Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Dear AMS Officials,

Happy New Year! Now that we are well into 2017 with just a couple of months to go in our Short Course swim season, I thought it would be a good time to catch up on few Officiating items.

How are you doing getting to your minimum of 12 sessions?

We have a flurry of meets towards the end of the Short Course Season. It's a match made in heaven--we have clubs hosting meets that need your help, and we have Officials who need to work more sessions to reach their minimum.
We need everyone's help to make it to the finish line. Now is a good time to log into www.usaswimming.org and go the OTS (Officials Tracking System) and check on the number of sessions you've worked so far. Many of you have worked more than the required 12 sessions per year (from Sept 1. 2016 through Aug 31, 2017)--for this we thank you for going above and beyond. It's a good idea to check on your progress to make sure that 1) you've gotten proper credit for the meets and sessions you've worked so far (we will happily correct any errors or omissions--just send me an email!), and 2) that you are on track to completing the minimum number of sessions as an AMS Official. 

We are in particular need of Ref and Starter for the additional afternoon sessions that were added for this weekend's meets at SFAC.

"When should I Officiate?" Rules of thumb

  • When your child is swimming--yes
  • When your club is hosting a meet--yes
  • When your club is attending a meet--yes, host clubs rely on the help of visiting clubs, even if your kid is not swimming
  • At finals when your child is swimming--most definitely yes
  • At finals when your child is not swimming--I promise you that your help is still needed
  • I can't make it to a meet or session due to work/travel/family--we understand life happens, but consider making it up at another meet
  • At a meet that neither my child nor team is attending--please consider helping out, many clubs and meets still need our help
  • I've already worked my 12 sessions, so I'm "done."--Nice try, if you've gone above and beyond 12, we appreciate your all you've done, but we still need your help. Working more than 12 sessions keeps you sharp and makes you a better Official. Keep in mind we have some Officials working more than 50 sesssions a year. We can always use your help anytime.

New Officials 

We have a lot of experienced Officials, many of whom are Referees, Starters, CJs and Admins, whose kids are graduating in the next couple of years. This means we need more parents within AMS with younger kids to become Officials. Talk to parents in your club about becoming an Official. Meets simply can't happen without Officials, and we need to always be looking for the next generation to step up. If you're an Official who is about to retire, consider making it your goal to find at least two parents from your club to become new Officials. This way we plant the seeds for the next generation and leave AMS in good shape for the future.

Moving on up

If you've been an Official for more than a year, consider stepping up to a higher position. If you're a Stroke & Turn and feeling confident in that position, consider training to become a CJ. If you're a CJ, think about becoming a Starter. If you're a Starter, maybe Referee is in your future. Be sure that before you start training for a higher position, that you first contact your Officials Chair, Scott Pauley (scott.pauley1@gmail.com) to make sure a move is right for you, and to have a discussion about the next phase of your Officiating career, and to plan the best strategy for your training.

Thanks to all of you for your help thus far in making our meets a success. With a final push from each of us to get to the end of Short Course season, I'm confident we'll get there.

All best wishes,

Scott Pauley
AMS Officials Chair
scott.pauley1@gmail.com