During the Meet

Once the meet begins, the Referee has full authority over the entire swim meet and remains alert for issues or concerns that affect the competition. Within the Deck Referee role, there are whistle protocols to follow while working together with the Starter to ensure a fair start to each race. Final calls are made about disqualifications. Once an event and session are completed, there are responsibilities to close out with the administrative team.

The meet is about to start. You’ve completed all preparations, walked the deck, and met with coaches and officials. Now what? 

Do a last minute check to make sure you have access to any supplies needed - a clipboard, pen, and whistle, to name a few. On your clipboard, keep a copy of the Meet Announcement and your heat sheets. You will likely need to reference your Meet Announcement if any questions come up regarding protocols set there. You will use the heat sheets to document what is happening during the meet. Also keep a copy of the USA Swimming Rulebook close as a handy reference.

Eyes on the Deck

As Referee, you will be observing the pool, the athletes, and the officials. This is the first priority to ensure a fair, safe, and equitable competition for the swimmers. Remain alert for issues or concerns that may affect the competition, like equipment issues or an injury of a swimmer. The safety of the athletes is paramount, so be aware of times when issues arise, like when the swimmers are getting on and off the blocks or getting in and out of the water. 

As the Deck Referee, your eyes stay on deck or the pool at all times. When you have swimmers in the water, a Deck Referee's back is never to the pool.

You're the only official that has full pool jurisdiction. You may be the first person to see things like a swimmer in distress, or coaches too close to the turn end of the pool interfering with an official. 

For every race, you will observe every athlete, and every length, not only from an infraction perspective, but from a safety perspective. If you had eight swimmers go into the pool, you need eight to come out. Nothing should distract your attention from the pool. 

While a heat is in the water, your single-minded focus is exclusively on that heat.

Swimmers with Disabilities

As an official, you will see lots of different athletes working hard to be their best. This includes swimmers with disabilities. As a Referee, you will work with coaches and swimmers to identify appropriate individualized accommodations and modifications so that each swimmer can participate in the meet. It helps to approach these conversations with a “what does your athlete need?” attitude.

You want to create an inclusive environment for all athletes.

Optimally, the coach of a swimmer in need of support will alert the Meet Referee prior to the meet. This helps for planning purposes, especially if there are any additional equipment needs or seeding adjustments required.  If not, they should approach the Meet Referee as soon as possible on the meet day to discuss modifications and accommodations.

Note: It may not be necessary to share the disability or accommodations with other officials. It will depend on if the swimmer needs additional support, and the official must be aware. For example, if the athlete requires physical assistance to get on or stay on the block, it makes sense to alert the Starter of the heat and lane. This ensures the Starter is prepared to adjust their start sequence to wait a little longer.

What are some of the things that help swimmers with disabilities participate in the meet?

• Swimmers who are blind or have vision loss may use a personal assistant to get them to their block, or to signal a relay start once their teammate has touched the wall.

• Personal assistants may also be used by a swimmer with a cognitive disability.

• Modifications are frequently needed for swimmers with physical disabilities. They may require assistance to assume and hold a starting position. Alternate starting positions (sitting position on the block or deck, or in the water) are an option for swimmers insecure starting from the blocks or based on their physical disability.

• Swimmers who are deaf or hard of hearing require visual signals for the start. That may be hand signals, and possibly a lane reassignment to be near the Starter. The strobe light should be visible as an additional visual for the starting signal and may need to be repositioned for backstroke starts.

Review Article 105 in the rulebook which contains guidelines and suggestions for officiating swimmers with disabilities. If you have any questions about what is required for swimmers with disabilities, add them to your list of questions for your apprenticeship.

Deck Referee Routine

Whether you’re the only referee or one of several serving in a session, it’s important to understand the role of the Referee responsible for the pool and deck—commonly referred to as the Deck Referee.

Prior to the meet, you’ll need to know of any precedents set in prior sessions that impact your decisions and protocols. There may be unusual venue characteristics that need to be managed, like a slippery deck area or other activities in the facility. The Deck Referee from the previous session should inform you to ensure the competition and decisions moving forward are as fair and consistent as possible. 

