Fall 2024

Hello Cascade Officials,

Please find some information below that I hope will help clarify a few of the details for becoming a trained and certified official.

I've provided information on shadow shifts, deck evaluations and certification. Specifically for those members who attended the Inspector of Turns (IT) and Judge of Stroke (JS) clinics in November, at the end is the current training and certification requirements for IT and JS.

Please refer to the following information resources if you are experiencing any confusion or need clarification:

• Swimming Canada's Officials Certification Pathway
• Swim Alberta | Officials
• Swim Alberta's Officials Certification Card (print and carry it with you at swim meets in case of surprise evaluations!)

Please reach out & email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Kathy Weir
Cascade Officials Administrator

What is required to work as an official at a Cascade hosted swim meet?

To work in a particular officiating position at a Cascade hosted swim meet, you must be trained so that you can work independently performing the duties of that role. To do so, you must:

1. Complete the clinic for the specific officiating position;
2. If the position is not Timer or Safety Marshal, complete at least one shadow shift in the officiating role.

   • To work as a Timer or Safety Marshal, completing the clinic is sufficient to sign up and work independently.

Cascade's Shadow Shifts

Cascade's shadow shifts allow an official in a new officiating position to work alongside an experienced official, gaining valuable hands-on training.

• Please note that you cannot be evaluated while doing a shadow shift because you are not working independently in the officiating role.
• Cascade requires members to complete at least one shadow shift for every officiating position except for Timer and Safety Marshal before signing up to work in that position independently.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Becoming a Certified Official (Certification)

You can be certified in an officiating position by meeting all the certification requirements outlined in Swimming Canada's Officials Certification Pathway. As implied in the pathway, you are expected to pursue certification in officiating positions once you have completed the necessary training and gained practical experience on deck.

Cascade does not require you to be certified in an officiating position in order to work that position at a Cascade hosted swim meet.​​​​​​​​​​​​

Certification requires Deck Evaluations

A deck evaluation is when a Referee evaluates you while you are working in an officiating position during a swim meet session.  Deck evaluations are required to become certified in an officiating position. The specific number of evaluations needed may vary depending on the position. For detailed information, please refer to Swimming Canada's Officials Certification Pathway.

• Please note that you cannot be evaluated while doing a shadow shift because you are not working independently in the officiating role
• Referees have the authority to choose whether to evaluate officials during swim meet sessions.
• Officials Responsibilities:
  • Please ensure that you print your own certification card here: Officials Certification Card
  • Please carry your certification card with you at all times while officiating at a swim meet.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Deck evaluation procedure for Officials

Once you feel confident in an officiating position, you can arrange to have a Referee evaluate you while you work in that position during a swim meet session. To arrange a deck evaluation, please follow these steps:

Before the start of the meet session:

• Approach the session Referee to request an evaluation.
• Please provide your certification card to the Referee.

At the end of the meet session:

• Please ensure the Referee signs your certification card.

After the swim meet ends:

• Please email Kathy, Cascade Officials Administrator, with the following details:
  1. Your name;
  2. The login email of your Swimming Canada officials account;
  3. The officiating position in which you were evaluated;
  4. Swim meet session details (meet name, session date, and time), and;
  5. A photo of your certification card with the Referee's signature.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What is required to be certified as an Inspector of Turns (IT)or Judge of Stroke (JS)?

According to Swimming Canada's Officials Certification Pathway members must be certified as an IT BEFORE their JS deck evaluation.