Hello Aqua Club Swim Team Parents!
We appreciate your willingness to assist with timing during swim meets. Without your help, we could not operate our home events.
Our new wireless stopwatches increase accuracy and result in more uniform timing results. However they work differently than stopwatches you have used in the past. They are remotely reset so the reset button on these watches performs differently than you may have experienced with classic stopwatches. Typically you will only use the reset button in one case: after the start of a race when there is no swimmer in your lane.
Paying attention is still an important trait of a good timer. Your focus must be on the swimmer in your lane as they are finishing in order to hit the button precisely when they touch the wall.
If you helped as a timer in the last couple of years, these new watches are similar to the pickle buttons we have used in the past, which you pressed only when the swimmer in your lane finished.
As the watches are all started simultaneously when the starter begins the race, you only need to stop the watch when the swimmer in your lane finishes. There is a split function that allows you to press the button during the race. If this is done (on purpose or accidentally), press the black button again and the watch should display running time, indicated by the clock icon in the upper right of the display. No time will be lost. Just be sure to stop the watch when the swimmer in your lane finishes. Be careful not to hit the button after the race finishes or a new later time will be recorded on your watch for that lane and swimmer.
Make sure to get the median time for the three watches and write it down on the form. It’s unusual that we will need this manual backup, but it does happen on occasion.
Timing Basics
- Do not press any button at the start of the race.
- Press either black button when the swimmer finishes their race.
- If you accidentally hit the black button before the swimmer finishes, DO NOT PANIC, just hit the button again to exit split mode and then press the button when the swimmer finishes.
- Do not press Reset after the swimmer finishes.
- Do not press the black button again after the finish — a new later time will be recorded if you do.
- Press reset AFTER the race start if there is no swimmer in your lane. If you do this by mistake, hit the black button to resume timing.
If you notice your watches are running before the race begins, do not panic, it will reset when the race begins. DO NOT PRESS RESET before the race start.
