So You Want To Become An Official?

Welcome to this introduction to officiating. Whether you are only slightly interested, or very serious about becoming an official, we hope these pages will spark your interest and provide answers to some of your questions.

Many of us who attend swim meets with our children find the time between events boring and difficult. For some, active involvement in these sporting activities is the answer. The urge to take an active part in our child’s activities can be quite strong. One way of showing our children that we think their activities are important, is to take an active supporting role in that activity. In swimming there are many jobs a parent, or supporter, may perform. Becoming involved in meet administration, or on deck officiating, are two methods.

While we as officials are closely involved with the races and performances of the athletes, it is very important that we maintain a professional attitude and demeanor. We must not allow ourselves to affect the performance of an athlete, or influence the outcome of an event. While officials are expected to observe the competition, and occasionally make a judgment regarding something observed, we must be honest and impartial. Officiating does not build character, it reflects our character.

So, how does one become an official? The first place to inquire is around your child’s team or club. There are probably other parents locally who are officials. Perhaps your club is planning to contact a Referee for a basic Stroke and Turn Judge clinic. This clinic would be the first step. A local or out of town Referee will hold a basic clinic session where information regarding the NC training program is presented. The basic clinic covers timing of races, and the technical rules covering competition in the four basic strokes. The process of apprenticing at meets under the supervision of other certified officials is also presented. The clinic leader may also explain how one may advance to other deck positions such as Starter and Referee. He/she will also cover the basics of registering with USA Swimming, how to renew your official’s certification and many other helpful tips.

In gaining your certification as a NC official, there are certain steps that must be followed. As previously mentioned, the first is attendance at a basic Stroke and Turn Judge clinic. During the clinic you may take a written open book test, or you may take the test at home after the clinic. This test may be completed online by going to the OFFICIALS ONLINE TEST SITE , and completing the test. You will receive your score immediately, and a copy will be automatically forwarded to the NC Officials Chair.

You will also be given a form to complete and mail with a check to the NC Registration Chair. This will be your membership registration with NC Swimming and USA Swimming, and must be renewed on an annual basis. Once you have taken the clinic, passed the written test, and joined USA Swimming, you are ready to go on deck and start your apprenticeship. If you go to the site named NORTH CAROLINA SWIMMING OFFICIALS CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (PDF) you will find the entire list of requirements for Stroke/Turn, Starter and Referee. On the site NC SWIMMING CERTIFICATION GUIDELINES (PDF) you will find the rationale for our training program and additional information.

We have found that the experience gained in an on-the-job training environment gives the technical rules much more relevance. It can be tricky talking about the rules of a certain stroke in the clinic, but when you are on the deck with an experienced official who can point out the fine points of that rule, the process becomes more clearly understood. On the deck training includes the protocols of how to report a possible infraction of the rules, jurisdictions between officials, application of the rules and positioning ones self to best observe your jurisdiction. We require an individual to apprentice six meet sessions for the Stroke and Turn Judge position. After six sessions you should have the confidence to cover your responsibilities on deck and report possible rules infractions professionally and with self assurance. As a practical matter, this usually means that if you attend a meet which has sessions on Saturday and Sunday, your child usually would swim one session each day. You could then apprentice each session in which your child swam, and thus complete your certification in three meets! While it is easiest to complete your six sessions at the meets your child attends, and in his/her level of swimming, we recommend that you broaden your experience by apprenticing at one or two sessions of differing levels of swimming ability. For example, if your child is a “B” level swimmer, try to work at an “A or better” or “BB or better” classification. It will broaden your experience level and make you a more accomplished ‘Judge’. When you have completed the apprenticeship, you will mail a photo copy of your apprentice card and registration card to the Officials Chair who will send you your NC Swimming Certified Official card, patch and welcoming letter. You are now qualified to officiate as a Stroke and Turn Judge at any USA Swimming sanctioned meet in North Carolina, or any other state, as well as any USA Swimming Sectional or National Championship meet.

We encourage you to participate in this great sport by becoming an official. The time spent is satisfying, and you will have the opportunity to make some great friends and share the deck with some wonderful athletes. If you have any questions about the certification process, or any other matters pertaining to officiating in USA Swimming, please let me know. As Chairman of Officials for NC Swimming, I am ready to help.
Hope to see you soon!
Richard Pockat
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