Last updated on June 20th, 2023 at 09:49 am
Some large, or championship, swim meets use multiple Chief Judges. As a result, it’s important to get them all “on the same page” about the specific practices and protocols in use at that particular meet. Here is one way of doing this. The meet referee emailed a pdf file of the following to each Chief Judge before they worked a state championship swim meet. At this particular meet, the Team Lead Chief Judge was unavailable for much pre-meet work. However, a Team Lead Chief Judge could also prepare and send out this information with approval from the Meet Referee. This meet was for athletes ages 14 and under. Additionally, there were many volunteer officials who were new to the use of multiple chief judges and championship protocols who worked the meet.
Contents for Chief Judge Swim Meet Information
- Chief Judge (CJ) Information
- DECK OPERATING PROCEDURES
- GUIDELINES FOR BREAKOUT OF ASSIGNMENTS
- Officials Meeting
- DOWNLOADABLE FILES: Chief Judge Meet Information
- Summary
Chief Judge (CJ) Information
From a state championship swim meet for athletes age 14 and under. This meet had many volunteer officials who were new to the use of multiple Chief Judges and championship protocols.
Goal: Work together to produce accurate, timely results
Abbreviations
- Abbreviations used throughout: DR=Deck Ref; SR=Starter; CJ=Chief Judge; ST=Stroke and Turn Judge; AR=Administrative Referee; TLDR/SR=Team Lead for Deck Refs and Starters; MR=Meet Referee
Personnel
- 1 TLCJ every session PLUS
- 1 CJ Wednesday
- 2-4 CJ’s each Prelims/Finals session (4 have been designated for each session. However, if not enough ST show up, may need to cut the # of CJ’s in finals to 2. If you have a strong preference for CJ or ST if the assignments need to change, let TLCJ know.)
Include an “Officials Line-up” form of all the Deck Referees, Starters, Chief Judges, and which sessions they will work which position.
Meetings
- 30 minutes before warm-ups AND Officials Meeting, Chief Judge Meeting: Upstairs room across from elevator. All CJ’s working that session meet to prepare for Officials Meeting and other assignments.
- 1 hour before each session (at the beginning of warm-ups) Officials Meeting: Upstairs room across from elevator. (CJ’s run this meeting)
- 10 minutes before start: Radio Check (Location: Answer from wherever you are)
Supplies
- Clipboard (If you have one, bring it. If not borrow one from the Admin area.) If you have one that opens, they work great to keep DQ slips close and dry. But they are not required.
- Pencil and Pen
Reference Material
- Meet Announcement: Last 2 pages (about Coach of Record and protests)
- USA Swimming Rulebook
- USA Swimming The Professional Chief Judge
Breaks
The TLCJ will come and give you a break “in place.” This means you will not rotate during the session, but go on break and come back to the same place.
Belongings
The upstairs room is available to store personal belongings if needed during the meet. Please be aware that it is not monitored during the meet so items are stored there at your own risk. It is locked in between sessions.
Included Attachment
Meet Key Times List
DECK OPERATING PROCEDURES
When using multiple Chief Judges, it’s important the procedures be uniformly followed by all to be fair to the swimmers. Please know and use the following procedures.
Note: CJ’s watch the officials, not the water
Disqualifications
Vetting the call is very important
Vetting a disqualification call, or interacting with the ST Official making the call is very important because:
- The Chief Judge is acting on behalf of the referee
DQ Slip Processing
(Note: We’ll use coach notification at this meet)
- CJ clearly writes up DQ, including marking “Coach Notified” at bottom. (It the slip becomes a mess, please start over with a new slip.)
- Note: Admin will send it back if it is messy, crossed out, etc.
- Encourage the calling ST official to carefully review the slip for accuracy and make sure it is correct before PRINTING his/her name on “Judge” line
- CJ delivers slip to DR for review and printing name on Referee line.
- DR keeps white copy and turns in to admin with event paperwork
- On heat sheet: DR circles lane number in heat. Writes “DQ” next to circle. Underlines the row of the DQ’ed swimmer. Writes infraction and name of calling official in space on row.
