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Congratulations! You’re almost through the first step to becoming a Referee!
So…what’s next?
As long as you are a certified Stroke & Turn Judge and certified Starter, you can move forward.
The best recommendation moving forward? Work a lot of meets and seek out mentors as you move through your apprenticeship and early certification time.
Continue to be willing and able to work any position on the deck. Just because you’re a Referee doesn't mean you should only work in that capacity. Working other roles from time to time can enhance your skills as a Referee. Use these experiences to build your knowledge and understanding of the Referee role.
Find an experienced Meet Referee willing to mentor you. Maybe you’ve seen someone on deck that you would like to partner with as a learning experience. Reach out and ask.
Continue to be open to mentoring from other senior officials as well.
Continue to be open to mentoring from other senior officials as well.
As you participate in different meets, you will gain general experience and knowledge, but each meet is likely to offer situations and scenarios not found in the last one. Be patient with yourself. Don't try to jump into a large role at first, if possible. Try working a few meets as a Deck Referee. Move up to Meet Referee for smaller meets and develop your skills.
Look for opportunities to work at meets of different sizes, at different clubs, and work your way up to larger meets, if that’s your goal. If the dry side of swim meets is your thing, larger meets will need Administrative Referees. Master the larger Referee role and specialize as much as you can.
As you gain experience, you can share it with others and become a mentor for newer officials.
As you gain experience, you can share it with others and become a mentor for newer officials.
As a Referee, you are not just a leader within your club. You're a leader within the whole LSC and the larger swimming community. Embrace this opportunity.
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