2025-2026 FISH Officials’ Appreciation Program

Dear FISH Swim Parents,

We hope you're as excited as we are about the upcoming swim season! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth Wiley, and I am the new FISH Officials’ Chair. While I am new in this role, I am not new to FISH. My daughter Ari is starting her seventh FISH season in Terrific, and her twin, Aletheia, has decided to step out of her summer swim bubble, starting her first season with FISH in AAG. I look forward to expanding my FISH involvement and coordinating and facilitating all things FISH Officials. This includes being a resource for all FISH Officials and parents interested in officiating, just an email away at [email protected].

As we prepare for another great year, we're reaching out to encourage more FISH parents to get involved by becoming swim officials. Your role as an official is crucial to the success of our swim meets and other meets within the PVS community, and it's a fantastic way to support your swimmer and our team.  

Why Become a Swim Official?

  1. Be Close to the Action: Watch your swimmer compete up close and gain a deeper understanding of the sport.
  2. Support the Team: Officials are essential for running smooth and fair swim meets. Sufficient volunteers are also integral to their efficiency and organization.
  3. It's a Fun and Rewarding Experience: You'll get to know other swim parents, coaches, and athletes while contributing to the sport your child loves.
  4. Never be Hungry at a Meet: At every meet, officials are provided free food and drinks!

Appreciation Incentives for FISH Officials:

  • No Cost to Certify: FISH pays for all USA Swimming officials' registration and background checks.
  • Meet Fee Reimbursements and Dues Credits:
    • Earn meet fee reimbursements for each session you officiate. Your swimmer (one swimmer) will swim for free for each session you officiate during FISH-hosted meets (November Open, Super FISH Bowl, FISH Derby, and the June Invitational).
    • Earn dues credits towards the 2025-2026 season:  
      • Officials working 16 meet sessions will earn a $400 credit.
      • Officials working 22 meet sessions will earn a $600 credit.
        (80% of these meet sessions must be FISH-attended meets.)
  • Exclusive Team Gear: Receive a "FISH Officials" team polo after completing your first meet and a hoodie after completing your first season as a FISH Official! Earn more FISH Officials team gear as you continue through the officiating ranks and remain certified.

How to Get Started:

Becoming an official is easier than you might think! There are three key entry-level roles to begin officiating:

  • Stroke and Turn Judge (ST): This is an on-deck position where you ensure swimmers follow the rules for each stroke. It's perfect for those who want to be right next to the action.
  • Hytek Computer Operator (CO): A table role focused on the administrative side of the meet. You'll work with the meet software to ensure results are accurate.
  • Timing System Operator (TO): This role is also at the table and involves managing the timing system to ensure the accurate recording of swimmers' times.

Training is provided for all three roles, and as you gain experience and become more comfortable, you can pursue additional certifications and roles such as Starter or Chief Judge (on deck) or Administrative Official (at the table). Or, if you find satisfaction in your initial role, as many officials do, continue in that position.

Training for Stroke and Turn (ST)
Training for this role is done online until you begin working meets as an apprentice. The steps for certification in this role are outlined at Stroke and Turn Certification. Broadly, this consists of:

  1. Complete the registration steps as detailed at PVS Registration.
  2. Completing an online course through USA Swimming University, including an open-book multiple-choice test.
  3. Completing apprentice sessions, culminating in an evaluation.

Training for the Entry-Level Table Positions (CO & TO)
Training for these roles is even simpler since they don’t require deck credentials. You can skip the registration process and head straight into training, which consists of:

  1. Reviewing the training materials online at your convenience:
  2. Working apprentice sessions until you feel comfortable working a meet without a mentor. PVS provides information on these apprentice sessions and additional guides and resources at the following links:

Next Steps:

If you're ready to join the FISH Officials and help make our swim meets successful, please reply to this email. And if you have questions or want to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m happy to discuss officiating with you or connect you with great information within the wealth of information about all aspects of officiating provided by PVS, USA Swimming, and others.

Thank you for your continued support, including considering whether one of these roles fits you and your FISH family. We’re excited to welcome more fantastic swim parents to our official ranks this season. The PVS October Open on October 11-13 and the Fall Gator Mini Meet on October 19-20 will be our FISH swimmers' first meets of the year. These are great opportunities to start apprentice sessions if you want to join the FISH Officials or to observe the roles in action if you’re considering it!

Elizabeth Wiley
FISH Officials' Chair