EFSL OFFICIALS CLINIC “EFSL COMPETITIVE SWIMMING”

1. EFSL OFFICIALS CLINIC“EFSL COMPETITIVE SWIMMING” HUUB GULPERS 04 JUNE 2009

2. Bottomline - why do we have rules? To provide fair and equitable conditions of competition against a known standard

3. Generalities • Well run meets and good results are directly related to good officiating • Dress accordingly - blue shorts & white collar shirt • Remember that swimmers have worked hard to achieve their success and deserve fair and equitable competition • Rules have to be applied intelligently at all times, using common sense and good judgement • Fairness to all competitors giving the ‘Benefit of the Doubt’, in every instance, to the swimmer • We are not here to disqualify, but to ensure fair and equitable decisions • Do not be afraid to ask questions if you do not know

4. Basic Concepts 1 • Take officiating seriously • Work regularly at the job • Be professional • Know Disabilities

5. Take officiating seriously and work hard at it • Study the rule book • Uniformly interpret and apply rules • Call violations as you see it • Be fair and consistent • Disregard team affiliation • Exercise good judgment Officials owe the swimmers correctness, fairness and courtesy!

6. Work regularly at the job • Officials need practice • Working regularly builds confidence • Attend training sessions • Keep up with rule changes and new interpretations • There is no substitute for experience

7. Be professional in your duties • Fairness to all competitors shall dictate actions • You will get wet….don’t be surprised! • Make decisions quickly and decisively • Avoid coaching swimmers • Refrain from cheering • Do not smoke or eat on deck • Admit mistakes if wrong

8. Disabilities • Judge in accordance with rules • Do not judge a part of the body that cannot be used • Base your judgment on actual rules, not the swimmers technique

9. STROKES • Freestyle • Backstroke • Breaststroke • Butterfly • Individual Medley • Medley Relay

10. FREESTYLE • Start - Forward Start • Body Position - No restriction upon body position, except… if submerged at start, turns, head must break the water surface by the 15 meter mark • Stroke - Any stroke style may be used • Kick- Any kick style may be used • Turn / Finish: • Sculling back is permitted • Any part of the body may touch the end of the racing course

11. BACKSTROKE(1 of 2) • Start • Start in the water with back to the course • Feet or toes may not be in or bent over the edge of the gutter • Feet above water is authorized!! • Hands placed on gutter or on the starting grips!! • Body Position • Must swim “on the back”, except for turns • Head must break the water surface by the 15 meter mark at the start and after every turn • Stroke - Any stroke style may be used • Kick - Any kick style may be used

12. BACKSTROKE(2 of 2) • Turns: • Upon completion of each length, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall • During the turn, the shoulders may be turned past the vertical toward the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to execute the turn…..GLIDING IS PROHIBITED !!!! • The swimmer must have returned to a position on the back upon leaving the wall. • Finish: • Upon the finish of the race, the swimmer must touch the wall while on the back • Swimmer may be completely submerged!!

13. BREASTSTROKE(1 of 2) Start – Forward start Body Position: • Must swim “on the breast” • Head must break the water surface before hands turn inward at widest part of second stroke Stroke: • Arms shall move simultaneously and in same horizontal plane, not alternating • The hands shall not be brought back beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke after the start and each turn • The stroke cycle must be one arm stroke and one leg kick in that order • After the start and after each turn, the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely back to the legs • Head must break surface during each “stroke cycle”

14. BREASTSTROKE(2 of 2) Kick: • Feet turned out • Scissors, flutter or downward butterfly kick NOT permitted with exception Turn: • Touch both hands simultaneously at, above or below water surface • Head may be submerged at turn or finish • Turn any manner however, must be on breast off wall • Submerged: 1st stroke below hipline - OK • 2nd stroke - head breaks surface before hands inward • A single downward dolphin kick followed by a Breaststroke kick is permitted while fully submerged • Last stroke - elbows may go above water surface Finish: • Touch wall with both hands simultaneously at, above or below the water surface • Elbows may go above water surface

