Introduction

Welcome to the world of swim officiating! This page contains all the information you need to become an entry-level swim official. If you have any questions or for more information, please contact 

Why Be An Official?

There are lots of great reasons to become a swim official…

• We need you! Maybe it looks to you like we have plenty of folks on deck…but the fact is that at most meets we have about half the number of folks we need to officiate effectively!

• Contribute meaningfully to the sport! Sitting in the stands or in a lawn chair on deck is better than not showing up for your children, but becoming an official demonstrates to them the kind of parent you are --- caring and active.

• Great view! You are right there at the point of the action.

• Hospitality! At most all meets you are 'fed and watered' to your heart's content.

• Camaraderie! Meet and make friends with lots of other folks from all over your area and the state, and enjoy the energy and spirit of the officials' group.

• We are NOT little league…in swimming, unlike many sports, we pay for professional coaching and rely on volunteer officials…that’s how it should be, not the other way around!

• Once you are certified, your USA Swimming registration and background check will be reimbursed.  Forward those receipts to [email protected].

• Lastly, after certification, sessions worked at all NWAA hosted meets result in a $15/session credit back to your account.  For Memorial Classic, that's a $90 credit to your account if you work all 6 sessions.  

What do ‘Stroke and Turn Judges’ do?

The officials help the coaches and swimmers by maintaining a fair competitive environment. Stroke and Turn Judges (S/T) will observe the swimmers after the start and report any violations of the stroke and turn rules to the Referee. The swimmers ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt!

Officials—Levels

Swimming officials are divided into several levels, and once you have become a S/T judge, you can choose to progress to additional levels if you wish. No level is more important than the Stroke and Turn level, but you learn additional skills at each level. The additional levels are:

• Starter

• Deck Referee

• Meet Referee

How To Become An Official

Certification at each level requires online testing and supervised experience on deck. For Starter and Referee, experience at the preceding level is also required.

Here are the steps required:

1. Shadow an official at our next meet. You can just show up to get started!

2. Become a USA Swimming non-athlete member

• Register as an official with our team through our unique link with USA Swimming. 

• The team will reimburse your fees once you are fully certified by USA Swimming. 

3. Complete the Foundations of Officiating and Stroke & Turn Certification courses. 

4. Complete a (level II) background check

5. Complete the Athlete Protection Course

6. Complete the Concussion Protocol Training  

7. Complete at least four sessions on deck as an apprentice official during which time you will shadow an experienced official. These sessions must be completed over the course of two different meets.  

Visit USA Swimming for more information: Becoming an Official