Swimming: Begging does not suit a championship event

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OK, I gotta say this. When the Southern Section-Toyota Division I swimming preliminaries can’t start on time because not enough people have ‘volunteered’ as timers, something’s wrong.

Granted, more ‘official’ people are probably needed at a big swimming event like this (three timers for each of eight lanes plus the officials) than for most other sports, but not to have these folks already in place and ready to go days before the start of Wednesday’s meet seems irresponsible on somebody’s part.

How classy is it when the PA announcer has to tell the audience, repeatedly, that ‘if you don’t want to stare at the empty pool, then we need volunteers’?

Perhaps each of the participating schools could be asked to supply one designated timer well ahead of time, rather than forcing a ‘championship’ event to go begging.

-- Editor Bob