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Confessions of a Neophyte Official
by ROBIN YUCUS
Saluki Official
It’s not as hard as you think to become a USA Swimming Official;
it’s not as easy as it looks, either. While these comments may seem at odds
with one another, I’m convinced that they’re equally accurate. The process
for becoming a USA
certified official is relatively straightforward. One simply registers and
attends an official’s clinic (provided by Ozark Swimming), studies and
completes an online exam, apprentices under the supervision of experienced
officials for about six months, and demonstrates proficiency under
observation of a member of the Official’s Committee (I have yet to complete
this final step). The prescribed path for advancement is to begin as a
stroke and turn judge (which includes certification as a timer), progress to
starter, and advance to referee. If you’re reading this, you’ve been around
swimming enough to already have a pretty basic understanding of strokes and
competition. The rest will flow naturally with experience and the confidence
that comes with that experience.
Well, you say, that sounds easy enough; so what’s the catch? The
catch is that the golden rule of officiating is that you only call what you
see. And while that my sound obvious, it is in practice much more difficult
than it would seem. Let’s assume that a new official is assigned four lanes
of eight-and-under breaststroke (never mind the length – we’re only
concerned about the start) and upon swimmers entering the water the official
is alternately watching each swimmer to verify that the streamline is
followed by only one downward pull of the arms before surfacing and
beginning breaststroke arms. One swimmer (inevitably the one you’re not
focused on) surfaces two full body lengths ahead of the field and the
official, the swimmer, the crowd, and even the heat sheet vendor in the
corridor knows that this swimmer began breast stroking (essentially swimming
under water) before surfacing, a clear violation of the rules. But, the
official didn’t actually see the infraction because he/she was scanning the
other three swimmers. No call! An official only calls what they see occur,
not what they know happened.
In this example, a swimmer gained an unfair advantage. But rarely
is an advantage gained; in fact, most stroke infractions hinder a swimmers
progress. Those fly arms dragging through the water are an inefficient way
to swim. So why call these infractions at all? Because unlike soccer, where
an official’s yellow card remains in the pocket unless an advantage is
obtained, a swimmer’s progress and development are dependant upon performing
strokes correctly. At this level of swimming, disqualifications are not a
reprimand, but rather remediation (unfortunately as parents this can often
be hard to recognize). Being a small part of a budding swimmer’s development
by serving as an official can be a rewarding experience. If you’re not sure
if it’s for you, try volunteering as a timer and observe the official next
you; ask questions. And as an added bonus, you get to wear white shoes after
Labor Day! |
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