Abbreviated Radio Protocol for Swim Meets

Last updated on January 19th, 2023 at 10:43 am

Many officials use radios to quickly convey disqualification(DQ) information at swim meets.  Accuracy is a must. Using radio protocols helps to increase effective communication because it creates an anticipated pattern. USA Swimming details one type of radio protocol in The “Professional” Chief Judge document. At some meets, it’s helpful to shorten the wording. One way to do this is below. It’s always a good idea to make sure everyone is on the same page before the meet begins.  Communicate the accepted radio protocol “for this meet” up-front.

Abbreviated Swim Meet Radio Protocol

Here is an example of an abbreviated radio interchange between a Chief Judge and a Deck Referee:

• Chief Judge(CJ) sees a Stroke and Turn Judge has a call
• While walking to the official, CJ calls in on the radio: “Possible disqualification, start end, lanes 6-9.” (Update the end and lanes as needed to share the calling official’s location.)
• Chief Judge vets the call by asking the official:
  • What lane?
  • What is the call?
  • When did it happen?
  • What did you see?
• Next, the CJ calls in the Event #, Heat #, Lane #, infraction, and his/her recommendation. The recommendation is either “Recommend Accept” or “Needs Further Discussion”
• When Deck Referee accepts the call without questions, s/he calls back: “Event #, Heat #, Lane # and “Accepted”
  • If CJ uses incorrect wording, the Deck Referee can mentor by saying the correct call.  For example, if the call “Swimmer left the wall towards the breast on backstroke turn 3” comes in. The Deck Ref can say, “Not on back off wall for turn 3, accepted.”
• Once the Deck Referee accepts the call, the Chief judge writes it up and informs the swimmer.
  • Establish up front that “Accepted = write it up and tell the swimmer.” This way, the Deck Ref won’t need to give these instructions over the radio each time.
• Additionally, the CJ does not “paint a picture of the infraction” unless the Deck Referee asks for it.
  • NOTE:  The CJ still vets the call with the official so s/he can answer any Deck Referee questions if asked.  However, s/he does not give this information over the radio unless asked.  When the CJ recommends acceptance, it means s/he has vetted the call enough and is sure it is an infraction.

When To Use?

It’s best to keep this, and all meet protocols, in the context of what the meet needs.  When training new CJs and Deck Referees, the mentoring environment may call for more communication over the radio. In this case, it might work best to use a less abbreviated protocol and “paint the picture” over the radio.  At higher-level meets, especially where the officials are more experienced, radio communication might be kept very brief.

For swim meet radio protocol practice or teaching materials, see Radio Role Play Exercises.

Preparing for a swim meet? Check out The Ultimate Swim Meet To-Do List. Then, get a bird’s eye view of Who does What at Swim Meets. Both include easy-to-follow links to related information. Doing a smaller, simpler meet? Host a High School or Developmental Swim Meet will help.

Need more help? See 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers and Officials: 20+ Ways to Get them for Swim Meets. 

Also, discover a few things you can do to Increase Safety at Swim Meets. Find ideas to implement before your meet as well as last-minute quick and easy tips!

Title Image Attribution: “Motorola T5320 FRS Radio” by midnightcomm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.