Confirm information for the starts and heat intervals.

• Are there fly-over starts, or will the pool clear before the next heat?

• Are there any chase starts?

• How tight or relaxed are the intervals?

Though you should have conferred with the Starter to determine optimal positions on deck, make sure you confirm any other protocols. Do you have specific expectations on how the Starter should identify and initiate communication regarding false starts? Do you want them to check the next heat for open lanes or missing swimmers? Let them know.

Remember to inform the Starter of any accommodations needed for swimmers with disabilities, if appropriate.

Whistle Protocol

When Referees blow their whistles during the whistle protocol prior to a race, there are some important considerations. These were described in the video, but let’s take a few minutes to review.

Short Whistles:

• Should have a measured pace to keep athletes calm - a simple 1…2...3...4 or 5

• Not too rapid or too slow, not too short or too long

• Must be distinct from the long whistle

• Should be volume appropriate for the conditions at the facility

Long Whistle:

• Should be easy to differentiate from the short whistles

During the Race

As during the start, create a routine for during the race. If you have Chief Judges, your primary focus is on the race. The Chief Judges are watching the officials. If no Chief Judges, keep your focus moving from swimmers to the officials. You will get into a rhythm that keeps you on task. 

Once all heads are up after the start, check to make sure nothing is amiss that could impact the swimmers in the pool. Lane lines can disconnect, and objects get kicked into the pool. Safety for the swimmers is your objective. Then, check your judges. You will move from swimmers to a sweep of the pool, and back to your officials. 

By observing the race, you might see the infraction as well as the judge in a specific jurisdiction.

While Rule 102.13 gives referees “the authority to disqualify a swimmer for any violation of the rules that the Referee personally observes,” consider using this judiciously. You have certified officials on your team. Trust they are making the calls within their jurisdiction which helps maintain balanced and fair officiating. Making a call as a referee should be a very rare occurrence and reserved for something egregious, like they're doing freestyle during the breaststroke. Avoid distractions, if at all possible. When they happen, keep them short or delay them until after the race.

Remember, it's your pool. Keep your eyes where they need to be.

Recalls and Reswims

It happens very infrequently, but the Starter may recall a heat if they do not feel a fair start was achieved. As the Referee, if you feel there was an unfair start, you should ask the Starter to recall the heat. You might recognize that an external noise (e.g. coach’s whistle) or motion (e.g. activity around the starting blocks) has interfered. Some swimmers may be off the blocks and swimming, while others never leave their block. 

Other Disqualifications

Prior to the start of the meet or session, there should be a protocol determined for disqualifications. This should include who will vet the call, who is writing the DQ slip, and who lets the swimmer and coach know.

Depending on the staffing, you may work directly with the Stroke & Turn judges yourself or through a Chief Judge, or another off-duty referee. Sometimes DQ slips are collected by a runner and delivered to you. Other times you will need to make time to collect them yourself. 

If you see a Stroke & Turn Judge raise their hand, note in your heat sheet the event and heat as well as the Judge making the call. If you are vetting the call as a Deck Referee, ask the Judge directly:

• "What heat and lane?" 

• “What is your jurisdiction?" 

• "What did you see?” and 

• “What rule was broken?”

If the description is not clear, ask the Judge to repeat the call. You shouldn’t lead them, just ask for them to repeat it.

You should be able to “see” the infraction from the description without actually observing it. If relying on another referee or a Chief Judge to vet the call, trust but verify. They will recommend whether to accept or reject the call. Ask clarifying questions, if needed. 

As Referee, you have the ultimate responsibility as the last line of defense for the athlete. Make sure you have all of the information you need to make an informed decision on whether this potential disqualification is a violation of the rules.

If you aren't comfortable or confident in the call that comes from the deck, it's your responsibility to question it. You may need to describe this infraction to the coach.

Once the DQ slip comes to you, ensure it is legible and complete. 

• Check the DQ slip against what you have recorded. 

