A big part of parental involvement comes from those who become certified to be swim officials. USA Swimming Certification qualifies one to officiate at any New Jersey Swimming (USA) meets, various levels of certifications are available, and courses are offered throughout the season. YMCA Certification qualifies one to officiate at YMCA dual meets and other Y sanctioned meets; various levels of certifications, courses are offered throughout the season.
Becoming an official is a great way to help out our team and make every swimmer's experience a better one. It's not difficult to do....and you have a great view of the meet when you're on deck!
SAY Officials Coordinator:
Jack Dwyer, Swimmer: Meghan Dwyer, Senior Group, Email: [email protected]
Certification Classes:
People taking the class for the first time will have to create an account at the Y Learning and Career Development Center. Existing officials should already have an account.
General Information:
Level I YMCA officials are certified as stroke and turn judges, relay take-off judges, and place judges. A 3-4 hour course teaches the rules associated with each stroke and how you identify a disqualification based on those rules, how to judge a relay take-off, how to determine order of finish (as backup to the timing system), and timing (usually for championship meets). Successful completion of an online exam is required for certification, which expires after three years (during which you must have worked 12 sessions for renewal).
Level II YMCA officials are certified as referees, starters, and chief judges. These are the officials who are responsible for starting each race, judging that the start is fair (no false starts), and notifying the swimmers of any disqualifications. A 3-4 hour course teaches the duties of these officials, as well as reviews the facilities and staffing requirements for meets, the rules for swimming the various strokes, swimmer eligibility, and the roles of other officials. Successful completion of an online exam is required for certification, which expires after three years (during which you must have worked 12 sessions for
renewal). If you are a Level I official, you must have been certified for at least one year and worked at least eight sessions in order to become a Level II official.
An Administrative Official (AO) is a "dry deck" Official position responsible for the accurate processing of entries and scratches, recording of official times and accurate seeding of heats during meets. This role is responsible for receiving and reviewing the automatic/semi automatic timing results from the Timing Equipment Operator and comparing primary timing results with back up timing results to determine validity, receiving order of finish results and recording disqualifications approved by the Referee. A 3-4 hr classroom course is designed to certify administrative (dry deck) swim officials for the YMCA of the USA’s Competitive Swimming Program. The course focuses on the specific duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Swim Official prior to, during and after a meet. The course also briefly reviews for the participants the facilities and staffing requirements for a meet, including matters relating to eligibility to participate in and entry into the meet. Successful completion of a written examination is required to pass the course.
All of these officials are on deck to ensure that everyone is following the rules so the races are fair. You may be a little hesitant about the whole idea of disqualifying someone, but most coaches see officials as valuable assistants in the training process - swimmers may not take their coaches seriously about problems with a stroke or turn, but when they're disqualified for it, they usually start to pay attention. Also, being on deck is one of the best ways to get to know all the swimmers on the team, the other parents who volunteer as officials and timers, and the coaches.
Important Links and Documents:
YMCA Officials Course Information Packet
New Jersey Swimming Officials Certification Requirements
New Jersey Swimming Officials Page
New Jersey Swimming Officials Newsletter (Nov. 2022)
Stroke and Turn Briefing for Officials
