Level I
Getting Your Feet Wet
Timekeeper Finish Judge
Rev date: May 18, 1998
OFFICIATING AT SWIM MEETS - Level I Clinic
OFFICIAL'S BEHAVIOR
a) Arrive on time. (One hour to One Half hour before meet)
b) Dress in whites. Pants or skirts for the ladies at National or
Provincial Meets
c) If all Officials dress the same we blend in and no one appears out
of place.
d) Be fair to all competitors, your own children and opponents
alike.
e) Don't coach or cheer for swimmers while on deck.
f) Being consistently fair, you may time or place your own children
if they are in your lane.
g) Be inconspicuous.
1. If you don't cheer for your swimmer you will go
a long way to being inconspicuous.
2. Let the swimmers be the focal point.
h) Keep seated as much as possible.
1. When you move around you are interrupting the
view, of the other timekeepers, the starter,
referee and chief timekeeper.
i) Be friendly to swimmers but do not distract them if they are
preparing mentally for a race.
MEET ORGANIZATION
You will find these officials at a competitive swim meet:
a) Meet Manager
1. prepares meet in advance,
2. sends out notices,
3. prepares program and cards,
4. convenes scratch meeting,
5. handles paperwork during meet,
6. sends out results.
b) Referee
1. chief official over all others during meet,
2. ensures fairness and makes decisions not clear in rules,
3. will announce start of each race with a long whistle.
c) Starter
1. starts each race by gun or horn making sure start is fair.
d) Chief Finish Judge
1. compiles order of finish of a race based on Finish Judges'
and Chief Judge Electronics decisions,
2. breaks ties by applicable rules.
e) Chief Judge Electronic
1. supervises results coming from an automatic electronic
timing and judging machine.
f) Chief Timekeeper
1. responsible for all times and watches,
2. takes time of winner in case there are not three times,
3. may read your watch,
4. may instruct you when to clear it,
5. may have assistants,
6. see him or her promptly if you have any trouble.
g) Clerk of Course
1. checks in swimmers and directs them to proper heats
and lanes,
2. keeps quiet and order on pool deck,
3. usually has one or two Marshalls to assist him,
4. may seed on deck,
h) Judges of Stroke
1. one or two on each side of pool
2. observe correctness of stroke as defined by the rules to
ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair advantage.
i) Inspector of Turns
1. from two to sixteen judges,
2. observe correctness of turns at both ends of pool.
j) Recorder/Scorer (Desk Control)
1. usually in a separate room,
2. enter the results and keep scores.
k) Runner
1. usually a young swimmer that picks up the finish judge
slips and the time cards and delivers them to the chief
finish judge.
TIMEKEEPER DUTIES
a) Before the Meet
Receive your watch
1. sign out from Chief Timekeeper
2. secure lanyard around your neck
3. familiarize yourself with the operation of the watch
4. hold the watch in one hand with the joint of the index
finger on the start button,
5. take up slack until resistance is felt, (some start-stop
buttons push down, some push forward),
6. to get an accurate time with a digital watch, push the
button firmly and quickly in the proper direction.
7. participate in watch check. The purpose is to ensure
that all watches are operating correctly.
8. if you are using "push buttons", you must press them
firmly.
If watches are available distribute them at this time. Allow the timekeepers
some time to get used to the watches.
b) During the Meet
Pool position
1. take up a position, sitting behind your assigned lane,
with a clear view of the starter.
SW 2.8.1 Each timekeeper shall take the time of the swimmers
in the lane assigned to him in accordance with SW 11.3. The
watches shall be certified correct to the satisfaction of the
meet Management Committee.
1. hold the watch up in front of you as you focus your
attention on the Starter.
2. ensure the watch is at zero.
3. if your timing is off it is usually caused by lack of
concentration at the start.
SW 2.8.2 Each timekeeper shall start his watch at the
starting signal and shall stop it when the swimmer in his lane
has completed the race. Timekeepers may be instructed by the
chief timekeeper to record times at intermediate distances in
races longer than 100 metres.
1. start your watch at the FLASH of the gun or the signal
light of the starting device.
2. sight is more accurate than sound.
3. to get an accurate time with a digital watch. holding it
firmly and still,
4. push the button firmly and quickly in the proper direction.
5. if you miss a start or your watch stops during a race,
notify the Chief Timekeeper by raising your hand.
