Forms to Help Organize Swim Meet Officials

Last updated on December 11th, 2023 at 11:09 am

It’s very common for swim meet referees, or chief judges, to organize and assign officials once they arrive at a meet. This method can work for small, local meets as long as enough officials show up. However, many use forms like the following to help organize officials both before and during the meet. They also help after the meet too as they contain information needed to complete post-meet reports. Using forms to help organize and record officials helps to reduce stress on those who “set the deck”1 and complete post-swim meet reports.

Organize Swim Meet Officials

Swim meet referees or chief judges at smaller, local events often “set the deck” spontaneously during the pre-meet officials briefing. At these meets, a Simple Check-in form works well.

Simple Check-in Form

Larger meets benefit from pre-meet planning and a more organized approach.  Well-run championship meets require it. The following two forms help.

Officials Line-up Form

The Officials Line-up lists information about each official. One can add to it both before and during the swim meet. It is especially useful at large meets with a lot of officials. If officials turn in applications to work the meet, add their info as received. Names may also be added on-site. It gives a bird’s-eye view of all the officials scheduled to work the meet.  Spreadsheet sorting features make that format especially useful. Linda Eaton, a Colorado Swimming official, shared the original file upon which this form is based.  She first likes to sort the list by assigned position. Then, she sorts those working stroke and turn alphabetically.

Deck Assignment Form

The one page Deck Assignment form records where each official works/worked during a swim meet session. If officials change, use one form for each session. Because the number of lanes affects official placement, there are forms for 6, 8 and 10 lane pools. The spreadsheet file has a sheet for each configuration.

Deck Assignment by Event: High School and Generic Event Lists

Sometimes it is more effective to designate deck assignments by event rather than time or rotation. I’ve found the following forms useful at swim meets with different event coverage needs and few officials. The files below help organize and clearly convey official deck assignments by event. Included are several pdf files and an Excel workbook. The Excel worksheet contains all the information in each of the pdf files. Additionally, it also has an example sheet to demonstrates use. Two of the worksheets contain the standard high school swim meet event list. The others have blank event lists that can be customized as needed. It is easy to switch between worksheets using the tabs at the lower edge of the workbook.

The person setting the deck makes the assignment on the preferred worksheet. At small meets, this is usually the Meet Referee. If there are enough officials, it could also be a Chief Judge. Once complete, the person can then email or print it. I like to give a copy to each official. The person setting the deck should also retain a copy.

Summary

Using forms to record and organize officials working swim meets helps those responsible to assign officials at the meet, and complete post-meet reports afterwards. The Simple Check-in works well for smaller, local meets where officials “set the deck” spontaneously during the officials briefing. The Officials Line-up or Deck Assignments are useful at meets when officials apply to work in advance. They also work well at meets with lots of officials and/or sessions, even if officials don’t pre-apply. I’ve also found the Deck Assignments by Event useful at swim meets with few officials when set assignments are needed to ensure proper coverage for all events. Using forms to organize and record officials helps to reduce stress on those setting the deck and preparing post-meet reports.

Click to see another helpful form if the meet has multiple Chief Judges

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!

Footnotes

  1. designate positions and jurisdiction for officials

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.