- CJ delivers yellow copy to Coach of Record (COR) (or other team coach if COR is not available.)
- Can’t find coach? Have announcer page coach to Clerk of Course
- Still no coach? Put DQ slip into team folder in Teams Box at Clerk of Course
Chief Judge Protocols by Type of Deck-called DQ
Stroke or Turn Judge Disqualification (DQ)
If no reserve ST officials, same end CJ from other side should step in for ST while designated CJ vets call. See the Example: DQ Radio Interchange below and DQ Slip Processing above for more. The CJ can come to the DR area if needed.
False Starts (FS)
SR gets start area CJ to write-up and process DQ slip. SR reviews DQ slip for accuracy, then prints name on “Judge” line. DR prints name on “Referee” line.
Early Rely Take-off (RTO)
FINALS ONLY: RTO CJ stands behind timers of middle lanes. After the last swimmer leaves block, get RTO slips from lane RTO judges. If all clear, call in on radio “Relay-take off all clear.” Then, collect other RTO slips. If early take off is dual confirmed, call in “Event __ Heat ___ Lane ___ Early Relay Take-off swimmer # ___.” Turn in RTO slips to DR. Get back in place to collect next heat.
If slip is incorrect, CJ instructs RTO judge in the correct procedure.
DR Instructs start area CJ to write-up and process DQ slip.
Assist Deck Referee
Verify ST in place before meet starts
Make sure ST officials are in place 5 min before meet starts. Once verified, let DR know. (Call in on radio: end and lanes. Example: “Start end officials lanes 1-5 in place.”) If not in place, look around the immediate area and help them get in place quickly. If the whistle blows without an ST in place, step in as needed. Be aware if another CJ has stepped in to a ST place and help as needed.
Release ST at end of session (or before distance events)
Each ST should be formally released by the DR before leaving the deck each session. This is so they are available if needed for any outstanding issues. If not told by the DR to release the STs, ask if they may be released. Do not release them until you’ve gotten the okay from the DR.
Pass Along Information
Pass along information, feedback, helpful observations, etc. to TLCJ to share with DR and MR and improve meet
Help Keep Block Area Orderly, Especially During Relays
START END CJ’s: Encourage swimmers/relays who are not up next to stand behind timers.
After relays: There will be a pause before individual events start. Help clear relay swimmers out quickly and move “next up” individual swimmers behind the blocks.
Swim-Offs
PRELIMS ONLY:DR tells CJ’s of swim-off. CJ’s tell ST judges in their quadrant. DR of original event will run swim-off at designated time.
Reswim
If for some reason, it becomes necessary to re-swim a heat or offer swimmers of a heat the opportunity to reswim, the DR gathers all swimmers from that heat and their coaches (page if needed.) Promptly decide when the heat will be re-swum and (if needed) which swimmers will swim. Once decided, get this information out to others. Notify AR and CJ’s via radio. CJ’s notify ST in their quadrant. Ask Head Timer to let timers know and give instructions of how to record swimmer name and watch timers of reswum heat. Ask announcer to announce it. Continue meet, inserting re-swum heat as agreed. The same DR/SR team who ran the original heat, runs the re-swum heat.
Radios
Radios enable information to be conveyed quickly IF the information is clearly conveyed and understood. When reporting disqualification information, accuracy is a must. Using radio protocols helps to increase effective communication because it creates an anticipated pattern.
Using the Radio
- Listen first. Avoid talking over others.
- Press the button to talk, silently count to 2, speak slowly, and very, very clearly. (Enunciate well) It’s extremely important for the referee to understand the information you convey.
- Do not speak on radios after long whistle. If possible, avoid speaking on radio after short whistle.
