Kenora Rowing Club’s Regattas require a lot of help from volunteers! We encourage community members from near and far to come spend the day at the club. No previous rowing or volunteer experience is required, we’ll show you the ropes! Below is a list of Volunteer Roles and a description of each role. Volunteers shifts are broken into half days (~7am until 12pm, and ~12:30pm until 6pm), you are welcome to sign up for a half day or a full day. Most volunteer positions are outdoors, rain or shine, so dress and pack appropriately! The event would be paused in the event of a thunderstorm to determine next steps. Volunteer positions located on the lake would be taken to their position by shuttle boat.
Clerks
Clerk of the Course
Your role is to announce first call and second call of each event to notify rowers that it is their turn to launch. You are located in front of the clubhouse.
Clerk of the Course – Assistant
Your role is to provide a lane marker and complete crew checks in as they prepare to launch and record that they have launched on the heat sheet. You communicate with the umpires via two-way radios about any last minute scratches, late to launch or other situations affecting the starting of a subsequent race. You are located in front of the clubhouse.
Dock Masters
Dock Master – Outgoing
Your role is to direct departing crews onto the dock when there is room and to have them quickly and efficiently get their oars on the boat and launch, allowing room for the next crew. You are located in front of the clubhouse.
Dock Master – Incoming
Your role will be to direct and assist crews returning after racing to your dock to land their boat, and direct them to quickly and efficiently get their boat and oars off the dock to allow the next crew to land. Knowledge of rowing and rowing terminology is an asset to this position. This is a physically active job requiring standing, reaching and communicating clear instruction to athletes. You are located in front of the clubhouse.
Results Personnel
Start Assistant
The start assistant will work directly under the supervision of the start umpire. They are responsible for running the computer software Regatta Master timing program. Each race is called up from the regatta data and the mouse is clicked when the race starts. This then is confirmed and sent to the cloud. Software training is provided. You must be able to climb a 4-foot ladder onto the raised start platform. You are on a dock and not on shore so be sure to use the restroom before leaving the club house. You will be taken down the lake in a boat.
Results Assistant
Your role is to assist the results person by posting heat and race results on the bulletin board in front of the boathouse and other duties as assigned by the results person.
Finish Line Personnel aka Timers
You are under the direction of the Finish Line umpire. Your role will be to do one of the following:
- operate the computer/tablet utilizing the Regatta Master software, calling up the correct race, recording by mouse click/tap as each boat crosses the line, recording order of finish, and after this information is confirmed by the umpire pushing it to the cloud.
- hand timing utilizing a printable stop watch as each boat crosses the line
- operating flag as each crew crosses the line
- operating horn as each crew crosses the line
- recording order of finish as each crew crosses the line
You are on a pontoon boat or dock and not on shore so be sure to use the restroom before leaving the club house. You will be taken down the lake by shuttle boat.
Concession
Concession – Kitchen Prep Team
Working under the Head of Concession, your role is to prepare food for sale at the concession and to ensure umpires and volunteers are fed. You will be working in the kitchen at the rowing club boathouse inside. Depending on availability you could also assist in grocery shopping and food preparations in the days leading up to the regatta.
Concession – Sales
Working under the Head of Concession, your role is to sell food, drinks, and merchandise or banquet tickets to athletes, coaches and other attendees. You will be working inside at the rowing club boathouse.
Starting Line Boat Holder
The starting line boat holder works directly under the supervision of the Aligner Umpire. You will receive direction from the aligner through a radio with an earpiece. You will be laying down on a dock (on your stomach) reaching out in front of you to physically hold the boat in your lane in place for approximately 4 minutes each race. When the start Umpire starts the race, you let go of the boat and rest until the next boats approach the start. You are on a dock and not on shore so be sure to use the restroom before leaving the club house. You will be taken down the lake in a shuttle boat.
Boat Drivers and Boat Personnel
Please see descriptions of individual roles below. Boat Drivers must ensure your assigned boat is filled with gas at the beginning and end of their shift. Please dock your aluminum boat at the docks parallel to the shore. Please ensure you have a two-way radio and a megaphone in your boat. You will use a sign-in sheet in the club house to sign-out and return your radio each shift. You will drive your boat slowly, not making a wake. You must keep your boat out of the way of rowing shells moving on the lake – remember they can’t see you, but you can see them.
