We enter the building, it's race day, coaches and swimmers have worked tirelessly for quite some time leading up to the event. The swimmers are prepared, they know what to do.
We all walk onto poolside ready for action. The warm-up begins and Coaches and Team Managers from each club organise the swimmers and send them in. A Coach or Team Manager then stands at the end of the lane(s) that their swimmers are in and supervise the warm-up, making sure that all is well.
In the meantime, officials have their briefing and prepare for a long day ahead. As the warm-up finishes, the officials walk onto poolside ready for a day of trying their best to not disqualify unless absolutely necessary and Coaches/Team Managers get start sheets so that they know who's swimming when and when to send them up to marshalling (or 'whipping' as it's commonly referred to down here in the south).
Officials are on poolside and without them the gala would simply not run, they do a stirling job, they really do (well most of them anyway). Would you charge an official to be on poolside? Obviously not, without them the competition simply couldn't run.
Now consider the same question for coaches and team managers. We pay to be there. Why?
Coaches pass prices keep rising year on year and we normally get start sheets in return for the £15/£20/£25+ that we pay for them. Sometimes we get a sandwich too.