Every swim meet that we attend is run by a dedicated group of volunteers who take on a variety of on deck duties. The on deck officials ensure that the meet runs smoothly and fairly. Some of the positions for the officials include the referee, starter, stroke & turns judges, head lane timers and timers.
Each swim club is encouraged to develop and train officials who can volunteer at the meets the club attends.
Registered Officials for the Acton Aqua Ducks
| Name | Level | Pin Color |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Charland | Level 1 | Red |
| Nadine McRae | Level 1 | Red |
| Mark Hawethorne | Level 1 | Red |
Every swim club in Ontario has the position Club Officials Administrator (COA) (formerly known as Officials Chair) as part of its executive team. The purpose of this position is to promote and facilitate the training of club parents to undertake volunteer activities at various swim meets throughout the year. Officiating is a fun, rewarding way of contributing to your child’s swimming experience. It is essential that all swim clubs develop a roster of interested and qualified members to ensure that every swim meet is a success.
While in the past there has been no cost to becoming a volunteer official, recent changes mandated through Swim Canada have placed Swim Ontario in charge of swim officials, and a small fee is now charged to the club per official. While there is no commitment for volunteers to participate in any specific swim meet, we guarantee that once you have done it, you’ll look forward to doing it again at your earliest opportunity!
Every swim meet we attend is run by volunteers who take on various tasks to ensure the event runs smoothly. Most volunteers at a meet will be from the host club, performing roles such as:
The largest group of volunteers is the on-deck officials, who ensure the competition is run smoothly and fairly. At least 30 on-deck officials are required for each meet. Each participating club is expected to provide volunteer support at the meet. While the more senior positions (e.g., Referee, Starter) require years of training and experience, Timers—the most common position requiring 18-20 volunteers—is easy to learn and fun to perform.
Swim Ontario requires clubs to have trained and certified officials to host a swim meet, including a Referee, the most senior position. While our club is not yet ready to meet this requirement, we aim to train and encourage officials so that we can work towards hosting our own meets in the future.
Several times a year, opportunities arise to take the required clinics to become a trained official. These clinics are offered by our club or other local clubs. We will do our best to coordinate and communicate these opportunities to parents.
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