Radio Distribution and Charging
When passing out radios, tell person receiving the radio 3 things:
- What channel to use
- The time of radio check (and what to do if they don’t know)
- Where to put radio after session
After session, collect all radios and charge
Radio Check
10 minutes before the session starts, person in charge of radios starts radio check. State:
- This is a radio check
- Call position name
- Person in that position responds ‘This is ____”
- If no response
- Person running radio check continues to call other position names then comes back and calls those who didn’t respond
- Everyone with a radio looks to try to find the person not responding, then lets them know the radio check is happening. (If you are ‘up next,’ or currently engaged, just look in your immediate area. If not, make more extensive search for person not responding during radio check)
Example: DQ Radio Interchange
Here is an example of an abbreviated radio interchange between a Chief Judge and Deck Referee:
Initial Radio Call
- Chief Judge(CJ) sees a Stroke and Turn Judge has a call
- While walking to official, CJ calls in on 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 Call
- Chief Judge vets the call by asking:
- “What is your jurisdiction?” (Make sure infraction occurred in official’s jurisdiction)
- “Which Lane?” Call in lane to DR
- “What did you see?” Have the officials explain what they saw without using their hands.
- “What is the rule?” Make sure the official has an understanding of rule
- If there is an obvious incorrect call (jurisdiction or rule) or “uncertainty,” the official may withdraw the call. (State “Event __, Heat __, Lane __ No Call” on radio)
Next Radio Interchange
- Next, the CJ calls in the Event #, Heat #, Lane #, infraction and his/her recommendation. The recommendation is either“Recommend Accept” or “Needs Further Discussion”
- For more details on recommendation and vetting calls, see The Professional Chief Judge
- 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.”
- If needed, the Deck Ref may also say, “I need further discussion.” Then the CJ comes to the Deck Referee for a face-to-face discussion.
Write Up Call and Notify Coach
- Once the Deck Referee accepts the call, the Chief judge writes it up and informs the swimmer’s coach.
- Establish up front that “Accepted = write it up and tell the swimmer’s coach.” This way, the Deck Ref won’t need to give these instructions over the radio each time.
Note on “Painting a Picture” of the Call
- The CJ does not “paint a picture of the infraction” unless the Deck Referee asks for it.
- 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.
GUIDELINES FOR BREAKOUT OF ASSIGNMENTS
CJ’s assist and mentor officials. Because this is a big job, the following assignments are broken down and assigned to individual CJ’s by session. Using the CJ Deck Assignments Worksheet helps the TLCJ keep everything straight.
- Check-in = Officials Check-in / Set Deck / Tax Letter
- Briefing = Stroke Briefing / Protocol / Jurisdiction
- Radios = Shirts / Radios
- Distribute = Distribute RTO Slips / Heat Sheets / Counters and Bells
Officials Check-in / Set Deck / Tax Letter
Check-in
First, check-in officials as they arrive. This is usually done at a table near the entrance. Make sure officials check-in each session before sitting down.
How to Check-in Officials at a Swim Meet
- Mark officials on the check-in list as they arrive. Only those marked will be added to the Officials Tracking System.
At this swim meet, officials who worked were marked by darkening the appropriate cell on the Officials Check-in List. Those who turned in applications to work the meet were typed onto the list. The Check-in Official added properly credentialled walk-ons as they came. [Note: At this meet, the Officials Check-in List was a simplified version of the Officials Line-up Form. Private, or unneeded information, was removed before printing it for use as the check-in list.
- Be mindful of an special requests at check-in
At this swim meet, some officials only worked through the relays which were held at the beginning of each Finals session. This helped get better coverage because officials who had children only swimming relays knew they could work and then leave.
- Verify credentials of walk-ons
At this meet, the credentials of those typed on the officials’ list were already verified. As a result, only walk-ons needed credential verification.
Set Deck
- Use check-in information to see which officials are present
- Finals Only: Be aware of any officials who are “RO” (Relay Only) and only use them when setting the deck for relays. (They will be leaving after relays.)
- Use Deck Assignments – 10 lane to work through placing of officials (Recommend using pencil)
- This form goes to TLCJ at the end of the meeting who will give it to the MR
- In the Officials Meeting, use the whiteboard (May need to draw 10 lane pool and start area to orient people) and magnets with official’s names to show them how the deck will be set for that session.
- After the meeting, take a picture of the white board deck-setting and send it to TLCJ. Other officials are also welcome to take their own picture if needed.
