Call and request for swim officials

Hi team!

Another meet weekend coming up, and I am excited to see our team back in action! There have been important developments that are impacting our YMCAs that I wanted to share.

At the last meet down in Everett, we had a coaches meeting in which Earl (PSSA officials coordinator) expressed some dire news. We are slated to be losing 20 officials across the league (last year had several seniors and with that, parent volunteers).

Many of the officials that have been helping run Y State are also PNS/USA Swimming officials that are doing it out of love of the sport and to help our community. Many of them no longer have kids/grandkids participating, and several are at the age where they will be fully retiring soon. Last season, my coach and a lead officials trainer, Jim Cornforth, had fully retired following a health complication.

Earl again shared the officials training that he is offering for free. I will copy that down below.

While our team is not in the worst shape of the league, we are operating on a shoestring. The number of officials that we have greatly increases the quality and availability of our meets. We have been lucky that other team's officials have been helping with our events, and operating meets under these conditions has been tough.

Some of you have noticed that we do not have a home meet in the fall season, and that is simply because of the need for more officials. I could not secure the minimum required officials (AO, level 2s) and so Snohomish Y led the meet schedule bid in the north end.

For those of you that have been around swimming and our team, you know how important volunteerism is for the sport. I am appreciative for our dedicated volunteers that I believe have helped make our events a great role model for other YMCA teams. If you are someone that has frequently helped with timing, maybe the next step is to become an official!

Effective immediately, travel costs for those officiating on behalf of our team will be reimbursed. All certification and training is fully paid for by the PSSA - now is the best time to join!

Below is the message from Earl:

"

Hello PSSA coaches, aquatics directors, and volunteers:

PSSA is announcing the “Level 1” Swim Official class schedule for October 2025. These entry-level classes cover the basics of serving as a swim official. Two virtual YMCA Swimming Orientation sessions are set for October 9 and 13, followed by three in-person Level 1 classes on October 18 at various locations to minimize travel.  These locations are:

Swim Officials play a key role in supporting the operation of a swim meet. Without Officials, a swim meet cannot take place.  Please encourage your team’s parents to take one of these classes.

Please refer to the attached document for details and registration instructions. Oh, the cost of these classes is free.  PSSA will cover the $45 registration fee for each person who attends a class.

For questions, reach out to any of the trainers:

For the Everett Family YMCA class, Dave Baer at [email protected].

For the West Seattle YMCA, Earl Long at [email protected].

For the Briggs Community YMCA, Chris Fako at [email protected].

You can also contact Earl Long at 206-581-4688 if you prefer discussing your questions by telephone.

Thank you and have a great 2025 – 26 swim season

"

There is a USA Swimming alternative that we are looking into as well, which includes a self-paced online training option. If interested, please reach out to me directly!