April/May, 2013
Thank
You!
|
April 2013 |
|||
Date | Meet | Location | Officials Contact |
6-7 | MAKO Spring Invitational | GMU | Tony Fitz |
12-14 | March Madness | OakMarr | Ben Holly |
20 | 10&U Spring Penguin Meet | Fairland | Cherlynn Venit |
20-21 | Spring Sprints Invitational | South Run | William Deniston |
21 | ERSC Spring Championship Invitational | PGCC | Mike Miller |
26-28 | Machine LC Classic | Lee District | Stewart Gordon |
May 2013 |
|||
Date | Meet | Location | Officials Contact |
3-5 | Spring LC Kick-Off | KSAC | Izumi Horikawa |
3 | SNOW SC Spring Classic Invitational | Claude Moore | Mike Ryan |
4-5 | SNOW LC Classic Invitational | Claude Moore | Mike Ryan |
4-5 | LC Derby Meet | GMU | Alan Goldblatt |
4-5 | Early Bird LC Invitational | Fairland | Lynne Gerlach |
11-12 | May Mini Olympics | Madeira | |
24-26 | Virginia State LC Championships | Oak Marr | Brian Baker |
31-2 | SNOW LC Invitational | Claude Moore | Mike Ryan |
31-2 | Maryland State LC Championships | Rockville |
The
Administrative Official
As you are probably aware, USA Swimming has added a new position to
the list of officials required for a session--the Administrative Official.
As per Article 102.14, the Administrative Official:
Shall be responsible to the Referee for the supervision of the following:
Shall be responsible to the Referee for:
This is NOT a new position; it has been in the rulebook for many years. What’s different now is that: 1) the position is required by rule to be filled for all sessions; 2) this official may not simultaneously serve as Deck Referee, Starter, or any other deck position; and 3) the person serving in this role must be a USA Swimming non-athlete member and must be certified by the LSC. There are several layers to this, but effectively the requirements will be seen on deck starting September 1, 2013.
Essentially this official supervises and is responsible for the “dry side” of the meet. This official may also serve as the principal HyTek operator, ETS operator, or Timing Judge for the session, but is accountable for ensuring that all the administrative and timing rules of USA Swimming are followed. The Administrative Official may not fill a position on the “wet side” during the session.
While this official could certainly be an Administrative Referee, there is no requirement for him/her to be a certified referee. However it is required that this official must be certified by the LSC in this position. Currently certified PVS Referees have completed all requirements for the position and will be considered certified as Administrative Officials. The Committee is finalizing the process for other officials to become certified in the position. We hope to announce the details very soon. Please note that certification as a HyTek or an Electronic Timing System operator does not constitute certification as an Administrative Official.
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
two lead swimmers in the jurisdiction while the lag judge observes the
two lag swimmers (assuming an eight-lane pool and assuming the swimmers
have not separated 3-1 or 1-3). 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.
You
Make the Call
Just prior to the start of the 50-Yard Freestyle and after the command
is given to “Take your mark” the Lane 4 swimmer twitches
his right knee. Reacting to the movement, the Lane 5 swimmer takes off.
No starting signal has been given. What is the ruling?
See the answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
National Certification
A reminder that after you have received a successful evaluation at a
National Qualifying Meet, you are not automatically re-certified or
advanced. There are other requirements that may also need to be met.
These include participation in LSC meets, continuing education as an
official, mentoring of other officials, National Championship meet experience,
depending upon the position and the level of certification sought. Specific
requirements can be found on the USA Swimming website. National Certification
also requires that you submit the online Application for Certification
found within the Officials Tracking System on the USA
Swimming website.
Did
You Know?
Tracy Caulkins is the only swimmer ever, man
or woman, to own American records in every stroke.
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 or comments to the newsletter editor, Jack
Neill.
How
Many?
How many timers are required for a swim meet? How many are recommended?
It depends on the type of timing system used for the session. The timing
rules are defined in Article 102.24 in the USA Swimming rulebook. There
are three possible primary timing systems: Automatic (touchpads), Semi-Automatic
(electronic button finish), and Manual (stopwatches). The requirements
for timers are different for each of these cases.
Resolution to ‘You Make
the Call’
If it is determined that this swimmer started before the start signal
and both the starter and referee confirm this, the swimmer in Lane 5
should be disqualified, assuming there were no extenuating circumstances
(a camera flash, a noise, etc.). If the starter and referee both saw
the movement in Lane 4 as well and judged that it was a starting action,
the swimmer in Lane 4 should also be disqualified.