How to become an Official

Most swim clubs rely heavily on their parent volunteers to host swim meets & many clubs enforce or mandate that the parents volunteer a set number of hours per year, since without the help of such volunteers, swim clubs will not be able to operate.  Our club would send an email that the sign-up for volunteers will be posted at a certain time – but by the time I clicked on the sign-up link, I would find that most of the volunteer spots have already been signed-up, so I found it somewhat challenging to fulfil my volunteer hours.  Then someone suggested that I should apply to become an official, since officials are always needed in any swim meets and I could also get my required volunteer hours by officiating at swim meets.  Hence, I started my journey as a swim official in parallel to being a swim parent.

There are three different types of swim officials:

a.      Stroke & Turn (ST or S&T)
They are the most common “hands-on-deck” officials who are visible at swim meets (they usually wear a white shirt over blue pants) and they work to ensure the swimmers complete their events doing a legal stroke.

b.     Administrative Official (AO)
As the name suggests, the AO works with the Meet Director to provide administrative support to ensure the meet is run smoothly. They usually work behind the scenes.

c.      Open Water Judge
Officials who work at “open water” (swimming at outdoor open oceans, lakes, or rivers) events.

I will only be covering the basic steps on becoming a Stroke & Turn Official. Please also note that each LSC (Local Swimming Committee) may have slightly different requirements as well, so please check with your LSC guidelines as well.

< Example of officials wearing white polo over navy-blue pants.  Image source:  https://swimnc.com/ncs-officials-at-winter-nationals/ >

But the basic steps would be:

1.   First, you need to be registered with USA Swimming as a Non-Athlete.  For our LSC, the annual registration fee was $91 (USA Swimming fee $66 + LSC Fee $25).  In my case, my swim club covered this annual registration fee.  Check with your club on how to obtain a USA Swimming Non-Athlete application form.

2.   Level 2 Background Check (BCG) – this needs to be done every 2 years.
In my case, I had to initially pay out-of-pocket (approx. $18) & then my club would reimburse the cost.  Refer to this website from USA Swimming for more details:  https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport/complete-a-background-check

3.   Athlete Protection Training (ATP – needs to be done annually).
You need to complete a free on-line course (approx. 90 min) that is available from USA Swimming (https://www.usaswimming.org/resource-center/athlete-protection-training)

4.   Concussion Protocol Training (online course)
You only need to do this once only & you have a couple of on-line options to choose from.  Refer to https://www.usaswimming.org/officials/concussion-protocol-training

5.   Attend a Stroke & Turn clinic that is hosted by your LSC. 
Each LSC may do things differently, but our LSC website had a link that showed a calendar of events including the date & location of future clinics that you could sign-up to.  

6.   Pass the Stroke & Turn/Timer online test.
You can access the test from:  https://www.usaswimming.org/officials/popular-resources/online-testing
In order to pass, you need a minimum of 80% passing grade & you need to do a re-certification test every 2 years.  This is an “open book” test, so you can refer to the USA Swimming’s Rule Book if you are unsure of any questions.

7.   Once you have passed the online test, you are now an “Apprentice” Stroke & Turn Official (commonly abbreviated as ST AP). 

8.   You can then sign-up to help officiate at swim meets.  For our LSC, we had a separate sign-up link for officials.  For your very first officiating session, you will most likely be paired with a more experienced official to “shadow” him/her during the meet.  Leverage that opportunity to ask any questions & learn from a qualified official.

9.   Each LSC may have different requirements on how to become a “Qualified” Official, so check with your LSC on what their guidelines are.  For me personally, I had to work a minimum of 10 sessions as an Apprentice Stroke & Turn Official and receive three positive recommendations from three different Meet Referees before I became a “Qualified” Stroke & Turn Official (commonly abbreviated as ST Q)

10.    After the swim meet, the Meet Referee will enter which sessions you have worked into USA Swimming’s Officials Tracking System (OTS).  Once you log into USA Swimming, you can check your meet history from your “Deck Pass”. The sessions you worked as an Apprentice Stroke & Turn Official will be shown on Deck Pass as “XJ” whilst the sessions you worked as a Qualified Stroke & Turn official will be shown as “ST”.

The most common attire for officials would be a white polo shirt over navy blue shorts / pants / skirt with white athletic shoes or sneakers.  You should always tuck your shirt in to look more professional.  Some meets may ask for khaki shorts instead of navy-blue shorts.  I’ve also had one meet where the required attire was a navy-blue polo shirt with khaki shorts/pants.  If you’re officiating at a Prelims/Finals meet, it is quite common to have a different attire depending on which session you are officiating.  For example:
- Prelims (morning session):  White polo + navy blue shorts/pants
- Finals (afternoon or evening session): White polo + khaki shorts/pants

< Example of officials wearing white polo over khaki pants/skirt. Image source: https://swimnc.com/ncs-officials-at-arena-pro-series/ >

Probably the most important rule to remember as an Official is this: The benefit of the doubt always goes to the swimmer!  You are there to ensure that each swimmer is performing a legal stroke & turn during their race.  But if you were not sure of what you have seen, always remember that the benefit of the doubt always goes to the swimmer.

To be completely honest, I initially became an official to ensure that I can fulfil my club's requirement on volunteer hours.  It can be challenging at times, especially during the hot Texan summer at an outdoor pool.  But these days, I do feel a sense of fulfilment & a little bit of pride as well by knowing that I am a part of a group of volunteers that ensures a swim meet is properly run.  After several years as a Qualified Stroke & Turn Official, I am now an Apprentice Starter (hoping to become qualified within the next few months!).  You also get to meet some great people within the same LSC & most of them are so willing to help you or pass on their knowledge to you.  At first, I was amazed by how many volunteer Officials there were who did NOT have any kids swimming at the meet.  These days, I actually think I may continue to officiate even during my retirement years when both of my boys will no longer be swimming.  I would not be having such a thought if I did not come across so many great volunteer Officials along the way.

Until next time, keep on cheering for your swimmers! 🏊🏊🏊

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