Become a Swim Official!
Top 10 reasons to become a swim official
10 - Officials are not only needed, but required, in order to conduct swim meets.
9 - Officials get the “best seat in the house”
8 - There is often a hospitality room for coaches and officials.
7 - You will be working with a great group of people.
6 - You get to know parents from other teams.
5 - High satisfaction, no pay.
4 - Donuts and scotcharoos have no calories when consumed in a chlorine rich environment. (you may want to revisit reason #8)
3 - You will learn A LOT about swimming.
2 - You get to wear white after Labor Day.
And the Number 1 Reason to become a Swim Official…
1 - A great way to share and participate in your child's swim experience.
How to become an Iowa Swimming official
In Iowa, there are two entry points for new officials. You may begin as a “wet deck” official observing swims with a Stroke & Turn qualification, or you may begin on the “dry deck” working with the computerized timing as an Administrative Official who determines the official time for each swimmer. Visit the Learn About Officials page to understand the roles and functions of all the officials at a meet. No matter which entry point appeals to you, the process to become an official is the same:
STEP 1 – Attend the Introduction to Officiating Clinic, then attend an Officials’ Certification Class for Stroke & Turn and/or Admin Officials
STEP 2 – To register as an Apprentice Official, you need the registration link from your club registrar. If you are unattached, please contact the LSC Office. Once you have that, if you don't yet have a USA Swimming account, you will create that account first, then proceed through the registration process...and choose "Apprentice Official" as the registration type. Apprentice Official is free, so there should be no total due at checkout. If there is a total due - you have probably chosen the wrong reg type. NOTE: The apprentice official registration is valid for 60 days from registration and cannot be renewed. You must then register as a non-athlete member and complete the Back Ground Check (BCG), Athlete Protection Training (APT) and Concussion Protocol Training (CPT) to be a non-athlete member in good standing to continue to be able to "access the deck".
STEP 3 – Once logged in to your account, go to OFFICIALS > ONLINE TESTING and follow the directions to complete the online test for Stroke & Turn/Timing Judge or Admin Official. The tests are not timed, and you are encouraged to look things up in the rulebook. You can even print the test to work on it offline and enter your answers later.
STEP 4 – Complete an Apprenticeship for your desired certification
Look in the Meet Invite of any IASI sanctioned meet for the Meet Referee (MR) contact information. Contact the MR and let them know you would like to serve as an Apprentice during the meet.
Before the meet, print out the appropriate form from Grow as an Official (Certification Requirements). Bring your Apprentice Form with you for every apprentice session.
Unless directed otherwise by the MR, Apprentice Officials are expected to wear standard IASI attire (white shirt, blue pants/short/skirt, and white(ish) shoes). If you know any officials from your team, you may want to ask them for help. Most experienced officials have a closet full of white shirts! When selecting your shoes, the closer to white the better, but don’t fret it too much. Keep in mind that many pool decks are slippery so “non-skid” may be more important that white over a light gray. Another great resource is the Officials Resources > Apparel page where you can order Iowa Swimming Officials polo shirts and the Iowa Swimming Officials name tag.
Stroke & Turn Apprentices must successfully complete 4 apprentice sessions with at least two different mentors. At least 2 of the 4 sessions must be at IASI sanctioned meets and the final session’s mentor must hold an N2 or higher qualification. (It is okay if you don’t understand that last part yet. Just make sure the MR knows which session will be your 4th session).
Administrative Apprentices must successfully complete 4 apprentice sessions with at least two different mentors, at a minimum of 2 meets. The final session's mentor must have at least 1 years' experience as an AO or AR (It is okay if you don't understand that last part yet. Just make sure the MR knows which session will be your 4th session).
STEP 5 – Upgrade your registration from Apprentice Official to Official. Log in to your account. From your Dashboard page, click on General Info, then Upgrade. You will be charged the full fee at checkout. Ask if your club pays for the Officials registration fee, and if so, how to get reimbursed. Contact your club registrar for assistance. Note: This and the following 2 steps by the expiration of your apprentice official registration with USA Swimming in order to complete your apprenticeship.
STEP 6 – Register and pay for a Level II Background check on the USA Swimming website. The cost for your first background check is $38 and many teams will reimburse your expense. The background investigation process may take 7 – 14 business days and must be successfully completed prior to obtaining certification as an official.
STEP 7 – Once your Non-Athlete Membership has been confirmed, complete Athlete Protection Training and Concussion Protocol Training both of which can be found on the USA Swimming website. These are both FREE. Send your concussion certificate to [email protected].
STEP 8 – After completing all the steps and your final apprentice session, email your completed Apprentice Form to the IASI Officials Chairperson. Upon confirmation of satisfactory completion of all the required steps, The IASI Officials Chair will contact you by email to welcome you as our newest IASI official.
CONGRATULATIONS! But your journey is just beginning. The best officials never stop learning and developing. Visit the Grow as an Official page to learn about the opportunities for growth and development.
Resources:
Iowa Swimming:
Address: 432 46th St
West Des Moines, IA
50265
(P): 563-391-5832