Guidelines for Setting the Deck
- No walking stroke at this particular meet. (Too hard to see middle lanes (not fair) and deck space is so tight, not safe.)
- Prefer to only have officials “on” for about an hour to 1 ½ hours — try to get them a 15 – 20 min break after that. Work breaks into the rotation
- Use all officials who show up, unless they show up after deck has been set (even if just by you — not shared yet.) They have come ready to work. They should be on deck most of the time (within the break guideline above. I don’t think we’ll have enough officials to do a “50% on, 50% off” set-up. For that reason, please don’t use this type of relief.)
- Prefer officials watching 2-3 lanes. Try to avoid watching 4-5 lanes, unless you can’t get them enough breaks otherwise.
- It’s okay to watch 5+ lanes on freestyle. It also might be needed during the Medley Relays depending on how many show up.
- Consider doing a specific deck setting for each of these situations:
Relays
- Relay Take-off (RTO) judges (4 total if possible (5 lanes each). If not, assign 3 and let the SR know to watch lanes 1-5 side. Be sure the SR receives RTO slips.)
- Chief Judges: Prefer at least 3 CJ’s (may use 4 if enough ST.) If using 3: 1 in start area, 1 to collect and deliver RTO slips, and one to collect ST DQ’s.
- If needed, may combine RTO and Start area position into 1 position and only have 2 CJ’s
- Stroke and Turn Judges: See below
Freestyle
- If there are plenty of officials so they get breaks as specified above
- Set one ST on each corner EXCEPT the start area corner. They watch turns (5 lanes each). Also, put one ST on the turn end 15 m mark (10 lanes) and the other on the start end 15 m mark (10 lanes.)
- Not enough officials? Fill the following positions (with breaks) as staffing allows, in this order
- (1) on Turn end (10 lanes) OR (1) on each turn end corner (2 total, 5 lanes each)
- Start end corner opposite start area (5 lanes)
- 15 m marker closest to the turn end (10 lanes–calling the 15 m violation incurred during the start)
- If Freestyle events are in the middle of the session and deck-setting changes for that event, instruct officials to come back to the place they were BEFORE the Freestyle started. This happens when they return for the stroke event following the Freestyle. The rotation will “pick-up” at the next standard rotation time following their return to the deck.
Tax Letter
If officials would like a tax letter (used as proof of service when writing off meet related volunteer expense(s)) write their name in ink on a letter and give it to them.
Forms and Other Needed Supplies (Check-in)
Items will be in Officials Briefing room. Paperwork will be in specific breakout assignment folder.
- Officials Check-in list
- Deck Assignments – 10 lane
- Tax Letter
- Pencil
- Pen
- Whiteboard with 10 lane pool and start area marked
- Whiteboard markers
Stroke Briefing / Protocol / Jurisdiction
Stroke Briefing
Use current USA Swimming Officials Briefing sheet. Only need to read strokes which will be swum in that session. Read it every session, unless only a third or fewer of attending officials haven’t heard it yet at this meet. If this is the case, it can be read to that group of officials after the Officials Meeting is over for the rest. If desired an alternative stroke briefing may be read in the Friday and Saturday Finals and/or Saturday prelims meetings.
Jurisdiction
Officials will not walk stroke at this meet. Stroke and Turn Judges have half the pool jurisdiction. The number of lanes depends on session and possibly stroke (Freestyle “corners” may have 5-10 lanes) See “Setting the Deck” section above for more info.
Protocol
- ALL: Step up just before swimmer(s) come into your jurisdiction. Step back when the last swimmers leaves your jurisdiction.
- It’s more stable to put one foot forward. It also looks very professional to have your hands behind your back when “on.”
- Please keep heat sheet and pencil in pocket except between heats.
- START END OFFICIALS: Stand behind the blocks before the start, step all the way up to the edge of the pool immediately after the start.
- BACKSTROKE LANE 10 START END Official: Wrap to side and watch toes. Left hand away from side if toes in lanes 5-10 are in legal position (not above pad/gutter.) Watch swimmers from side until they leave jurisdiction, then come back to place at end of pool for the rest of the race. Return to side position for each backstroke start.