15. BUTTERFLY(1 of 2) Start: • Forward start • On breast - Side-kicking allowed under water • <15 m submerged before breaking the surface of the water Stroke: • On breast • One or more leg kicks, but only one arm pull under water which must bring swimmer to the surface • Both arms forward over the surface and back simultaneously Turn: • Touch w/both hands simultaneously at, above, or below water surface • Turn in any manner • Head must break the water surface by the 15 meter mark

16. BUTTERFLY(2 of 2) Kick: • Legs & feet simultaneously (vertically) - no scissors or breaststroke kick Finish:Touch wall with both hands simultaneously at, above, or below the water surface

17. INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY • Start: • Forward start • <15 m submerged for Butterfly, Back, & Free • Stroke: • Butterfly, Back, Breast, Free order • Same rules apply to stroke being swum • Freestyle cannot be fly, breast, or backstroke • Turn: • Wall must be touched in manner prescribed for finish • by stroke being swum • Backstroke must finish on back • Finish: • Touch wall any manner, any part of the body

18. MEDLEY RELAY • Back, Breast, Butterfly, Free order • Must surface at 15 meter mark for strokes • Same rules apply to stroke being swum • Freestyle cannot be fly, breast, or backstroke • No swimmer shall swim more than 1-leg in race • Swimmer other than 1st swimmer shall not start until teammate has concluded his leg (HO/Starter/TO Judge)

19. Basic Concepts 2 • Mental Traps • Disqualifications • DQ Procedure • Starter Miscellaneous • False Starts • Referee • During the Meet • After the Meet

20. Mental Traps Lead to poor or sloppy judgments! • Twice theory: “I must see it twice.” - No! • We do not disqualify 8&U..…WRONG! • Do not infer or extrapolate • Ugly or unusual is NOT inevitably illegal

21. Disqualification • Can be made only by the official in whose jurisdiction the infraction has been made • Must be made on personal observation • Disregard the opinion of others and team affiliation • Be sure violation occurred and be prepared to explain it! • Give the swimmer the benefit of any doubt! • Unsafe/unsportsmanlike conduct must be reported to the Referee (disciplinary action) • Report swimming across lanes (swimmer must start and finish in the same lane) • Standing on the pool’s bottom, except freestyle (cannot step, walk, spring)

22. Disqualification: Relays (All these calls are Referee’s or in some cases, the relay T/O Judge’s decisions) • No swimmer shall swim more than one leg in any relay • Proper sequence of strokes - Medley relay order: Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle • A swimmer other than the first swimmer shall not start until his teammate has concluded his leg (Dual jurisdiction) • Any relay team member and his relay team shall be disqualified if a team member, designated to swim that leg, shall jump into or enter the pool before all swimmers of all teams have finished the race

23. DeliberateDelay or Misconduct Anyswimmermay be disqualifiedfromanevent: • Whodelays the startby entering the water • Willfully or deliberatelydisobeying a command to step on the blocks or to take a startingposition • For anyothermisconducttaking place at the start • The Referee shalldisqualify a swimmerwhofails to appear at the starting platform ready to swim in time for the initial start of his|her heat. • Suchdisqualificationshallnotcharged as a false start.

24. DQ Procedure  • Call the violation – raise the arm or the DQ is not valid!!! (apply simple test, doubt, mental traps, you can also change your mind) • Proceed behind timer (Mark card front in red with /, DQ. Back: DQ Code, Explanation,Time & Initials) • Tell the swimmer (“Good job but you DQ’ed yourself because..., Go and tell your coach”) • Submit card (to Referee for review / initials) (Some pools use “runners” to submit cards) • Get back to your position immediately

25. DQ DQ Procedure Swimmer: Justin Smith ID #: SMIT123456 13 - 14 Boys 100m Breaststroke Event: 39 Heat: 5 Lane: 3 Time 1 Time 2 Time 3 1:29.18 1:27.56 1:28.84

26. DQ Procedure-Back of card- 3E - Hands below waistline Hipline NAH - HO TAM – S&T 1315

27. Starter One of the most important roles on deck: Ensure all swimmers get a fair start! Preparation: • Review and be familiar with rules and schedule of events. • Familiarize yourself with guidelines and rules for officiating swimmers with disabilities. • Check & be familiar with equipment: whistle, pistol, electronic-starter, false start rope, etc. Electronic strobesignalvisible to all manual timers • Find best position for you, and relay take-off judge (if being used) • WarningSignals - With the exception of relays, in events400 Meters or longer

