CoStA Officials

CoStA run several swim meets each year for our swimmers to compete in and we also attend various League and Open Meets.

To compete at some Open Meets and at Herts County level and above, swimmers need to achieve times at licensed meets. For our swimmers to swim in licensed competition the organisers require qualified officials.

As a club we need a pool of officials to support the variety of meets and galas that our swimmers enter. As our different squads will sometimes attend different meets it is also important that we have officials in all of our squads in order that we can support the variety of meets that we either run or attend.

Becoming an official means giving some of your time when your swimmer is competing at a meet and you might otherwise be watching from the balcony. It is a great way to volunteer your time whenever you are free to help, it is a very friendly team where friendships are often made. Officials are also catered for at Open Meets. It is not necessary to volunteer for a whole meet, you can volunteer by session but you would need to commit to the full session.

Officials include a variety of positions including Judge 1 (times and turns), Judge 2 (Stroke), Starter and Referee. Each one of these performs a critical role in ensuring the gala runs well but also that it is a fair event for all the swimmers. The job that you do as an official will depend on the qualification that you have; the entry qualification is a Judge Level 1 and this qualifies you to be a timekeeper and to observe the swimmers’ turns. You can stop here or you can progress to Judge Level 2 where you walk up and down the side of the pool observing the swimmers’ stroke and then on to J2S who starts the races and finally Referee.

Some parents are nervous of being an official due to disqualifying swimmers from races. It is important to note that an official never disqualifies a swimmer; it is only the Referee that makes a disqualification. A fundamental premise of swimming (and of course sport in general) is that it is completely fair. If a swimmer achieves a qualification time or medal when the rules haven’t been met, this isn’t fair either on that swimmer who is likely to then be disqualified at a later date and potentially more significant meet, or for the swimmers who will have consequently missed out. As officials we are an essential part of the sport being fair and our swimmers learning how to race.

There is no need for any previous experience of swimming as full training is provided through the qualification pathway.

Pathway to qualification

• Judge Level 1 (Turn Judge). This is the first qualification and many people choose to stay at this level. This requires an online course that you can complete at your convenience (https://www.swimming.org/ios/course-information/swimming-technical-officials-judge-1-theory/). The cost is £20 that the Club will reimburse. Following completion of the course you will then have mentored sessions at swim-meets where you will be guided by a qualified official. Once these mentored sessions are complete you will have qualified as Judge Level 1. There is no assessment. These mentored sessions need to be completed within 11 months of completing the online course.
• Judge Level 2 (Stroke).  This is also an online course followed by mentored sessions.
• Judge 2 (S) - is the starter qualification. A level 4 meet (our club championships) can run with a Judge 2 (S) acting as the referee. This is also an online course followed by mentored sessions. There is an assessment in order to pass this qualification.
• Referee - is the top qualification and is achieved by first completing all other Judge levels and then passing poolside experience, a written exam and a Referee practical assessment.

Do contact us if you would like to become an official or just want to find out a bit more about this area of volunteering.

Julia Baggett and Vicki Law

CoStA Officials Coordinators

Contact Vicki or Julie at [email protected]