6. stop your watch at the end of the race, at the same
instant that any part of the swimmer's body touches
the touch pad or the end wall, or passes
over the vertical plane of the wall, provided your swimmer
has his entire torso in your lane at that time.
a. this sometimes happens during backstroke events
when the arm of the swimmer passes through
the vertical plane before it hits the end wall.
7. ignore any temptation to judge the legitimacy of the stroke
or touch.
8. TIME ANY TOUCH.
YOU WILL GET WET, so DRESS APPROPRIATELY
Digital watches are read and reported in 1/100th of a second.
If the display on your digital watch begins to fade or flash, or an extra
red spot comes on, get an alternate watch from the Chief Timekeeper.
SW 2.8.3 Promptly after the race, the time keepers in each
lane shall record the times of their watches on the card, give it
to the chief timekeeper, and if requested present their watches
for inspection. They shall not clear their watches until they
receive the "clear watches" signal from the chief time keeper or
the referee.
1. read your time to the head lane timekeeper completely.
ie.1:06.26 reads as one-oh-six point two-six
2. the times are to be written thus:
Timer 1 P.D.J. 2:08.61
Timer 2 F.Y.I. :48.61
Timer 3 S.G.C. 4:08.00
3. recording Times
1 min 3 sec and 22 hundredths sec. - 1:03.22
24 point 24 sec - 24.24
1 min 1 sec - 1:01.00
3. feel secure about your timing.
4. usually you will be within one tenth, but even if you
are not, NEVER change your reading.
5. you may be the only one right.
6. reset your watch to zero when told by the Chief Timekeeper
or when the Referee calls you to attention for the
next race,
7. if you are having trouble at any time, call upon the Chief
Timekeeper and hold your reading until he has checked it.
Head Lane Timekeeper
The chief timekeeper will assign a timekeeper to do this if no one is
a qualified inspector of turns.
CSW 2.14.1 Head Lane Timekeeper
Ensures that the proper swimmer is in his lane.
1. ask the name of the swimmer after the race is complete.
Shall determine that the proper time card is being used.
1. check that the event, heat and lane are correct.
Shall determine that the proper times are being read and recorded.
Shall determine and record the official time on the time card, if so
directed by the chief timekeeper.
1. because of the possibility of errors this is normally
done by the chief finish judge.
Shall appoint one timekeeper to take split times.
1. a split is a time for the swimmer at any interval
other than the one they are swimming.
i.e. 100 meter race the split would be at the 50 meter
distance in a 50 meter pool.
Shall determine and report to the chief finish judge, if the swimmer
has a light touch. (This may be done by a suitable notation on the time
card.)
1. light touch occurs when the swimmer does not touch the
electronic pad hard enough to stop the electronic
clock.
2. you would recognize this by comparing your manual
times with the electronic time.
3. if there is a significant difference, note in large letters
across the card "Light Touch"
4. this will attract the attention of the chief finish judge.
He will then confer with the chief judge electronic,
and the referee, to see what action will be taken.
Shall determine that the members of a relay team swim in the correct order
1. ask the swimmers name as they complete their leg of the
race.
2. If they swim out of order inform the chief timekeeper
at the end of the race. This is a DQ.
If qualified, may act as an inspector of turns.
3. if you are the inspector of turns, have another timekeeper
do the splits and the relay take-overs.
Distance events
1. for individual freestyle swims of 800 metres or greater
2. one timekeeper in each lane is assigned to ring a bell for
his swimmer
3. ring the bell over the right lane rope of his lane
4. ring the bell as the swimmer approaches the backstroke
flags at the timekeeper's end and continue to ring the
bell until the turn is completed and the swimmer has passed
the backstroke flags.
Relay races
1. you may be asked to judge relay take-offs.
2. watch the toes of the swimmer on the blocks
3. when the toes leave the blocks, if the hand of the
incoming swimmer has not touched the end wall an
infraction has occurred and the Referee, or Chief
Timekeeper must be told.
4. the outgoing swimmer may be in motion.
5. if you must disqualify, tell the referee AT THE END of
the race, tell the swimmer and record the DQ and the finish
time on the card.
Split Times
1. one timer is assigned to take split times each time
swimmer touches at start end
2. walk over to edge of pool to take accurate split times
3. you cannot take accurately from chair and you will get
wet!!!
Other stuff you should know
1. the person who starts a watch should always stop it.
2. there should never be an exchange of watches between 2
timers.
3. if swimmer fails to touch or finish the race, report
"DNF" (Did Not Finish) on time card. Enter this where you
would normally put the time
4. do not record a time which you know is not correct -
this is unfair to the swimmer
After the Meet
1. clean up the area you are working in, cups, papers etc.
2. return your watch and clipboard to the officials room
3. check-out in prescribed manner.
4. check the roster sheet for the next assignment.
PROBLEMS THAT CAN ARISE
What should I do if:
You missed the start
1. Raise hand to get help from Chief Timekeeper.
You shut your watch off by mistake after taking a split time
2. Raise hand to get help from Chief Timekeeper.
You missed the finish .
3. Record "NT" (No Time) - Inform Chief Timekeeper.
Your time is 1 second slower that the other 2 timekeepers in your lane.
4. Do not record. Check with Chief Timekeeper.
Your times are consistently .3 to .5 seconds faster than the other 2
times in your lane.
5. Likely anticipating the touch � ensure watch is stopped on
actual touch
Your time is 2 seconds faster than the other timekeeper in your lane.
6. Do not record, check with Chief Timekeeper.
Restart
7. Clear the watch on prearranged signal (normally Referee's
whistle indicating start of next heat).
False Starts
8. clear watch immediately and be ready for second start.
No � No's
NEVER RECORD THE TIME FROM THE ELECTRONIC CLOCK (BOARD)
NEVER GUESS
NEVER USE YOUR PARNER'S TIME IF YOU MISSED THE START OR FINISH
NEVER BE AFRAIND TO SAY, "I MISSED IT" � INFORM THE CHIEF TIMEKEEPER
FINISH JUDGING
Good timekeepers often disagree by one tenth of a second or more, but in
one tenth of a second, a fast swimmer covers about seven inches.
1. attentive judges can decide between swimmers just a
few inches apart,
2. finish judging takes precedence over timing, when two
finish judges agree and there are only two times recorded.
Before the Meet
Report to Chief Finish Judge 30 minutes before the meet starts for
instruction and position on the pool deck.
Obtain heat sheet, finish judge slips and pencil.
During the Meet
Pool Position
SW 2.10.1 Finish judges shall be positioned in elevated stands in line
with the finish where they have at all times a clear view of the course
and the finish line unless they operate an Automatic Officiating device
in their respective assigned lanes by depressing the 'push-button'
at the completion of the race.
Preferably, elevated stand at the side of pool in line with finish end
If you don't have elevated stand, place yourself in line with the end of the pool
1. close to the pool edge so no swimmer can walk in front
and obscure your sight of the finish.
Judge from one side only. Do not change sides during sessions as the
change tends to cause confusion.
Principles of Finish Judging
SW 2.10.2 After each event the finish judges shall decide and report
the placing of the swimmers according to the assignments given to them.
Finish judges other than push-button operators shall not act as timekeepers
in the same event.
1. Takes sweep of all swimmers in each race (first to sixth
or first to eighth)
2. A swimmer has finished when any part of his body touches
the touch pad, or the end wall, or passes over it. passed
the vertical plain of the wall.
3. This is the same as in timing. Judge all finish touches
regardless of quality.
4. Do not declare a tie, Make a decision.
5. Do not guess if you miss a finish.
6. Place judging takes precedence over manual timing when
at least two judges agree.
7. If you do not get all places, don't guess, but write down
all the places you do know.
8. Be attentive.
9. Feel confident about your decision.
10. Your first impression is likely correct.
Most serious errors are made by Finish Judges copying
an other's results - so put down only your own decision.
11. Do not copy the results from the electronics board!
12. If your placing does not agree with the time board,
do NOT change it.
13. Do not call out the placings while judging. It is very
distracting to the judge beside you.
Most swim meets are judged by the CORPS OF JUDGES SYSTEM using 3 or more
judges.
1. In this system, the Chief Finish Judge will tell you what
type of judging to use.
2. It may be lane judging, or picking first place, or any
other system.
3. The most common is "sweep judging".
4. Try to write down all the lanes in order of finish
as shown.
5. If you do not get all places, don't guess.
6. Write down all the ones you do know. e.g. 4-?- 6 _ 8
Sample of finish judge slip.
Information needed on finish judges slip:
1. Event Number - 31 Heat Number - 2
2. Lane numbers in order of finish e.g.
4-5-6-3-2-1-7-8
3. Judges initials - L.B.L.
After the Meet
Make sure all finish judge forms are collected and sent to the Chief
Finish Judge.
OFFICIATING CAN BE REWARDING AND FUN DOING A GOOD JOB AT IT CAN BE
EVEN MORE REWARDING
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This page last edited by Duncan Laidlow, October 12, 1998.
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