Hickam Hurricanes - How to Become an Official
Hickam Hurricanes Family,
I want to start by thanking you for your interest in becoming a USA Swimming Official for the Hickam Hurricanes! This is a crucial volunteer position to be filled to hold and attend swim meets. Hawaii is one of the best places to train as an official for two reasons. The amount of required shadow/mentor sessions is less than in most states, and the Officials we volunteer with are knowledgeable and make us feel comfortable throughout the training process. The official community is fantastic!
I am including step-by-step instructions to ensure this is a quick and easy process. You will see two links below; the first is the step-by-step “How to become an official guide,” and the second is our team link to register with a USA Swimming membership. Please check out the guide link and read each step. Printing this guide to use as a checklist isn’t a bad idea.
Once you open the guide, follow the instructions for registering with our team link. You will be asked to pay an annual registration fee from USA Swim. That and your background check can be reimbursed once you complete your training and certification.
I would do the background check as soon as possible; this step can take up to 3 weeks to process for some. The registration, background check and the three leading online trainings must be completed before training on deck can occur. The three pieces of training are Athlete Protection Training, Concussion Protocol Training and Foundations of Officiating.
You will need to complete an online test(Stroke and Turn Certification Course) that is open-book. There is a web address in the instructions for the handbook you will use to learn the rules and take the test. You do not have to complete the test before you train on deck, but I did just to ensure I was ready. USA Swimming has officiating videos you can watch on YouTube. We find those helpful when there has been a long break between meets, and we want a refresher. You can google USA Swimming's official videos to find these.
Officials are taken care of during the meets, water, snacks, and lunches are always provided. We do have breaks as long as we have about 3 or 4 of us on deck. The breaks could be every 15 to 30 min. If you want to become an official, I strongly recommend ordering a radio and headset from Amazon. This is how we communicate and make calls, and I recommend ordering before you start training on deck so you can learn how to utilize the correct vocabulary when making calls. Also, you will need to purchase the uniform before training. This includes a white polo shirt, khaki pants/shorts/skirt(your preference), white shoes, and a poncho or raincoat in inclement weather.
Once you are ready for on-deck training it asks you to reach out to the meet director for the meet you want to work. I can show you how to find that information when you are ready.
I enjoy officiating; you get a front-row seat to all of the fantastic swim action, and as one of the meet directors has said, “Your kids are watching you and your involvement in their sport. They look up to you as we are setting the example.” If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Quick checklist: **Day 1: Membership and background check, paid for and submitted
*As soon as possible, complete all required online training:
(Athlete Protection Training, Concussion Protocol Training and Foundations of Officiating)
*Complete the online open book test before mentor training
*Order uniforms and radios
*Email meet director for training
*Complete four sessions of mentor training