Recert Info

• Recertification Class Outline 2010
• How To Report A DQ
• Stroke & Turn Situations
• Starter Situations
• How To Become A Better Official
• 10 Points Of Self Evaluation
• 2010 Non-Athlete Registration Form (doc)  Due by 12/1/09
• 2010 Non-Athlete Registration Form (pdf)  Due by 12/1/09
  
• Recertification Clinic Sign-in Sheet (xls)  (For Trainer Use Only)
  

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  Stroke & Turn Situations

BREASTSTROKE
1. A swimmer says he sprained his ankle and cannot turn his foot out in the breaststroke kick. Should he be disqualified if he does not turn his toes out in the propulsive part of the kick? 

Recommended Resolution: Yes. This does not qualify as a disability, which is defined in Article 105
as “a permanent physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life
activities.” No exception to the breaststroke rule is, therefore, warranted. 

Applicable Rules: 101.2.3, 105.1, 105.5 

2. In a senior 100-yard breaststroke event, the turn judge recommends a disqualification because the
swimmer in lane 2 was not on his breast when leaving the wall at the first turn. