The Club’s minimum volunteer commitment per family per season by age group is as follows:

• U14, U16 & FIS - eight (8) days of volunteering  

• U12 - six (6) days of volunteering 

• U10 - four (4) days of volunteering 

• Fast Fridays: one (1) day of volunteering 

For families with multiple athletes, volunteer commitments will be calculated for the oldest athlete, plus 50% for the next oldest athlete (to a maximum of two athletes).  

• Example 1:
  Child one: FIS = eight (8) days required
  Child two: U14 = eight (8) days / 50% required number of days = 4 days
  Total Volunteer days required: 12 days

• Example 2:
  Child one: U14 = eight (8) days required
  Child two: U12 = six (6) days / 50% required number of days = 3 days
  Child three: U10 =  four (4) days, but is not included = 0 days 
  Total Volunteer days required:  11 days 

• All volunteers must be members of WMSC, or another ski club that is a member of BC Alpine (or equivalent in other Provinces) or Alpine Canada.

• A WMSC volunteer membership is free. Please obtain your volunteer membership here (link coming soon)

• All volunteers are ambassadors of the Club and are expected to uphold the Club’s Teamship Values.

• All on-mountain volunteers are subject to Whistler Blackcomb’s Site Safety Policy including the requirement to wear a helmet when on skis.

• At least one parent is expected to volunteer each day in which you have an athlete in a sanctioned race at Whistler Blackcomb (ie Nancy Greene, Zone and Provincial races as well as the Spring Series, but excluding Whistler Cup).

• Athletes may also be asked by their coaches from time-to-time to volunteer their time for Club and community activities.

• Parents (including guardians) are expected to volunteer at least eight (8) full days during the season per athlete, either on-hill or off-hill. Off-hill volunteering includes race office, socials and fundraisers.

• Parents/guardians and U16/FIS athletes are expected to volunteer at the Ski Swap – full day counts towards the minimum day volunteer commitment.

• Parents/guardians are expected to volunteer a minimum of three (3) days at the Whistler Cup, regardless of whether they have an athlete participating in the competition – full days on or off hill count towards the minimum day volunteer commitment.

• Volunteering at away races, although strongly encouraged, does not count towards the minimum day volunteer commitment. 

Race Committee (Competitions, Volunteers & Officials):

• Ensures all race events hosted by WMSC are of a high quality and in line with the values of WMSC

• Ensures an adequate supply and succession of keen, trained and skilled volunteers are available now and in the future

• Ensures a fair share volunteer policy is implemented

• Each race event will have its own committee

Volunteer Coordinator

• Tracks program parents’ participation of all program parents

• Maintains data base of parent’s skill sets and interests

• Coordinates with Race Chair, Fundraising Events Rep and Socials Rep to ensure parents volunteer as required

• Organizes program committee meeting with all program reps as required.

• If you have any questions concerning volunteering, please contact the volunteer coordinator at volunteering@wmsc.info.

Socials Rep

• One socials rep per program group

• Reports to WMSC Overall Socials Coordinator

• Recruits volunteers to organize assigned socials

• Organizes coaches' cards for year-end celebration

• Initiates and organizes program specific social events

Media Rep

• One rep per U group

• Reports to WMSC Overall Media Liaison

• Writes up report on all significant program events (races, athlete achievements and news) and submits to WMSC Media Liaison

• Coordinates photos and submits to WMSC Overall Media Liaison and uploads photos to the website

Parent Rep

• One parent rep per year of birth

• Welcomes all new members personally, encourage officials course participation

• Prior to each event works with volunteer coordinator to ensure all new members volunteer for appropriate roles

• Actively reach out to all new members monthly throughout the season, as a liaison between head coach and parents

The parents who assume these jobs are representatives of all the parents. As a result, at the beginning of each season we ask all returning parents in each program to indicate, who they would like to represent them in each of the various roles. Parents are allowed to nominate themselves and are asked how they would like to fulfill their volunteer duties during the upcoming season.

WMSC hosts races during the season: the organization of these races takes a committed effort and these events would not be successful without our parent volunteers.

Safety Setup [before the race]

The weekend before the race gets under way is usually a safety setup weekend. Parents are required to help put up the safety nets. We organize into crews of typically four to six lead by a more experienced parent. Unless otherwise announced we meet at Garbo Hut at nine o’clock on set up days.

Race Office Setup

Generally work inside, like:

• Getting the race office in order

• Preparing start lists and programs

• Sorting prizes

• Arranging for a parent/volunteer social
  

Course Crew

Under the direction of the chief of course, the course crew is responsible for the preparation of the course and its maintenance throughout the race. This requires being responsible for the course marking, including direction marking and marking pole positions as well as providing the course setter with assistance and equipment as needed. The course crews also:

• Prepare the start and finish areas

• Ensure the course is well prepared and maintained while the race is underway

• Hold a position in a key place along the course and use rakes and shovels to kept the course in good condition.

• Hold a position at the top of the course and run equipment down to places where it may be required during the race.

• Act as a slipper, to side-slip the course to minimize the ruts and berms.
  

Gate Judges

A gate judge is responsible for judging the passage of each competitor through the gates and deciding whether the passage is correct. Gate judges must have completed their Level 1 Official’s course certificate, so they are aware of the rules concerning correct passage. Gate judges are assigned gates to watch by the chief of gates. They stand to the side of the course and watch each competitor pass through their designated gates. If a competitor does not have the correct passage through the gates the gate judge marks this on a card.

Start Crew

The start area is overseen by the start referee who must be a Level 2 Official. Volunteer positions at the start include the starter, assistant starter(s), and two manual timers.

• The starter wears a headset and is in communication with timing. The race is started on the signal from the starter.

• The assistant starter organizes the racers according to their start order.

• The manual timers work in pairs using a stopwatch and a recording sheet to record a manual time at which each racer starts. This forms a backup time for all the electronic timing system.

The assistant starter and manual timers are appropriate volunteer positions for inexperienced volunteers.

Finish Crew

The finish area is overseen by the finish referee who holds a Level 2 Official certificate. 

• The finish spotter has a headset and informs timing of the bib number of races as they cross the finish line.

• Two manual timers work in pairs using a stopwatch and a recording sheet to record a manual time at which each racer finishes.

• A scoreboard volunteer has either a headset connected to timing or can visually see an electronic scoreboard on which times are displayed. They manually records these times on the scoreboard, so the racers can quickly see their times.

• A bib collector collects the bibs from racers after their final race.

The finish spotter, two manual timers, scoreboard, and bib collector are appropriate volunteer positions for inexperienced volunteers.

Timing Crew

Under the supervision of the Chief of Timing, the timing crew is responsible for the electronic timing systems of the race.

There are usually two independent electronic timing systems. Each requires two pairs of wire to be in place from the start to the finish to carry both the timing signal and communications between the areas; the start wand, finish beam, and a timing unit to receive and process the start and finish signals.

During races, the starter gives the start signal. When the racer opens the start wand, the circuit is broken and the start signal is sent to the timing machine. When the racer breaks the light beam at the finish the circuit is again broken and the finish signal is sent to the machine which calculates the elapsed time of the racer and prints it out.

Members of the timing crew work together as a team to ensure the systems are in place and functioning correctly. Any volunteers with electrical know how would be welcomed as part of this team.

Race Office [Off-Hill Position]

Overseen by the Chief of Administration aka Race Secretary, the Race Office takes care of the paperwork that a race inevitably requires. This includes:

• Sending the race notice

• Taking minutes at all Race Committee, Jury and Team Captain’s meetings

• Handling all correspondence

• Receiving all entries and race entry fees

• Preparing the draw cards and start lists

• Distributing and collecting bibs as well as giving out information.

• The preparation and the distribution of the race results.

The Race Office is an appropriate place for volunteers who do not wish to be outside for the duration of the race and have excellent organizational and administrative skills.

Food and Socials [Off-Hill Position]

All volunteers are supplied with a lunch which in addition, most races include a social function to thank all the volunteers.

Volunteers are needed to:

• Help organize the member socials.

• Help prepare and serve food

• Pick up and distribute lunches

This is a great volunteer position for individuals who do not wish to be or cannot be on the hill and perhaps have other commitments such as younger children.

Parents/Guardians and athletes must follow the WMSC Code of Conduct, WMSC Teamship Values and  the BC Alpine Code of Conduct.  As a volunteer, the following code of conduct has been developed to ensure that each of us supports the mission, vision and values of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. 

• Be courteous and helpful - regardless of the circumstances. Remember, we are all volunteers. If you do not know what to do, just ask a more experienced volunteer.

• Represent our Club well to others on the mountain and follow all rules and regulations.

• Be sure to thank other volunteers for their contribution.

• Ensure both you and others have a good time and meet new people.

• Show up on time for your scheduled shift, dressed appropriately and ready to work.

• Commit to a shift and avoid last minute cancellations. Races and events cannot proceed without a certain number of volunteers and last minute replacements are challenging to find for the volunteers coordinating events.

• Do not abandon your duties without first talking to the person in charge of the event or function.

• All on-mountain volunteers are subject to Whistler Blackcomb’s Site Safety Policy including the requirement to wear a helmet when on skis.

The non-volunteer payment option is not available as an alternative to volunteering: it is only for parents who cannot volunteer.  Similarly, the Club is not asking parents to make a pro rata donation if they attempt to meet but fall short of the minimum volunteering expectations. 

Should any family fail to meet the volunteer commitment set out above over the course of the season as determined by the ED and the Board, WMSC will charge a “non-volunteer fee” at the end of the season as follows:

U14, U16 & FIS - $1,500

U12 - $1,200

U10 - $800

Parents wishing to make a non-volunteer payment are asked to contact our administrative staff to make arrangements.

Most parents find volunteering for a race to be a fun and rewarding experience. However, we ask that you respect the following guidelines:

• Make sure that at least one parent volunteers for each day of the race as well as at least one day of the set-up weekend.

• If both parents cannot volunteer all day because of other obligations, even portions of the day will be appreciated.

• If you have volunteered for a position, please ensure you show up. Many people are relying on you to be there. If an emergency arises and you’re not able to make it, please contact your crew chief [you will be given their phone number ahead of time] as soon as possible.

• If you want to see your child race, consider being a course worker. That way you will be right on the course when your athlete races.

• Do not slip the course just before your athlete races and then disappear. While there is nothing wrong with slipping just before your child, so you can meet them at the bottom of the course, please be aware that other racers are depending on you to return to the start to the course as soon as possible.

• If you are volunteering in the start area, please let the coaches do their job and manage the athletes. Parents often do more harm than good at the start of a race, despite their best intentions.

• If you do not know what to do, just ask a more experienced parent. No one has any expectations that you be perfect.

• Do not worry about carrying clothing [pants and jacket] down to the bottom of the course for the racers. The boys and girls ski at different times and usually perform this role for each other.

• Please avoid using your cell phone during the race. It can be distracting for the racers and other volunteers.

Although we are under no obligation to volunteer when another mountain hosts a race, often they rely on WMSC parents to help as we are generally the biggest club. In addition, volunteering means you are supplied with a lift ticket and you can get to see your athlete race on the hill. Typically, other clubs require course workers and gate judges. To sign up, learn more at BC Alpine on the event page: http://bcalpine.com/calendar/

The Club recognizes that some families are legitimately unable to meet volunteer commitment, due to circumstances beyond their control.  The Club also recognizes that some athletes are living in Whistler on a homestay, without the support of their parents. To ensure that all parents are treated fairly, the Club is asking that parents who cannot meet our minimum volunteer expectations donate $1,500 per athlete to the Club.