- RELAY TAKE-OFFS: Give instruction on
- How to watch (Watch toes leave, then eyes shift down to touch)
- How to fill out slip (Circle each take-off seen. “0” = good, “X” = early take-off. Mark ON the number of the swimmer leaving the block.)
- TIMING/COUNTING DISTANCE EVENTS: Some officials need to time or count for their child during a distance event. Please work this out among yourselves and your CJ in advance so the needed positions are always covered.
NOTE: The post Swim Meet Officials: Jurisdiction, Placement and Protocol has more information if needed.
Forms and Other Needed Supplies (Briefing)
Items will be in Officials Briefing room. Paperwork will be in specific breakout assignment folder.
- Current Officials Briefing from USA-Swimming
- Optional: Alternative stroke briefings for later sessions
- Whiteboard with 10 lane pool and start area marked
- Whiteboard markers
Radios and Shirts
Radios
Prepare Radios for Distribution
- Check the Radio List to find out how many radios to prepare for that session
- If it’s a Finals session, double-check with TLCJ to see how many CJ’s will work that session
- Turn on radio, check remaining battery life and channel (all radios should be set to the same channel)
- If the radio needs charging, charge it or put in fresh batteries
- Put a headset with each radio
- Determine how to collect them after the session.
- Do you want people to return them directly to you or leave them in a designated spot? If leaving them, where is the spot? (2 ideas: On the table in the start area or in the upstairs room)
- NOTE: The DR may only be in Officials Meeting for the first part of it, then leave. (May want to get radios to them early)
Do Radio Check
At the designated time (default is 10 min. before session starts) start the Radio Check. State:
- This is a radio check
- Call position name
- Person in that position responds ‘This is ____”
- If no response
- The Chief Judge running radio check continues to call other position names then comes back and calls those who didn’t respond
- Everyone with a radio looks to try to find the person not responding and let them know the radio check is happening. (‘Up next’ or engaged at the moment? Just look in your immediate area. If not, make more extensive search for person not responding during radio check)
- Still unable to verify all radios are working after 5 minutes? Let TLCJ know which one(s) are/have not been verified and get into place. She will resolve any outstanding issues.
Distribute
Give radio and headset to each person on Radio List. Let each know:
- What channel to use
- The time of radio check (and what to do during the Radio Check if they don’t know.)
- Default Radio Check time is 10 min. Before session start
- Where to put radio after session
Collect
Collect all distributed radios and headsets
Charge
- If needed, charge radios in between sessions or put in fresh batteries
- LAST SESSION: Instead of charging, put away radios for storage
Shirts
- Officials who signed up in advance (typed on Officials Shirt Distribution List) need to work 3 sessions to receive a shirt. Give it to them any time after they check in for their 3rd session.
- Officials who did not sign-up in advance, but who work 4 sessions may also receive a shirt on a first-come, first-served basis as long as extra shirts are available. Give it to them any time after they check in for their 4th session.
- INITIAL SET-UP: Put name sticker on proper shirt size, one sticker per shirt. Set aside extra shirts.
- SHIRT DISTRIBUTION: Any time after an official checks-in to work their last required session to receive a shirt (3 sessions for those typed on the list, 4 sessions for others) the officials may receive the shirt with his/her name sticker on it after initialing the Officials Shirt Distribution List. If his/her name is not typed on the list, write it in and have them initial it.
- If an official has a shirt with a sticker, and wants to trade sizes with an “extra” shirt, s/he can.
- Trades for shirt with a sticker on them, can only be made by the official whose shirt that is — until the last night. Then, trades can be made by the person passing out shirts if the person whose name is on the sticker hasn’t picked it up yet.
- If there is an official who hasn’t qualified by the last night for a shirt, but who you think is a good candidate to receive a leftover “extras,” please note that on the Officials Shirt Distribution List
- LAST NIGHT: TLCJ collects any leftover shirts. TLCJ and MR decide what to do with them, taking into account any recommendations written on the Officials Shirt Distribution List.
