Why become an Official?

Officials are needed for every team. Without officials, meets could not be held and it is very common for teams to have to ask, or beg parents to officiate at meets. If enough officials cannot be found, the meet has to be called off. For any given meet, a minimum of three officials are needed and five are preferred. Add to that , the timers, the concession, computer, ribbon, meet marshals, clerk of course, and runners that are required to volunteer to run a meet. I am no sure I have ever been to a meet that had too many volunteers but no less than 30 volunteers are needed.

While the numbers are staggering and often overwhelming, there is yet another reason why parents should become an official. Parents who better understand the rules of swimming can better help their children understand why they received a disqualification (DQ), during a race. In most cases parents either don't notice that their children were disqualified or they don't understand why. The YMCA offers official training and certification classes that help parents "be in the know".

Want to learn more about Officiating?