A Day in the Life of a Swim Official

Have you ever sat in the spectator area at a swim meet and wondered what all the people in white polo shirts are actually doing?

Those people are swimming officials — and without them, swim meets simply cannot run.

At LTSC, we would love to encourage more parents to consider becoming officials. It is a brilliant way to get involved, support your swimmer, help the club, and get the best seat in the house on race day.

This is what a typical day as a swim official might look like by Maddy Meek our club secretary, membership coordinator and official since 2021.

The Night Before: Packing the Bag

Like most things at a swim meet, a little bit of preparation helps.

The night before, I usually pack my officials bag. Over time, you do build up a little collection of useful things: an officials pack, clipboard, stopwatches, whistle, notes, heat sheets, pens, and all the other bits and pieces that seem to magically appear once you get into officiating.

But please do not think you need all of that from day one.

To get started, you really only need:

A clipboard
A pen
A stopwatch
Poolside shoes

Poolside shoes are important because you will be standing near the pool and they may get wet. Black trainers or black Crocs are ideal.

Arriving at the Pool

Once you arrive, the first job is usually to hand your swimmer over to the poolside team, then find the officials’ room.

The officials’ room is normally very easy to spot. It is basically a room full of people wearing white polo shirts, drinking tea, chatting, and getting ready for the session.

This is where you will usually find the lead referee for the day. They will have a list of all the officials expected for each session, and everyone will have been allocated a role.

The first thing I always do is check what I am doing for that session.

At most meets, the list will be pinned up on the wall. You find your name, tick to say you have arrived, and check which role you have been given.

Swim meets often have two or three sessions in a day. You do not have to sign up for all of them. You can volunteer for one session, half a day, or the whole day depending on what works for you.

Tea, Chat, and Getting Ready

Once I know my role, I usually grab a cup of tea, sit down, and have a chat with the other officials.

This is one of the nicest parts of officiating. You quickly realise that it is a little community of like-minded parents and volunteers. Everyone is there because they want to help, support the swimmers, and be involved.

You meet lots of people from other clubs, and over time you start seeing the same friendly faces at different meets.

Before poolside starts, I also take a few minutes to look through my notes. I remind myself what I need for the role I have been given. Do I need a stopwatch? A heat sheet? My whistle? Is there anything in particular I need to remember?

I have built up my own little notes for each role, with reminders such as what to look out for, what not to worry about, and what equipment I need.

The Officials’ Briefing

Before each session, there will be an officials’ briefing given by the lead referee for the day.

You are normally told in advance what time the briefing will be. Its usually around the time the swimmers are warming up.

The lead referee will introduce themselves and the other referees. They will then usually do a role-call.

You might hear things like:

“The starter for this session is…”
“The timekeepers are…”
“The stroke judges are…”

Everyone puts their hand up when their name is called, so you know who is doing what.

The referee will also go through any important information about the facility, such as what to do if the fire alarm goes off, where people need to stand, and anything specific to that meet.

They might also mention any recent rule updates, reminders, or things officials need to be aware of. For example, they may ask whether everyone is comfortable with backstroke ledges, and if not, someone will show you what to do.

The briefings are always helpful, and referees are very supportive. Nobody expects new officials to know everything straight away.

Heading Poolside

After the briefing, there is usually a little bit of time before you are needed poolside.

That might mean another cup of tea, a chat with other officials, or a quick catch-up with your swimmer or coach.

I always aim to be in position around five minutes before the start of the session. That gives me time to get comfortable, make sure I have everything I need, and bring my water bottle with me.

Then the session begins.

Getting Started With Training

When you first start your officiating journey, you begin as a Judge 1 trainee.

As a Judge 1, the roles you will take on are:

Timekeeper
Judge of turns
Chief timekeeper
Chief inspector of turns

You are not thrown straight in on your own. During the meets you are buddied up with a more experienced official who mentor you through the role, answer questions, and guide you throughout the session.

This mentoring is one of the best parts of the process. You learn by doing, but with someone beside you to help.

Over several meets, you build experience, confidence and knowledge. You also have a training book where your sessions are recorded and signed off. Once you have completed the required elements and the referee is happy, you qualify as a Judge 1 official.

From there, you can stay at Judge 1 if you enjoy it, or you can continue to Judge 2, and beyond. There is a whole journey available if you enjoy it, but there is absolutely no pressure to keep moving up. Staying as a Judge 1 official and helping at meets is incredibly valuable.

What If I See Something Wrong?

This is something lots of new officials worry about.

The important thing to know is this:

Officials do not disqualify swimmers.

As an official, your job is simply to report what you see. The referee then decides whether that results in a disqualification.

One of the biggest principles in officiating is that if you are not 100% sure about what you saw, the swimmer gets the benefit of the doubt.

If you are not certain, you do not report it.

This is one of the things that makes officiating feel much less scary once you understand it. You are not there to catch swimmers out. You are there to observe fairly, support the running of the meet, and help make sure races are judged properly.

The Best Seat in the House

One of the biggest surprises about officiating is how involved you feel.

Instead of sitting in the stands feeling hot, nervous for your swimmer, and slightly disconnected from what is happening, you are right there on poolside.

You get to see the racing up close. You often get to see your swimmer throughout the day, wish them good luck, ask how they got on, or give them a little thumbs up before they race.

It is a completely different experience from watching in the spectator area. You are busy, involved, and part of the action.

Between Sessions

If you are only officiating for one session, once the session ends you can collect your things and head home.

If you are staying for more than one session, there is usually a break for lunch. Most meets provide lunch for officials, and it is often a very welcome chance to sit down, cool off, eat properly, and chat to everyone.

Then the afternoon session follows a similar pattern: check your role, attend the briefing, get ready, and head poolside.

By the second session, everything usually feels much more familiar.

Is It Nerve-Wracking?

At first, yes, a little.

Like anything new, it can feel daunting until you understand how it all works.

You might have moments where you think, “Did I see that?” or “Should I have reported that?”

But that is completely normal. You are supported, mentored, and surrounded by people who have all been new once too.

The more sessions you do, the more confident you become. You start to get into the rhythm of the role, and before long you realise that you do know what you are doing.

And the community around officiating is genuinely lovely. People are helpful, friendly, and very willing to explain things.

Why Does It Matter?

Swim meets cannot run without officials.

The swimmers need officials. The clubs need officials. The whole sport depends on volunteers giving their time to make competitions possible.

As a club, we are growing, and at some local meets we may have up to 30 swimmers attending. Ideally, clubs should be able to provide officials in proportion to the number of swimmers they enter.

The more officials we have, the better supported our swimmers are, and the easier it is for the club to keep attending meets.

It also means the responsibility does not always fall on the same few people.

Why Should Parents Give It a Try?

You do not need any previous experience.

You do not need to have been a swimmer.

You do not need to know all the rules before you start.

Training is provided online, and then you learn practically at meets with support from experienced officials.

You can ask questions. You can shadow. You can learn gradually.

It is a brilliant way to:

Support your swimmer
Help the club
Understand the sport better
Meet other parents and volunteers
Be part of the team
Get involved without just sitting in the stands all day

And honestly, it makes swim meets much more enjoyable.

Interested?

If you are curious about becoming an official, please come and speak to us.

You do not have to commit straight away. You are very welcome to ask questions, come and shadow at a meet, or simply find out what is involved.

There is no pressure, no expectation, and no scary “deep end” moment.

Just a friendly way to get involved, support our swimmers, and help keep our club competing.

Could you be one of our next officials?

Lucton Typhoon Swimming Club