Forms and Other Needed Supplies (Radios and Shirts)
Items will be in Officials Briefing room. Paperwork will be in specific breakout assignment folder.
RADIOS
- List of Officials who get radios & Radio Check-in Verification
SHIRTS
- Shirt Labels
- Officials Shirt Distribution List
- Pen/pencil
Distribute RTO Slips / Heat Sheets / Counters and Bells
Relay Take-off (RTO) Slips
Pass out Relay Take-off slips to the people assigned as RTO judges. (Remember to get slips to the Starter, if assigned RTO. The Starter will be in the start area and unaware of this assignment until you make contact.) Each needs 1 slip/heat plus an extra – just in case.
If time, prepare RTO slips for distribution by grouping them into the correct number to be given to each judge. Some staple each group to make them easy to pass out and use.
Heat Sheets
Make sure heat sheets are available to pass out to ST and CJ officials in the Officials Meeting. If not, hurry to the admin area and get them. (Check the Officials Check-in List before leaving the upstairs room to see how many are needed that session — Each ST, CJ and TLCJ – needs one.)
Counters
If the session has distance events (500 yards or above), verify with the Meet Director that counters will be put out before they begin. Each lane needs a counter device at the turn end.
Bells
If the session has distance events (500 yards or above), verify with the AR how the bells will be put out. If needed, volunteer to get them out before the distance events begin and ask TLCJ to either cover your spot or put out the bells on each lane at the start end.
Forms and Other Needed Supplies (Distribute)
Items will be in Officials Briefing room. Paperwork will be in specific breakout assignment folder.
- Relay Take-off (RTO) slips
- Heat Sheets (get from Admin area)
- Counters (Verify with Meet Director that they’ll be available)
- Bells (get from Admin area — or verify when and by whom they’ll be put out)
Forms and Needed Supplies (Team Lead Chief Judge)
- CJ Assignments Worksheet
- DQ slips
- Supplies for each CJ Breakout Assignment (listed in each breakout area above)
Officials Meeting
Logistics
- Held at the beginning of warm-ups in upstairs room across from elevator
- Need to release officials no later than 15 minutes before the start so they have time to get in place on deck (This means the meeting is NO LONGER than 45 min. Plan for about 30 min. because things often have a way of taking longer than expected.)
Suggested Agenda
- Welcome and thanks for serving. Announcements. Session timeline. Brief overview of how things are working at this meet. (4 CJ’s, more formal protocols, championship procedures.) We hope it will be a good experience for all. One thing we are working together towards is Accurate, Timely Results. Any other instructions, etc. (TLCJ covers this part)
- On the whiteboard, show them the Chief Judge quadrants (or areas of responsibility if less than 4 CJs.) Show them where “their” CJ is located. Ask them to check-in with their CJ before they leave the meet. (This is for when there are any outstanding DQ’s, etc.)
- Let them know how reporting a DQ will go. (If there are 4 CJ’s, hopefully someone will step in to cover the ST position while they step back to report the DQ.)
- Officials Briefing (Assigned CJ)
- Jurisdiction (Assigned CJ)
- Protocol (Assigned CJ)
- Set the Deck (Assigned CJ)
- Distribute heat sheets and RTO slips (if applicable) (Assigned CJ)
- Answer Group Questions
- End meeting — Answer questions/Pass Out Shirts to qualified officials (may also be done at check-in if desired)
- PRELIMS NOTE: Let officials know help is needed during Finals. We would love it if they could work it. Even if they only have a swimmer in the relays, we could use their help just during the relays, especially Thursday and Friday when we have Medley Relays. (This offer is just for additional ST judges, everyone already signed up is needed for the entire session.
DOWNLOADABLE FILES: Chief Judge Meet Information
Summary
Not all meets need or have the luxury of multiple Chief Judges. But, they can be very useful at championship and other large meets. The referee has full jurisdiction over the protocols and procedures used at each swim meet. However, it’s often easier to tweak information than to start from “square one.” This comprehensive overview can help train new Chief Judges and bring all together “on the same page.”
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!