Officials Update #5
In this issue:
Season Close
Looking Back/Planning Ahead
Forms to Use
Questions
Season Close
As the season draws to a close, one of the differences between the dual meets and post-season Prelims and A-Champs is the officials who are on deck. Midlakes requires that officials for Prelims and A-Champs be USA Swimming certified – so what does this mean and what will you see? There won’t be much difference – the same set of rules, interpretations, and exceptions will be used, the main difference will be the experience of the men and women volunteers. We’re fortunate to have a number of folks willing to help out – and you’ll be able to recognize them by the white shirts and navy blue shorts/skirts around the pool at each of these events. You’ll also notice two individuals in the roles of referee and starter which is more formal during the post-season mostly in an effort to confirm false starts (should there be any).
As you may have come to appreciate, officiating is a demanding and sometimes thankless job. So, if you get a chance, please thank those officials for their extra efforts in helping us conclude this 2008 Midlakes season. And for those of you not on deck, as you watch and observe, you may hear some parents in the stands wonder how a call could get missed. Please reassure them that everyone is doing the best they can and that every once in a while, a call gets missed even by an experienced official.
Also, B-Champs are coming up this Saturday and each attending team has been asked to provide officials. If you haven’t been identified as a potential official and are planning to attend, please be sure to check with your club’s volunteer coordinator or the host club as I know, if nothing else, there will be need for an extra set of eyes to help judge the relay take-offs.
Looking Back/Planning Ahead
Did you know that all of these updates are available on the Midlakes website? If you missed one, feel free to check out the prior updates at www.midlakesswimleague.org – they are down about half way under the section titled “Midlakes Memo”. And while we never know what may happen next year with regard to the rules and any potential changes, we’ll do our best to keep you informed with regard to holding officials training sessions. We’ll likely hold these for next years’ season in May and likely different days/times (like this year) to accommodate the most folks – and like any skill, it gets rusty if not used, so please plan on attending if nothing else to use as a refresher. If there are people who you know who missed out on training (or these updates) this year, please forward this email to them asking them to respond to me so I can add them to the distribution list. Midlakes will also communicate news via the website.
Also, if your young swimmer is new to the sport and/or you’re considering joining a year-round swim team, I know that USA Swimming is always looking for additional officials to help on deck. If you are interested in finding out more and joining the ranks, please let me know.
Forms to Use
While this may come a little late, a couple of clubs have found some ways to help out the officials in terms of the forms that are used. I’m passing these along as possible ways to make the document management easier – each club needs to determine what works best for them keeping in mind that consistency across the league is an important consideration as well.
Some clubs have taken the format of the Relay take-off form from the Stroke Briefing (http://www.midlakesswimleague.org/Documents/2008/2008%20MIDLAKES%20STROKE%20BRIEFING%20long%20page.pdf bottom of page 2) and created pre-printed relay take-off forms for each of the Medley and Freestyle Relays (20 events total). They generate 2 to a page and create 4 sets for use at each corner of the pool (and obviously, only the 100-yard events need to be created for the turn end of the pool). This allows for easier and more consistent documentation and can be compiled with the rest of the meet documentation.
As an alternative to using the DQ sheets the league provides, Meet Manager Lane/Timer Sheets could be printed for Stroke & Turn Officials, sorting by Event then Lane (not like Timer sheets which are Lane then Event). This gives two events per sheet where each event has only those lanes for that official’s jurisdiction – i.e. that official’s lanes (Lane 1 and Lane 2) in a 4 lane pool and likewise lanes 3 & 4 for the other official. These are printed on colored sheets of paper to distinguish them from the timer sheets. This provides a couple of benefits:
1) Officials do not have to write swimmer / event / heat – only the DQ information
2) Computer entry can account for every race to ensure all DQ slips have been received
Please note that duplicate copies (or an alternate form) must be made and filled out for routing to the coaches so that they are notified of the DQ within about 30 minutes of the end of the event.
Questions
Q1: What is the best protocol for the starter and announcer to follow?
A1: The most efficient process for the starter/announcer interaction is:
Most clubs following this procedure have found that this allows for a substantial saving of time during their meets. And this same process can also be used when the starter IS the announcer, making their job much easier.
As usual, let me know if you need any clarification. Thanks!
Scott
Allen
Midlakes Swim League
Officials Chair
