The officials (dressed in white) are there to ensure all
swimmers have an equal and fair opportunity to perform their best and all the
officials have specific roles.
Timekeepers
At the finish end of the pool are the timekeepers, up to
three per lane but more usually two per lane.They use stopwatches to time the swimmers.Most galas have automatic electronic timing
but when it goes wrong, the stopwatch times are used.Swimmers’ times are displayed on an
electronic score board.Swimmers must
not ask timekeepers for their time but wait for it to be displayed on the
scoreboard. Turn Judges & Stroke Judges
There are two main groups of judges on pool side.At each end of the pool are the Turn Judges
who mainly monitor the swimmers as they turn or start/finish a race.Ideally, there is one turn judge at each end
of each lane, however, mostly one turn judge covers two lanes.The Stroke Judges (one or two per side) walk
along each side of the pool as the swimmers race.Their main duty is to observe the swimmers
stroke.
Referee & Starter
The two key officials, the Referee and Starter, stand at one
side of the start end of the pool.The
Referee is in charge of the swimming events and all Officials report to
him/her. (For larger galas, there may be two Referee/Starter teams alternating
events).
AOE* Operator & Recorder
Two “backroom” Officials sometimes visible behind computer
screens in a control room are the AOE* Operator and Recorder.They ensure the timing equipment is working
and that the swimmers records for the gala are properly prepared and returned
to the participating clubs.
*Automatic Officiating
Equipment
Delays, Disqualifications & Infringements
The imminent start of a race is indicated by whistle
signals.At the end of a race, the
Referee will finalise the race result before starting the next race.Sometimes there is a delay.This can be because there is a query on an
electronic time and the manual (stopwatch) times are being checked or a judge
has reported an infringement and the Referee is checking the report or for a
number of other reasons.So what do you
do if the DQ letters (disqualified) appear on the score board?Many times, the swimmer already knows the error
they have made.If not, the swimmer or
their coach can ask the Referee.
Interested in Getting Involved?
Anyone over 14 can become a timekeeper.This helps the club with our own events
(Grand Prix) and at inter-club galas.Training is provided on a club night in a 1 hour workshop followed by
timing ten races.Timekeeping at a mini
league or winter league event is a great feeling as the level of excitement on
pool side during the last few races just cannot be experienced from the
spectators’ gallery.
