Stroke and Turn Officials Certification Clinic

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Stroke and TurnOfficials Certification Clinic
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Stroke and TurnOfficials Certification Clinic

• Certification Requirements
• Philosophy of Officiating
• The Rules
• Video
• Common Infractions
• Assignment and Jurisdiction of Officials
• Stroke Turn Procedures

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Handouts and Forms

• Copy of certification requirements
• Part one technical rules
• Recommended stroke briefing
• Recommended jurisdiction
• Non-athlete registration form

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ST Certification Requirements (Summary)

• Certified as a timer via on-line test
• Attend training clinic
• Pass on-line test
• Must join USA Swimming/NES and display membership
  card while on deck
• Complete a minimum of 4 apprentice sessions of at
  2 different NES-sanctioned swim meets.

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Philosophy of Officiating

• All competitive swimming events held under USA
  Swimming sanction shall be conducted in
  accordance with the following rules that are
  designed to provide fair and equitable conditions
  of competition.
• Preamble to the USA Swimming Technical Rules

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Fair and Equitable

• Judging should be consistent among different
  officials at a meet
• Judging should be consistent at different meets
• All of the rules are enforced, we dont
  individually choose to enforce some rules and
  ignore others

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Fair and Equitable (Contd)

• The rules are enforced across all age groups and
  levels of ability
• Officials should be neutral in their enforcement
  of the rules dont favor one team over another,
  dont favor one swimmer over another

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Mental Traps

• Advantage vs. disadvantage
• The twice theory
• We dont disqualify 8 unders
• Dont ask me to judge my child
• Dont infer
• Call what you see, not what you dont see

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Rules of Thumb

• The benefit of the doubt ALWAYS goes to the
  swimmer
• No loss of yardage, foul shots, penalty box
• Ugly aint (necessarily) illegal
• Know the rules review the rules before meets
• Experience, experience, experience

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The Golden Rule
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Officiating Swimming Video

• Clear and consistent knowledge of the rules
• Clarify proper interpretation of the rules as
  they pertain to each stroke
• Following slides address each stroke

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Officiating Swimming Video

• Play Video Now

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Butterfly

• Start
• The forward start shall be used
• Stroke
• After the start and each turn, the shoulders
  must be at or past vertical toward the breast
• Swimmer is permitted one or more leg kicks, but
  only one arm pull under water, which must bring
  the swimmer to the surface
• Swimmer cannot be submerged for a distance
  greater than 15 meters (16.4 yards) after the
  start and each turn at which time the head must
  have broken the surface

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Butterfly (Contd)

• Swimmer must remain on the surface until the next
  turn or finish
• From the beginning of the first arm pull, the
  body shall be kept on the breast
• Both arms must be brought forward over the water
  and pulled back simultaneously
• Kick
• All up and down movements of the legs and feet
  must be simultaneous

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Butterfly (Contd)

• The position of the legs or the feet need not be
  on the same plane, but shall not alternate in
  relation to each other
• A scissors or breaststroke kicking movement is
  not permitted
• Turns
• At each turn the body shall be on the breast
• The touch shall be made with both hands
  simultaneously at, above or below the water
  surface
• Once a touch has been made, the swimmer may turn
  in any manner
• The shoulders must be at or past vertical toward
  the breast when the swimmer leaves the wall

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Butterfly (Contd)

• Finish
• At the finish, the body shall be on the breast
  and the touch shall be made with both hands
  simultaneously at, above or below the water
  surface

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Backstroke

• Start
• The simmers shall line up in the water facing the
  starting end with both hands placed on the gutter
  or on the starting grips
• Standing in or on the gutter, placing the toes
  above the lip of the gutter or bending the toes
  over the lip of the gutter before or after the
  start is prohibited

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Backstroke (Contd)

• Stroke
• The swimmer shall push off on his back and
  continue swimming on the back throughout the race
  except it is permissible for the swimmer to be
  completely submerged during the turn, at the
  finish and for a distance of not more than 15
  meters (16.4 yards) after the start and each turn
• By that point, the head must have broken the
  surface of the water

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Backstroke (Contd)

• 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 simultaneous double arm pull may be
  used to execute the turn
• 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

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Breaststroke

• Start
• The forward start shall be used
• Stroke
• From the beginning of the first arm stroke after
  the start and after each turn, the body shall be
  kept on the breast
• Throughout the race, the stroke cycle must be one
  arm stroke and one leg kick in the that order
• All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous
  and in the same horizontal plane without
  alternating movement

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Breaststroke (Contd)

