Dive Into the Summer!
Summer may officially begin with the summer solstice. But swimmers and their parents know that summer really starts with that first dive into the outdoor pool, probably sometime around Memorial Day weekend. The PVS summer schedule includes a number of competitive long course meets, including several championship meets. We’re looking forward to seeing you on deck this summer!

Upcoming Meets

June 2012
Date	Meet	Location	Officials Contact
1-3	Maryland State LC Championships	Kennedy-Shriver Aquatic Center	Jim Garner
1-3	SNOW LC Invitational	Claude Moore Rec Center	Mike Ryan
10	PVS Senior/Age Group I	Lee District Rec Center Fairland	Stewart Gordon Brian Baker
16-17	FISH June Invitational	Fairland	Alan Goldblatt
16-17	PVS LC Distance Meet	Wilson Aquatic Center
24	PVS Senior/Age Group II	Lee District Rec Center Fairland	Brian Baker Randy Bowman
25-2	U.S. Olympic Trials	Omaha, NE	USA Swimming
July 2012
Date	Meet	Location	Officials Contact
12-15	PVS LC Senior Championships	Univ. of Maryland	Mike Rubin
12-15	PVS LC Junior Championships	Univ. of Maryland	Scott Witkin
19-22	PVS LC Age Group Championships	Fairland	Amy Hsu
27-12	Olympic Games	London, UK	FINA
August 2012
Date	Meet	Location	Officials Contact
2-5	Speedo Champions Series, Eastern Zone Super Sectional	Buffalo, NY	Eastern Zone
7-11	U.S. Open	Indianapolis, IN	USA Swimming
8-11	Eastern Zone LC Championships	Richmond, VA	Eastern Zone
13-17	Speedo Junior Nationals	Indianapolis, IN	USA Swimming
23-26	Junior Pan Pacific Championships	Honolulu, HI	FINA

PVS Championship Meets
Long course season culminates with several championship meets in July. As always, championship meets require championship officiating. While walk-ons are always welcome, it is especially helpful to have the roster completed before the meet. If you know if and when you can help, please go online and submit an application to officiate.

PVS LC Senior Championships will be held July 12-15 at the University of Maryland. Officials wishing to work at this meet should submit the application found on the PVS website. You must apply no later than July 5 for specific deck positions. However, late applications and walk-ins are also welcome and will be assigned to available positions. This meet will be our only Officials Qualifying Meet of the season, offering the opportunity for formal evaluation at the N2 or N3 levels. Our lead evaluator for this meet will be Bill Rose. Bill is a long-time official who has held many leadership positions in USA Swimming. Bill is the Administrative Referee for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Any official interested in being evaluated at Senior Champs must apply in advance. Complete information regarding the National Certification program is available on the USA Swimming website.

Concurrent with Senior Champs, PVS LC Junior Championships will likewise be held July 12-15 at the University of Maryland. Officials wishing to work at this meet should submit the application found on the PVS website. You must apply no later than July 5 for assigned deck positions.

On the following weekend, July 19-22, PVS LC 14 & Under Championships will be held at Fairland Aquatic Center. The application to work at this meet can likewise be found on the PVS website. You must apply no later than July 12 for specific deck positions. Once again, late applications and walk-ins are welcome and will be assigned to available positions.

Road Trips
Are you up for a road trip? The Eastern Zone has scheduled two exciting meets outside our area this summer, and PVS officials are invited to participate on deck. August 2-5 is the Eastern Zone Super Sectional LC meet at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, NY, featuring some of the top swimming talent from across the Eastern Zone. Our own Jack Neill will be the Meet Referee for this event, which is one of nine stops this summer for the Speedo Champions Series.

Summer Zones will be held August 8-11 at the Collegiate School Aquatics Center in Chesterfield County, near Richmond. This facility is home to the 2008 Olympic Trials pool that was purchased by Poseidon Swim Club and moved to Virginia.

You Make the Call
Which of the following is considered legal?
A. The swimmer assigned to Lane 3 starts and finishes the race in Lane 4.
B. The swimmer assigned to Lane 3 starts in Lane 4 and finishes in Lane 3.
C. The swimmer assigned to Lane 3 starts in Lane 3 and finishes the race in Lane 4.
D. None of the above.

See the answer at the bottom of this newsletter.

Officials Education Travel Reimbursement
Did you know that Potomac Valley Swimming will contribute to your travel expenses for working at national level meets outside our jurisdiction? In March 2007, PVS instituted the Officials Education Travel Reimbursement program. This program is intended to encourage PVS officials to further their skills by participating in national level meets. Complete details can be found on the PVS website.

Did You Know?
The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials are being held at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska—the same venue that was used for the 2008 Trials. This is not a pool per se, but rather a sports arena, much like the Verizon Center. Construction on the competition pool began on May 22 in the arena. The city of Omaha hosts five Fortune 500 companies, and is home to Warren Buffet. It’s also the home of the College World Series, which for at least one day coincides with Trials; TD Ameritrade Park, the new home of the Series, is only four blocks from the CenturyLink Center.

Lead/Lag Judging
Lead/Lag Judging uses four stroke judges, two judges walking each side of the pool. When there are sufficient judges, this method insures more consistent observation of all swimmers. How does it work? In a typical wall-to-wall jurisdiction, the lead judge normally starts at the 15m mark while the lag judge is positioned between the 15m mark and the start end. As the heat begins, the lag judge watches the initial strokes and kicks while the lead judge observes that the swimmers conform to the 15m rule (except, of course, in breaststroke). Once the swimmers have all passed the 15m mark, both judges follow them down the course, observing strokes and kicks. As the swimmers separate, the two judges likewise separate to maintain balanced observation, typically with lead judge observing the lead swimmers in the jurisdiction while the lag judge observes the lag swimmers—typically two and two (assuming an eight lane pool), but depending on how the swimmers separate it could be three and one. As the swimmers approach the turn end of the pool, the lag judge stops at the turn end 15m mark while the lead judge continues the observation into the turn and the initial actions of the second leg of the race. As the swimmers head back toward the start end, the lag judge becomes lead and the lead judge becomes lag. This coordination continues until the race finishes.

Questions? Suggestions?
Do you have a question about officiating or a tip you’d like to share? Is there a rule that you’d like to have clarified? Do you have a suggestion for a future item in this newsletter? If so, please send your questions/comments to the newsletter editor, Jack Neill.

Resolution to ‘You Make the Call’
“A” is the correct answer. Article 102.22.4 states that “a swimmer must start and finish the race in the same lane.” Under USA Swimming rules, an athlete is not penalized for swimming in the wrong lane.

U.S. Olympic Trials: June 25 - July 2 London Olympic Games: July 27 - August 12 Swimming Events: July 28 - August 4