Shuttle Boat Driver
This role requires a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or American equivalent. Shuttle boat driver will drive volunteers, Umpires, media and others on an as-needed basis. The shuttle boat driver will ensure their assigned boat is filled with gas at the beginning and end of their shift.
Marshall Boat Driver
This role requires a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or American equivalent. You will be driving a tiller steer boat. You will have an assistant/spotter in your boat so that you can always be aware of traffic fore and aft. Your role will be to enforce the direction of traffic in the warm-up area. You will be stationed at the beginning of the warm up area, which is just past the launch area towards the start to patrol. You will direct boats travelling towards the start to stay closest to shore and boats utilizing the warm up area adjacent to the course to travel in the direction of racing.
Marshall Boat Assistant/Spotter
Your role will be to enforce the direction of traffic in the warm-up area. You will be stationed at the beginning of the warm up area, which is just past the launch area towards the start to patrol. You will direct boats travelling towards the start to stay closest to shore and boats utilizing the warm up area adjacent to the course to travel in the direction of racing.
Safety Boat Driver
This role requires a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or American equivalent. You will be driving a tiller steer boat. You will have an assistant/spotter in your boat so that you can always be aware of traffic fore and aft. You will be assigned the 0-1000m or 1000-2000 m section of the course to patrol. PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE A RADIO AND MEGAPHONE IN YOUR BOAT. You will pick up your radio and megaphone in the clubroom and sign them out on the sheet and return it when you are done and sign it back in. You will drive your boat slowly, not making wake except in responding to an emergency. The umpire closest to an emergency will call for assistance on the radio. Please see laminated card in your boat for examples of the specific language you will hear over the radio in an emergency. The role of the safety boat along with responding to emergencies is to enforce the direction of traffic in the warm up or cool down area. You should keep your boat near the warm-up or cool down section you are patrolling.
Safety Boat Assistant
This position ideally requires First Aid training. You may need to rescue a rower(s) from the water in the event a boat capsizes. It is your responsibility along with the boat driver to constantly be aware of traffic fore and aft. The umpire closest to an emergency will call for assistance on the two-way radio. Please see laminated card in your boat for examples of the specific language you will hear over the radio in an emergency. The role of the safety boat along with responding to emergencies is to enforce the direction of traffic in the warm up or cool down area. You should keep your boat near the warm-up or cool down section you are patrolling.
Umpire Boat Driver
This role requires a Pleasure Craft Operator Card or American equivalent. The umpire boat driver works directly under the supervision of the umpire in your boat. You will drive either a tiller steer or steering wheel boat to follow races down the course at the speed and direction indicated by your umpire. After finishing following the race you will drive expediently back to the start up the centre lanes of the course. As you approach the next race coming down the course you kill your speed, allowing the wash to come into your stern, then turn 90 degrees to the course and slowly drive off the course. After the race has passed you re-enter the course and drive up to the start. Do not drive your boat behind the start tower unless explicitly instructed as the cables holding the course buoys are very shallow here. If you are driving a wakeless launch you will dock at the small dock parallel to the docks the rowing shells depart and return to. If you are driving an aluminum boat, you will dock at the docks parallel to the shore.
Gas Jockey
The gas jockey ensures all gas jerry cans at the boathouse are full of gas prior to the regatta and re-filled at the end of the day. The gas jockey helps boat drivers with re-fuelling at shift changes.
Land Personnel
Environmental Steward – Garbage and Recycling
The role of garbage and recycling personnel is to monitor garbage and recycling bins in and outside the boathouse, empty when full, replace full bags with new bags This volunteer will also monitor inside and outside washrooms’ soap or hand sanitizer, paper towel and toilet paper supplies and replace when needed and let the Volunteer Coordinator know if supplies are running low.
Regatta Clean Up Crew
The clean up crew starts at the end of the regatta day. The role of the clean up crew is to gather garbage and recycling, ensure that the area outside the boathouse, the boat bays inside the boathouse, the bathroom, and club room and kitchen are clean.
Floater
This person is a generic volunteer who is willing or interested to fill in as necessary.