USA (USS) Clinics
| Date | Time | Location | Instructor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 3 | 7:00 PM | The Atlantic Club | Judy Sharkey | |
| Nov 5 | 6:15 PM | The Peddie School Hightstown, NJ |
Mark Butler | |
| Nov 5 | 7:00 PM | Hillsborough Y | Howard Allen | |
| Dec 8 | 5:30 PM | Lakeland Hills Y | Valerie Gibson Sarah Levine |
This clinic is also a dual certification for YMCA |
Overview
Riptide has always had a tradition of parents volunteering to officiate at meets. Officials are volunteers who work on deck to implement the YMCA swimming rules for dual meets so that each swimmer is given the fairest swim possible. In fact, in order to run our 6 dual meets efficiently, officials are required for each of our three team divisions: Coed, Girls, and Boys. When Riptide children reach college age or leave the program, there is a turnover of officials. So your participation is needed and valued by your children, other swimmers, and the coaches. There are many officiating positions on the YMCA Riptide team. Riptide officials exemplify the Y values of Caring, Responsibility, Honesty, and Respect in every aspect of their officiating.
Request for Officials for State Championship Meets
The Championship Meet Season is upon us and we are going to need many volunteer officials to properly staff our five, yes five, meets. (The State Championship Meet has been divided into two meets, one for 12 and Unders and one for 13-18 year old swimmers.)
Please encourage your officials who have swimmers entered into these meets to contact the Meet Referee and sign up to work a few sessions. Please note that officials for the Silver Meet and the State Championship Meets will be only be admitted to the facility as an official if they pre-registered with the Meet Referee. Walk-ons will generally not be accepted.
Details on the first three meets follow. Details on the State Meets will be issued in about two weeks.
YMCA 8 & Under Championships
This meet will be held on Sunday, February 1st, at Somerset Hills. Val Gibson is the Meet Referee and is looking for help to officiate that meet. If your swimmer is going to be there, please contact Val directly (vhgswimming@msn.com) and let her know you when you will be able to help out. This is a great opportunity for our newer officials to get to know a number of your counterparts from other YMCAs. Please avail yourself of this opportunity; you'll have the best seat in the house and you'll enjoy working with the officials from other YMCAs.
Bronze Championships
This meet will be held on Saturday and Sunday, February 7th and 8th, at Raritan Valley Community College. Bart Fellin is the Meet Referee and he too can use your help. If you are going to be there with your swimmers, please contact Bart directly (bjfellin@comcast.net) and let him know when you will be able to help out. This has become an exciting meet and we want to give all our swimmers the best experience possible, so your help will be greatly appreciated.
Silver Championships
This meet will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 20th through and 22nd, at the Gloucester Institute of Technology. Once again, Val Gibson is the Meet Referee and she can certainly use your help. If you are going to be there with your swimmers, please contact Val directly (vhgswimming@msn.com) and let her know when you will be able to help out. This is also a very exciting meet and many swimmers qualify for the State Meet here. For this meet, we will use both pools so we need a lot of officials. Again, your help will be greatly appreciated.
State Championships
Details for these meets will be issued shortly, but mark your calendars as the 12 & Unders will be swimming at the Ocean County YMCA on the weekend of February 27th - March 1st and the older swimmers will be swimming at Franklin & Marshall College on March 13th - 15th.
Latest news
The following 2 items, Recalling False Starts and New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation, came from Ed Miller, Chair, YMCA National Officials' Committee:
Recalling False Starts (Dec 2008)
Please click here to be directed to YMCA swimming website.
The YMCA National Officials' Committee strongly recommends that the "no recall" rule be fully implemented and that the practice of allowing swimmers one false start be discontinued.
New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation (Dec 2008)
Please click here to be directed to YMCA Swimming website.
Why be an official?
Being an official is an important and rewarding job that enables you to learn stroke technique and the rules governing meets. No prior swimming experience is needed, only a desire to learn and be an integral part of meets and be a minimum of 18 years of age. If you would like to learn more you can call Al Wieczorek, the official's coordinator between our team and the league, or speak to any of our officials who would be happy to share their experiences with you. Al's email is al.wieczorek@att.net.
What does an official do?
Officials hold positions such as: Meet Referee, Starter, Stroke Judge, Turn Judge, Stroke and Turn Judge, Finish Judge (also called Across the Board), and Relay Take-off Judges. In addition, the referee may assign a Chief Judge, Chief Timer/Scorer. Typically a chief judge is assigned at championship meets and USS meets. In addition to officiating at dual meets, you are also requested to volunteer your time at YMCA Championship meets.
In addition to officiating as a YMCA official you may take a separate certification course to become a USS official. USS certification allows you to officiate at USS meets (like Winterfest, Holiday Classic, etc.)
How do I become an official?
YMCA Officials become certified through either a Level I course or a Level II clinic taken at an available location. Volunteers interested in becoming an official take one workshop course and then an online open book test which may be taken at home. At the beginning of the season a list of upcoming course locations will be made available on the website. The course focuses on events, procedures and the duties and responsibilities of the officials prior to, during, and after the meet. A score of 80 percent must be achieved on a take home test in order to achieve certification.
Is there a mentoring program for new officials?
Definitely yes. Riptide encourages new officials to apprentice with an experienced official to get a feel for judging strokes and turns, the responsibilities of the finish judge, starter, and referee. You are welcome to do this at any meet, even an away meet. Let the meet referee know before the beginning of the meet that you'd like to gain more experience in a particular position.
Officials Clinics
New officials, as well as current officials whose certification has expired, are asked to attend the scheduled clinics listed. Only one class (Level I official) is required to become certified as a Level I official. That will allow you to perform stroke & turn, finish, relay takeoff, timer, and scorer duties.
After you have completed one year of officiating as a Level I official and have worked at least 8 meets, you are eligible to enroll in a Level II class. The Level II class will provide you the certification to officiate as a referee, starter, and chief judge.
Expenses
Riptide will reimburse you for the cost of this program. Please contact Al or Priscilla.
Questions?
Please contact Al Wieczorek with any questions.
Meet the current Riptide officials
The team needs at least 16 officials to adequately staff the meets without overburdening anyone. We are hoping to have more volunteers join in this rewarding experience.
* = NewLevel I = Stroke and Turn / Finish Judge
Level II = Starter / Referee, in addition to S&T and Finish
| Name | Certification (YMCA, USS) |
|---|---|
| Joe Zavoda | Level II |
| Al Wieczorek | Level II / USS Starter / YMCA Official Trainer |
| Scott Thompson | Level II |
| Trish Sanchez * | Level I |
| Lou Rugulo | Level II |
| Bob Patten | Level II |
| Ted Maligranda | Level II |
| Gary Kudwitt | Level II |
| Elora Gupta | Level II |
| Charlene Glascock | Level II |
| Stan Fessant | Level I |
| Paul Endler | Level II |
Officials coordinator: Al Wieczorek
Resources for Officials
What is the latest hot topic that officials are talking about? Go to the discussion forum hosted by Ed Miller.
For support and information on YMCA officiating, visit the YMCA Competitive Swimming web site
Rule Books
The 2007 USA Rule Book is available for download here.
The 2007 USA Swimming Mini-Rule Book (technical rules) is here.
The lighter side of officiating
Top 10 Physical Attributes For a Swim Official
Top 10 Hints That You Are Going To Have a Rough Meet as the Referee