Notification of addition to USA Swimming meet requirements
From Carol Hammond, SC Officials Chair:
Coaches, please forward this to your parent volunteers. This will also be posted to our website under news. If you have any questions, please contact Carol Hammond.
WHAT: Notification of addition to USA Swimming meet requirements
TO: All coaches and Meet Directors hosting meet events
Last fall, USA Swimming passed legislation requiring an Administrative Official be on deck at every session of every meet by September 1, 2013. USA Swimming recently defined the Administrative Official as one who works directly with the Meet Referee and supervises/directs the following positions on the “dry” side of the meet:
·Entry and Registration Personnel
·Clerk of Course
·Timing System Operator
·Scoring Personnel – Timing Judge and Meet Management Software Operator
The administrative official may serve in one (or more) of the above positions or may simply act in a supervisory capacity of those positions. Volunteers may fill the above positions provided there is an “Administrative Official” supervising all, or the “Administrative Official” is filling one (or more) of the positions and supervising the remaining ones.
USA Swimming has recently released “suggested” criteria for this position. I have reviewed the recommendation requirements for this position and agree with their suggested criteria.
What this means – every meet session will require one additional official. Each meet will require a Meet Ref/Deck Ref, Starter, 1 Stroke and Turn Judge and an Administrative Official OR Administrative Referee. The Admin Official cannot work in any other officiating capacity. This “official” does not have to be a certified stroke and turn, starter or referee official. If you hosts meets and provide your own console and meet management crew – you will need to get one of these folks trained AND CERTIFIED in this capacity by 09/01/13. If you host meets and hire the timing and meet management parts out to third parties – make sure one of their representative is CERTIFIED as an Administrative Official or you will need to verify through your Meet Referee an Administrative Official is available for every session.
In the past, many LSC’s have required the use of an Admin Ref for every session of their meets. South Carolina had not adopted this requirement, so it is crucial we all work together to get our meet folks up to speed before the start of next year’s short course season. Our SC officials’ crew are working to create training clinics and get some of our officials trained, but we need your help to get the right folks trained. Review your volunteer base working in these capacities at your current meets and choose a few to start their training. Remember, they do not need to be current officials to meet the training criteria.
Over time, we will be adopt the legislative criteria in our Policies and Procedures and determine where the onus shall lie on who needs to provide the Administrative Official – the officials working the meet, or the meet host. In the meantime, get your volunteers lined up to start their training.
USA Swimming has issued these Suggested Guidelines for Certification of the Administrative Official which our LSC will adopt during upcoming legislation:
Administrative Official – (Clerk of Course, Timing Judge, Meet Management (Computer)
Operator, Timing System Operator, Meet Director*, Scorer/Recorder)
1.Attend a formal Administrative Official clinic given by an LSC approved instructor.
2.Pass the online Timer, Timing Judge, Clerk of Course and Administrative Online Tests (80%).
3.Become a non-athlete member (Official, Coach or Other) of USA Swimming and the LSC with a current Level 2 Background Check - www.usaswimming.org/backgroundcheck - and current Athlete Protection Training (must be a member before the online coursecan be accessed) -www.usaswimming.org/APT.
4.Demonstrate competence in all components of Administrative Official by completing at least 4 apprentice sessions and being approved by an LSC designated AdministrativeOfficial or Administrative Referee.
*Meet Director does not need to be an official. However, as per USA Swimming rules, the Meet Director is required to be a non-athlete member and have completed #3. An official who is a Meet Director will earn admin sessions for being Meet Director.
The Officials’ Committee will be hosting several training clinics at the upcoming All State Banquet on April 20, 2013. We will have an Administrative Official’s clinic, Stroke & Turn refresher and Starter and Referee clinics. Stay tuned for the times of the various clinics. We will also provide you with information regarding our trainers and reviewers for the certification and apprenticing process.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope to have an opportunity for Q & A’s at the upcoming Short Course State championship meet. Feel free to send questions to me at carolnaco@aol.com.
Regards,
Carol Hammond
SC LSC Officials Chair
843.384.2821 (cell)
843.342.6782 (home)
