Are you bored between events at your child's swim meet? Why not become an official! The advantages of officiating at a meet are:

• It makes the meet go by much faster since you are doing something instead of just sitting in the stands.
• You ensure quality officiating by becoming a part of the system.
• You get to know other parents, volunteers, and coaches and may make new friends as a result.
• It's much less crowded on deck and a whole lot cooler.
• There's no admission charge and you get a free heat sheet.
• Your child will think you are cool.
• See YMCA Swim Official's Classes

It takes at least 26 people to conduct a meet correctly.

No certification needed for the following positions:

• Timers - 13 Timers for a 6 Lane Pool. 17 timers for an 8 lane pool.
• Scorers - 3 scorers needed.
• Announcer - 1
• Place Judge - 2
• Runner - 1 needed, works best with 2 if electronic timing is not used.
• Computer Console Operator - 1
• Timing Console Operator - 1

YMCA Official Certification required for the following positions:

• Stroke/Turn Judges - 4 judges needed
• Starter/Referee - 2 positions can be done by one person. (Also requires a league certification)

View the swimming rules for the various swimming categories.