28. Starting Procedures (1 of 2) Procedures: • Referee shallsignal to the swimmersby a short series of whistles • Followedby a long whistleindicatingthat they shouldtake and maintain their positions on the starting platform, the deck, or in the water • In backstroke and medley relayevents: • at the Referee’sfirst long whistle, the swimmersshallimmediately enter the water • Second long whistleshall return without unduedelay to the startingposition • Referee shallsignalwithanoutstretched arm to the Starter that the swimmers are under the Starter’scontrol • On the Starter’scommand “takeyour mark”, the swimmersshallimmediatelyassume their startingposition, in the forward start, with at leastonefoot at the front of the starting platform or the deck

29. Starting Procedures (2 of 2) • Procedures: • Swimmersstarting in the water must have at least • one hand in contactwith the wall or starting platform • When all swimmers are stationary, the starter shallgive the startingsignal. • One start rule - Do not recall unless it is the Starter’s technical error or outside influence (e.g., air horn in the stands). • Decide on “over the top” starts or not • Dual jurisdiction - (Referee / Starter) • Watch and note false starts (Confer with Head Referee if noted…..Do not raise hand)

30. False Starts (1 of 2) Procedures: • Anyswimmerstartingbefore the startingsignal is givenshall be disqualifiedif the Referee independentlyobserves and confirms Starter´s observationthat a violationoccurred • Swimmersremaining on the startingblocksshall be relievedfrom their startingpositionswith the “Stand up”command and may step off the blocks • The Starter shallrestart the race uponsignalgivenby the Referee • If the startingsignal has been givenbefore the disqualification is declared, the race shall continue without recall • If the violationoccurred, the swimmer or swimmerswho have falsestartedshall be disqualifieduponcompletion of the race • If the recallsignal is activatedinadvertently, noswimmershall be chargedwith a false start

31. False Starts (2 of 2) Procedures: • A swimmerwhowouldotherwise be chargedwith a false start may be relieved of the charge if the false start was causedby the swimmer´s reaction to the “stand up” command. • Enforcement of the correct startingposition is the responsibility of the Starter • Swimmers will be disqualified for “rocking or anyslightmovement” on the startingblocksafter the command – “Takeyour Mark” • Both the Starter and Referree will conferthat a violation has occuredbeforedisqualifying a swimmer • Declaredfalse start: - swimmersreporting to the Referee prior to the start of their race and declaringthat their intentnot to compete will be disqualified

32. Referee RUNS THE MEET! Know the rules - Use “Common Sense.” • Before the meet - See the meet manager, the administrative referee, the statistician, meet Director, starter…. • Controls pool, configuration, safety, security, equipment, etc…. • Brief the, Coaches, Timers and Stroke and Turn Judges & Shadows • During/After the meet - Referee Solve protests immediately (if possible)

33. During the meet • Always use the same procedure and sequence • If ”over the top start”, at least three heats ready ahead before starting the meet • Swimmers who have finished are to hold the lane dividers away from touch pad. They clear the pool on command by sides • Use heat sheets with names • Recommended notes on heat sheets..… • Time (frequently) • Rotation of Officials • Changes (e.g., combined heats, etc.) • Breaks / Lunch • Empty lanes • Keep an eye on your officials and swimmers

34. After the meet….. • Thank everyone • AAR / De-brief (if necessary) • If you have shadows, see them • Sign log sheets • Solve protests if not yet done • See meet manager and statistician • Sign the Official Swim-meet paper work

35. S&T Official Wayahead • Training annotated in Log Book • 3 x shadows at EFSL Swim Meet • – get log book signed • Pass S&T Exam off web-site (open book)

36. PCS or ETS When EFSL Officials return to the USA they will need to contact the LSC Officials Chair for the geographic area in which they will reside. The training and certification of Officials is a responsibility of our LSCs. The LSCs and their respective Officials Chairs can be found on the USA Swimming website.

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