BARRACUDA SWIM CLUB
OF NORTHEAST TENNESSEE
      

SWIMMING OFFICIALS

Swimming is a very volunteer/parent-involved sport.  While the coaches do a great job with the "wet" side of our sport, the "dry" side cannot function properly unless parents and other interested adults are involved.  One area that regularly requires such involvement is officiating at swim meets.  If there are no officials, a meet cannot be held!  There are several levels of officials, each with a certain level of training required.

TIMERS

Yes, timers are considered officials at a USA Swimming Meet.  They must be 15 years or older.  The required training is minimal and usually occurs right before the start of a session at the meet (ie: how to work the stopwatch, where to record the times, etc.).  No USA Swimming registration is required.

STROKE & TURN JUDGES

In the sport of swimming, rules are there to insure fair competition.  Stroke & Turn Judges are officials who insure that these rules are being followed.  Parent volunteers must be trained and certified to fulfill this very important and necessary role.  We need a LOT of parents to become certified and trained in order that we can continue to offer meets for the kids.  It is not necessary to have a personal swimming background or currently know all the rules to be a Stroke & Turn Judge -- that's what the training is for!

How does it work?  There are basically 5 steps to becoming a certified Stroke and Turn Judge:
            1. Attend a Stroke & Turn Judge Clinic
            2. Download the current USA Swimming rules pages (commonly referred to as the "blue pages") from the USA Swimming web site.
                http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/d4ec65b7-f329-4f4b-abc7-9bb76b6f3f95/2008%20Mini-rulebook.pdf
            3. Register, take and pass the on-line Stroke & Turn Judge test found on the USA Swimming web site
                                http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=690&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en
            4. Become a non-athlete member of USA Swimming.  The non-athlete registration form is found under "Forms" on the BSC web site.
                Because this is an additional expense, and in consideration of parents’ participation, we will credit a family’s fundraising obligation for   the cost of an official’s USAS membership if they get certified/recertified and work in at least 3 of the 4 USAS meets that we host.
            5. Apprentice at 6 swim meet sessions.  You shadow an experienced official and gain practical experience at real swim meets.

            HINT:  Some people find it helpful to do step #2 before step #1.  That way, they already have an idea of the rules before the clinic and can get any questions cleared up at the clinic.  Also, since many clinics are held at swim meets, they can move straight from the clinic onto the deck and begin their apprenticeship.

STARTERS

After being a Stroke & Turn Judge for a year, you can train and get certified to be a Starter.  The reason one has to first be a Stroke and Turn Judge is that, at times, the Starter may have to fill in for the Referee during a meet.  There is a different clinic that a Starter must attend, a starter's test, and then some more apprenticing.  A USA Swimming membership is required.

REFEREE

After two years, a Starter may elect to become a Referee.  The Referee is the main official at the meet.  At larger meets, the referee's duties may be divided between an Administrative Referee, who will handle all procedural questions, and a Deck Referee, who will deal with the actual action in the pool.  Attendance at a referee's clinic, as well as a test and apprenticeship is needed.  A USA Swimming membership is required.

RECERTIFICATION

Each year, an official (at any level) must be recertified.  This allows them to keep up-to-date on rule changes and interpretations.  Clinic attendance and retaking the test is required.