• The hands shall be pushed forward together from
  the breast on, under or over the water
• The elbows shall be in contact with the water
  except for the final stroke before the turn,
  during the turn and for the final stroke at the
  finish
• The hands shall not be brought back beyond the
  hip line except during the first stroke after the
  start and each turn
• During each complete cycle, some part of the
  swimmers head shall break the surface of the
  water

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Breaststroke (Contd)

• After the start and each turn, the swimmer may
  take one arm stroke completely back to the legs
• The head must break the surface of the water
  before the hands turn inward at the widest part
  of the second stroke
• Kick
• After the start and each turn, a single downward
  butterfly kick followed by a breaststroke kick is
  permitted while wholly submerged
• Following which, all movements of the legs shall
  be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane
  without alternating movement

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Breaststroke (Contd)

• The feet must be turned outwards during the
  propulsive part of the kick
• A scissors, flutter or downward butterfly kick is
  not permitted except as provided herein
• Breaking the surface of the water with the feet
  is allowed unless followed by a downward
  butterfly kick

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Breaststroke (Contd)

• Turns and Finish
• At each turn and at the finish, the touch shall
  be made with both hands simultaneously at, above
  or below the water surface
• The head may be submerged after the last arm pull
  prior to the touch, provided it breaks the
  surface of the water at some point during the
  last complete or incomplete cycle preceding the
  touch

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Freestyle

• Start
• The forward start shall be used
• Stroke
• In an event designated freestyle, the swimmer may
  swim any style, except that in a medley relay or
  an individual medley event freestyle means any
  style other than butterfly, breaststroke or
  backstroke

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Freestyle (Contd)

• Some part of the swimmer must break the surface
  of the water throughout the race, except it shall
  be permissible for the swimmer to be completely
  submerged during the turn and for a distance of
  not more than 15 meters (16.4 yards) after the
  start and each turn at which point the head must
  have broken the surface
• Turns
• Upon completion of each length, the swimmer must
  touch the wall

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Freestyle (Contd)

• Finish
• The swimmer shall have finished the race when any
  part of the body touches the wall after
  completing the prescribed distance

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Individual Medley

• The swimmer shall swim the prescribed distance in
  the following order the first ¼ butterfly,
  the second ¼ backstroke, the third ¼
  breaststroke and the last ¼ freestyle
• Start
• The forward start shall be used
• Stroke
• The stroke for each ¼ of the designated distance
  shall follow the prescribed rules for that stroke

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Individual Medley (Contd)

• Turns
• Intermediate turns within each stroke shall
  conform to the turn rules for that stroke
• The turns when changing from one stroke to
  another shall conform to the finish rules for the
  stroke just completed and shall be as follows
• Butterfly to Backstroke The swimmer must touch
  as previously described. Once a legal touch has
  been made, the swimmer may turn in any manner but
  the shoulders must be at or past vertical toward
  the back when the swimmer leaves the wall.

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Individual Medley (Contd)

• Backstroke to Breaststroke The swimmer must
  touch the wall while on the back. Once a legal
  touch has been made, the swimmer may turn in any
  manner but the shoulders must be at or past
  vertical toward the breast when the swimmer
  leaves the wall and prescribed breaststroke form
  must be attained prior to the first arm stroke.
• Breaststroke to Freestyle The swimmer must
  touch as previously described. Once a legal
  touch has been made, the swimmer may turn in any
  manner.
• Finish
• The swimmer shall have finished the race when any
  part of the body touches the wall after the
  prescribed distance

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Medley Relay Infractions

• Strokes not swum in proper order
• Violation of stroke and turn rules for each
  stroke
• The last ¼ of the race must be swum as something
  other than butterfly, backstroke, or breaststroke
• Early take-off

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Freestyle Relay Infractions

• Violation of freestyle stroke and turn rules
• Early take-off

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IM and MR Rules Interpretation

• The Rules and Regulations Committee adopted the
  following FINA Technical Committee interpretation
  regarding the freestyle leg of these events
• When a swimmer has traveled a sufficient distance
  that the official can with certainty judge the
  competitor is swimming in the style of butterfly,
  breaststroke or backstroke, then a DQ is
  appropriate.

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All Strokes

• The Rules and Regulations Committee adopted the
  following parameters regarding touching the
  bottom during a turn
• Once a legal touch has been made, the swimmer may
  turn in any manner desired. Therefore, standing
  on the bottom after a legal touch has been made
  and prior to pushing off the wall should be
  considered part of the turn and no DQ should be
  called.