• Confirm that the name and event/heat/lane match your heat sheet. 

• Question all discrepancies. 

• Confirm that the rule violation is recorded correctly.

If you have questions, discuss with the CJ or directly with the Stroke and Turn Judge.

After accepting a call, record it on your heat sheet, and make sure the administrative table gets the DQ slip. Remember, Stroke and Turn Judges recommend DQs based on what they observe in the pool, but a swimmer is not disqualified until the Referee accepts and turns in the completed DQ slip. 

Remember, your decisions set precedence for the rest of meet. While navigating these difficult conversations, your ultimate goal is to provide fair and consistent enforcement of the rules. 

Note: Be sure that any remediation offered to coaches and swimmers follows all rules. For example, you can only offer a time trial if they are identified in the Meet Announcement as part of the sanction of the meet. Time trials alone require a separate sanction and are not a "second chance" at a swim if a swimmer doesn't like their time or gets DQed.

Adjustments on Deck

There are times when officials are not able to continue in the role they were assigned. Maybe they have fallen ill. Maybe they are not performing well, as they are new and don’t have a lot of experience. Maybe the meet is challenging in ways you didn’t expect. Officials and their roles on deck may need adjustments. 

This will be impacted by your resources and number of officials on deck. You may be able to swap out roles. But what if you need to ask the person to step down for the session? 

For example:

• What if you start getting five or six DQs from one Stroke and Turn Judge, and very few from the others?

• What if you see strokes that are clearly illegal but the Stroke and Turn judge in that jurisdiction is not making the appropriate call?

At what point do you switch something up?

Consider that any swimmers in this official’s jurisdiction are potentially being judged unfairly or, at the very least, under- or over-officiated.

As Referee, you need to be aware of what's happening on deck and remediate those issues. It can feel like a sticky situation, as most officials are volunteers. Remember, your job is to ensure a fair, safe, and equitable competition for all swimmers.

The bottom line as you work with your team of officials: mentor them to become better officials. You don't want to admonish anyone. You want them to feel good about what they’re doing and come back again. Keep that mentor spirit alive here. Offer guidance on what they may need to be more successful so they can become a better official.

Staying On Time

A timeline is an estimation of when each event will start. Depending on the level of meet, sticking to a published timeline can be very important to ensure swimmers are fully prepared to compete. At other meets, the published timeline is more of a guideline. Know the expectation for your meet.

Even if used as a guide, as the session goes on, keep an eye on the time. As Referee, ensure these timelines are considered and met.

What happens if the timeline is off?

If you are off by a small margin, you may not need to change much. At times, though, things happen to throw the timeline way off. Timing system malfunctions, swimmer injuries, or facility emergencies all could delay your anticipated finish time for a session. Consult with coaches if major adjustments to a published timeline are necessary. 

Together you can problem-solve the best way forward.

Is it possible to make adjustments to speed things along, like eliminating breaks or combining events? Do we need to continue as is and stay behind the same amount of time? Take a few minutes to determine the collective best way forward.

It’s important to keep the cadence of the meet as consistent as possible. This allows the meet to stay close to the timeline. This allows swimmers, coaches and all on deck to anticipate the timing of events and heats as well as breaks.

After an Event

After each event:

• Make sure all DQ slips have been collected, checked, signed, and turned in to the administrative table.

• Tally all of the DQs, No Shows (NS), and Declared False Starts (DFS) from your heat sheet. This helps the Administrative Official cross check that both you and the table have the same number.

• Turn in your heat sheet and any other paperwork from the event to the AO at this time. This allows the AO to close out each event in a timely and efficient manner.

After a Session or Meet

Once a session or meet is done, you have some final responsibilities to complete 

Wrap Up

Once the meet begins, the Referee oversees the entire swim meet and remains alert for issues or concerns that affect the competition. Within the Deck Referee role, you will follow whistle protocols and work together with the Starter to ensure a fair start to each race. Referees handle disqualifications and any coach protests. Once an event and session are completed, take some time to close out with the administrative team.

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