NEW ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION
Administrative Official LSC Certification/Recertification
Create an Account and Register with USA Swimming
Background Check / Athlete Protection Training / Concussion Protocol Training
Administrative Official Certification/Recertification Tests
INTRODUCTION
Why have Administrative Officials?
- To help provide fair and equitable competition for the athletes which is run according to the rules and
- To make sure the times entered into the USA Swimming SWIMS database are accurate
How do Administrative Officials Achieve These Goals?
-
They receive, process, produce and distrubute information according to the rules.
Administrative Official Traits
- Likes working with people
- Patient and cooperative --even if you know how to do the jobs of everyone on the admin team, you can't do them all yourself without the meet slowing to a crawl.
- Willing to work under pressure and see the humor in the inevitable problems you’ll have to work through on occasion.
- Coaches are advocates for their swimmers. While coaches will likely go to the Meet Referee with their concerns, they may directly come to you with timing or results question. Listen to their point of view and consider the information that they bring you.
- If requested, be willing to show a coach the detail that supports timing adjustments, judges’ decisions for place, or other admin decisions, but don’t disrupt the session moving forward unless absolutely necessary.
- Detail Oriented
- Cares enough to do it right, even though it takes time.
- Studies and knows the rules about seeding and timing.
- Knows how the timing equipment and Hy-Tek work has actually read the manuals
- Good with math to do/verify timing adjustments
ADMINSTRATIVE OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION (AO) (Minimum Age 18)
| Education & Training |
Member of USA Swimming. Attend AO Clinic training. Pass USA Swimming Administrative Official certification test. Apprentice as an Administrative Official for at least four (4) Training Sessions over two (2) meets with a Trainer(s). Satisfactory performance. |
| Evaluation & Certification |
Apprenticeship signed off by a Certifier. Must complete certification within one (1) year from date of Clinic. May officiate in any AO role at any meet. |
| Recertification every 3 years recertifies LSC AO |
Worked at least eight (8) Sessions, within a three (3) year period, as an AO, or in a role identified under 102.14.1A-D. Attend Clinic (recommend AO Clinic) training every three (3) years. Pass USA Swimming Administrative Official recertification test. Satisfactory Performance as AO.. |
| Comment |
Once a person is certified as an AO, they are encouraged to participate in as many meets as they can to gain experience and knowledge. This will allow those running meets to have greater confidence in their ability to be an AO at meets of various levels |
CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND REGISTER WITH USA SWIMMING
- Go to usaswimming.org
- Select CREATE A LOGIN
- Follow the online prompts to create your account.
- Follow the online prompts to register for an Apprentice Official or Non-Athlete Membership
- Apprentice Official allows the trainee to go on deck and begin their on-deck training.
- Trainee has 60 days to complete the Background Check (BGC), Athlete Protection Training (APT), and Concussion Protocol Training (CPT)
- At day 61, trainee MUST become a Non-Athlete member which requires BGC, APT, and CPT to be completed before stepping on deck.
- Download the USA Swimming app on your smartphone
You must register before you are allowed to apprentice on a pool deck.
BACKGROUND CHECK / ATHLETE PROTECTION TRAINING / CONCUSSION PROTOCOL TRAINING
To complete your BGC, APT, and CPT…
- Login to your account on usaswimming.org.
- Navigate to Education > Course Catalog > Officials > Requirements
- Background Checks are required every 2 years.
- Athlete Protection Training is required yearly.
- Concussion Protocol Training is a one time requirement with no expiration date.
- Email completed CPT certificate to Utah Swimming at [email protected]
When you first login to your account on usaswimming.org, you should have a Good Standing designation under ‘My Membership Card’. Click on ‘Good Standing’ to view your expiration dates.
BGC, APT, and CPT must be completed before becoming certified.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION/RECERTIFICATION TEST
- Login to your account on usaswimming.org.
- Navigate to Education > Course Catalog > Officials > Certification Exams (or Recertification Exams).
You do not need to report your test score.
- Utah Swimming Officials’ uniform is white top, black bottoms, and black closed-toe shoes.
- Contact the Meet Referee and Meet Admin Official of your intent to apprentice. Meet Referee and Admin Official contact information can be found in the Meet Information.
- Download the Administrative Official Training Log and bring it to each session.
- Arrive on time to the Officials’ meeting, typically one hour prior to the session, sign-in to work the session, and login to the USA Swimming app to show your ‘Good Standing’ status to the Meet Referee or his/her designee, then report to the Administrative Official at the Administrative location.
- Have your ‘trainer’ complete the Certification Record and signed by the Meet Referee.
- At the completion of the 4th session, the Meet Referee will mark Yes or No in the Recommend Certification box. Submit the completed Administrative Official Training Log [email protected].
- VERY IMPORTANT: A ‘No’ recommendation IS NOT a failure. It merely means some areas you were not exposed to or may need more practice.
- In the event it is believed that an official has not shown the necessary competency in the position after completion of the required training and apprentice sessions, the official will be provided a written action plan of the steps needed to successfully obtain certification. Written notice shall be provided to the official within 2 weeks of the last apprentice session (or submission of the appropriate documents to the Certifier.
- An apprentice may also request additional training.
- Certifier: An official designated by the LSC OC to certify training is complete and who shall record it in Officials Tracking System (OTS).
- Clinic: Formal in person or online training clinic, recorded in OTS. Current LSC training curriculum will stay in place until USA Swimming Online Certification Training is available. When USA Swimming training curriculum is available, then that will be the required training.
- Certification: The act of certifying. An official must meet certain requirements to be certified in a particular position.
- Satisfactory Performance: Demonstrates the requisite knowledge of the applicable rules and satisfactorily performs the on-deck protocols and duties for the position. Deficiencies must be provided by LSC OC, or designee, in writing to the affected official with an Action Plan to success.
- Session: Any portion of a meet distinctly separated from other portions by locale, time, or type of competition, i.e., preliminaries and finals; morning and evening; Senior or Age Group, etc., which has been sanctioned or approved by USA Swimming and recorded in OTS.
- Trainer: An official designated by the Referee at a meet, or the LSC OC, who has been certified in the position for at least one (1) year. If an official meeting the one (1) year requirement is not on deck, the Referee may select the most experienced certified official(s) to be a Trainer(s).
- Training Sessions: Sessions that include strokes and/or relays. Time Trials & Freestyle Only Sessions shall not count toward Training Session requirements. Sessions shall be recorded in OTS.
- USA Swimming Membership: Completed all USAS member associated requirements before being certified in any position.
