours during at least two of the three meets. Please contact the Volunteer Chair at for information on jobs or visit our team website for online sign-ups for upcoming meet jobs.
- How many volunteer hours are expected from each family?
- What can I do to fulfill my family’s Work Obligation?
- How does my family receive credit for the hours that we have worked?
- What if I don’t fulfill all the hours of my family’s Work Obligation?
- How do I learn about work opportunities?
- Are all Work Obligation opportunities worth the same amount of credit?
1. How many volunteer hours are expected from each family?
We ask families to fulfill a minimum Work Obligation of 30 hours per year. First year families with swimmers under the age of 8 years are asked to fulfill a minimum of 20 hours. The swim year runs from September through August and there are plenty of ways to earn hours.
2. What can I do to fulfill my family’s Work Obligation?
PASA - Palo Alto Swim Club hosts 3 major meets a year, with meets typically scheduled in October or November, February and May. Hosting a swim meet requires the efforts of many volunteers. Ways to fulfill your family’s Work Obligation are numerous and varied—from jobs that can be done on your own time before the meet including baking brownies, to day-of-event jobs such Hospitality Server or Snack Bar Worker. Families can sign-up to work multiple jobs at a meet as most jobs are scheduled in 3 – 4 hour shifts. Sign-ups for meet jobs are done online via the Club’s website or by contacting the Volunteer Chair at .
In addition to meets that we host, PASA is almost always assigned a timing lane at meets that your swimmers attend. Parents wanting to earn hours through timing must work in a PASA assigned lane and work a minimum of 2 hours. There are also other opportunities to earn hours helping with special events or activities, or volunteering as a Pacific Swimming Official. For more information on officiating, go to the Become an Official section of our website.
3. How does my family receive credit for the hours that we have worked?
Families are required to keep a log of their Work Obligation hours. Note in your family’s log the number of hours worked and what you were doing. When your family has fulfilled its required hours, send an email to the Work Obligation Hours Coordinator at that includes the following information:
- Your Name and the names of your swimmers
- Your email address & phone number
- List of your volunteer hours, the dates worked and what job you were doing
Please note that your hours worked at PASA hosted meets will be checked against volunteer schedules for reasonableness.
4. What if I don’t fulfill all the hours of my family’s Work Obligation?
If your family does not fulfill all of its required Work Obligation hours during the swim year, it will be charged $15.00 an hour for any outstanding hours.
5. How do I learn about work opportunities?
Check the club website or contact the Volunteer Chair at to learn about specific opportunities at swim meets that we host. Sign-ups are posted on-line roughly 6 weeks prior to the meet date. Using the online system, you can sign-up for multiple jobs and/or shifts depending on what works best for your family and your schedule. Some jobs require experience, others require no experience. Links with descriptions of each of the available jobs can also be found on the online sign-up page.
You may receive information regarding other opportunities to earn family Work Obligation hours from your swimmer’s workgroup Parent Coordinator, Coach or on the Club website or in an email.
Please remember, it is your responsibility to sign-up for jobs and to do the jobs you signed-up for. We’re counting on you!
6. Are all Work Obligation opportunities worth the same amount of credit?
Several jobs fulfill your family’s Work Obligation for the year. Most of these types of jobs require experience, but the Club is always willing to train interested new volunteers.Examples of jobs that fulfill the Work Obligation for the year are:
- Meet Director
- Meet Snack Bar Chair
- Meet Hospitality Chair
In addition, some jobs such as baking brownies for hospitality do not have a specific scheduled hour shift. These types of jobs are converted to hour equivalents which can be found on the online sign-up sheets. Should you have any questions regarding these jobs, please contact the Work Hours Obligation Coordinator at !