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Additional Rules

• A swimmer must start and finish in the same lane
• Standing on the bottom during a freestyle race
  shall not disqualify a swimmer, but a swimmer
  must not leave the pool, or walk, or spring from
  the bottom. Standing on the bottom during any
  other stroke shall result in disqualification
• Obstructing another swimmer by swimming across or
  otherwise interfering shall disqualify the
  offender, subject to the discretion of the Referee

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Additional Rules (Contd)

• Any swimmer not entered in a race who enters the
  pool during ongoing competition shall be barred
  from their next individual event (excludes
  dipping goggles/splashing)
• Grasping lane dividers to assist forward motion
  is not permitted

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Referee

• Has full authority over all officials and shall
  assign and instruct them
• Shall enforce all applicable rules and shall
  decide all questions relating to the conduct of
  the meet
• Can overrule any meet official on a point of rule
  interpretation, or on a judgment decision
  pertaining to an action which the Referee has
  personally observed
• Shall give a decision on any point where the
  opinions of the judges differ shall have
  authority to intercede in a competition at any
  stage, to ensure that the racing conditions are
  observed

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Chief Judge

• Primarily used at championship meets
• Use allows Stroke Turn officials to stay in
  place
• Will instruct and place Stroke Turn officials
  as directed by the Referee

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Placement and Rotation of Officials

• Determined by referee or chief judge
• Dependent upon pool configuration
• Dependent upon the number of officials available
• Generally rotate clockwise after a defined number
  of events

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Jurisdiction of Officials

• Determined by Referee or Chief Judge
• Turn Judges
• Start
• From the start of the race to the first complete
  arm stroke
• Turn
• From the beginning of the last arm stoke before
  touching and ending with the completion of the
  first arm stroke after turning
• Finish
• ensure that the swimmers finish according to the
  rules

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Jurisdiction of Officials (Contd)

• Stroke Judges
• Wall to wall from the start to the finish
• Equal time should be spent observing each of the
  swimmers within your jurisdiction
• If one or more lanes are empty, an equal amount
  of time should be spent on the empty lane(s)
• Your full attention should be on the swimmers
  when they are within your jurisdiction

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Disqualifications

• Raise a hand overhead on observing a violation of
  the rules that occurs within your jurisdiction
• Keep your hand up long enough for the
  Referee/Chief Judge to see it
• If you raise your hand
• you dont have to make a call
• if you dont raise your hand
• you cant make a call

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Disqualifications (Contd)

• If youre hesitant in raising your hand, the call
  was probably too close to make
• The benefit of the doubt goes to the swimmer
• After signaling a DQ, continue to observe all the
  swimmers in your jurisdiction

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Disqualification Reports

• Confirmed name of swimmer
• Event , Heat , Event name
• Violation
• Note Most, but not all, violations are listed on
  the DQ slips
• Your signature
• Referees signature

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Disqualification Reports (Contd)

• The Referee or Chief Judge must approve the DQ
• Be prepared to answer three questions
• What was your jurisdiction?
• Where were you physically located at the time?
• What did you see?
• Use proper terminology
• Which rule was violated?

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Talking with the Swimmer

• We are moving away from talking with the
  swimmers, but if you are at a meet in which it is
  done, these are some general guidelines
• Inform the swimmer of the violation, dont coach
• Dont touch the athlete
• Age-group swimmers
• Get down to eye level
• Good, bad, good

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Disputes Over Calls By Coaches/Parents

• Some Referees will want all questions directed
  towards them
• Other Referees will allow simple inquires to
  Stroke and Turn officials
• Anything other than a simple inquiry goes to the
  Referee

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Relay Takeoff Judging

• Dual confirmation is almost always used
• Referee or chief judge will assign positions
• When the toes of the outgoing swimmer leave the
  blocks, look down to see if the incoming swimmer
  has touched
• If you observe an early takeoff, mark accordingly
  the swimmer and lane number, do not raise your
  hand

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Relay Takeoff Judging (Contd)

• Compare your observations with those of the
  second takeoff official only if both agree as to
  the same swimmer taking off early is it a DQ
• All relay takeoff slips should be turned in to
  the referee/chief judge as part of the official
  record

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Judging Swimmers withPhysical Disabilities

• Judge, in accordance with USA Swimming rules, any
  part of the body that is used
• Do not judge a part of the body that cannot be
  used
• Base your judgment on the actual rule, not the
  swimmers technique

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Remember!

• The swimmer always receives the benefit of the
  doubt
• Call what you see, not what you dont see

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Thank you!