5. Assistants Training - Roles You Might Be Asked to Fill

🧩 Roles You Might Be Asked to Fill

The meet is always moving — your flexibility keeps it running.

📋 Clipboard Helper (Start Line)

You’ll help check in athletes or help set up field event sheets on clipboards.

• Bring: Clipboard, pen/pencil, scratch paper
• Skills: Clear handwriting, staying alert, tracking changes and adjustments
• Pro tip: Scratch out missing athletes, write over changes and combined events, circle full heats, cross out finished events, write down finishing order, and whatever helps you navigate and understand the meet program.

🧍 Staging & Runner Wrangler

Help athletes get to the right place at the right time. Hopefully the meet will provide someone to do this, but if things are slowing down, then you may need to step up and assist here.

• Call out heats and names.
• Line up athletes.
• Direct runners to lanes or holding areas.
• Communicate with starter and head timer about missing athletes or changes.

📬 Result Runner / Delivery

Grab printed results and post or deliver them where needed. Most events will provide their own Results Runners. Some meets do not print results anymore, as everything is online, so you may need to help the Announcer and Awards crew pull those results up on their own cell phones and tablets. Be aware of live.tf and awards.tf

• Know where the posting boards are, in case anyone asks
• Be quick — coaches look for results constantly

📦 Gear Runner / Utility Support

Quick support for gear fetch, wire runs, or backup cables during setup.

• Be ready to walk or move fast
• Ask “what’s next?” after every task
• Always return borrowed gear to the same spot
  • Camera Cases (All camera and start sensor accessories)
  • UPS/Switch Box (powers and connects your network together, generator runs to this directly)
  • Tent sides and Tablecloth Bin
  • Display Board and Cable Bin (Devices and cables associated with Display Boards)
  • Cable Bin (regular ethernet and power cables)
  • Printer Bin (printer, spare ink, and paper)
  • Clipboard Bin (clipboards, pencils, binder clips, and hip number portfolio)
  • Computer Bags and Mice (mifi hotspot and other accessories)
• Setting up Field Event Tablets
  • Ask Timer if they are using Tablets at the field events
  • Make sure tablets are charged
  • Load Field event rounds with QR codes
  • Separate the each tablet to different event types.
    • Same situation as the field event clipboards, if they are using multiple pits, you may need to separate genders.
  • Be prepared to answer questions about the Fieldapp and how to use. If you are unsure, have the Timer explain for the first time and shadow along.

🎯 Field Event Data Entry

You will be using RunMeet to enter results from the Field Score sheets into the RunMeet Field Series. This is the data entry portion of the Role.

• Help the Timer input completed field score results into the web platform
• If you are unsure, ask the timer how to get started!
• Verify names, event, and flight before typing. You don't want to accidentally finish typing the whole page, just to realize it was the wrong flight of the event!
• If the meet is using the FieldAPP, then data entry becomes a lot easier, where you will just need to double check marks instead of typing everything.

🎙️ Announcer Runner (if used)

Sometimes the announcer will ask for paper results or updates. Try to push them towards the live.tf site, You may need to pull it up and show them at first. Show them the Live page, the event list, and how to search for athletes and teams.

• Help bridge the gap between timing tent and press box
• May need to bring them paper results, corrections, or scratches

📱 Race Video Recorder (try to find a volunteer to train)

AthleticTiming aims for 100% of our races to be recorded and uploaded to the Live Results site for spectators. We use the FieldAPP as a way to record and upload, although other methods of recording are available.

• Help set up tripod and find a suitable location that can view the entire track.
• Load meet and event schedule into the app. Verify meet name, event name, and athletes in the list match the timer before setting up on the tripod.
• Remember to provide umbrella/shade/water/check on the volunteer regularly! Do not forget about them!
• Remind them that longer videos may not upload quickly, so try to upload the faster/smaller race files and wait until on Wi-fi to upload bigger files.

🔧 Backup Timing

Backup timing is a secondary way to track race finishes in case the main camera, computer, or system fails. It's your safety net — and it matters more than you think.

You may be asked to act as a backup timer, especially during tight or high-stakes races.

• Although tagging each athlete of each race may not be required, it is very good practice! You will use the same process and applications that the main system uses: RunMeet Local, chrome web pages, and FinishLynx!
• The main difference is that it is not connected to the "Live Site", to avoid redundancy and overlapping results.
• As backup timer, you will use the backup camera and computer to stay with the current race. Collect the start time, capture the entire race image, and save into a backup folder.

🔗 Congratulations on reading through the Assistant Training guide! So what now?!

Check out these other useful guides:

• Employee Handbook:
• Monday.com Event Board
  • Our Comprehensive schedule: name of each event, each week, assigned team members, location of event, and services provided
  • List your availability and communicate with your team using Monday for your next event!
  • Learn to use your Time Sheet on Monday.com app and browser

• Timer Training Guides: Level up and time with AthleticTiming!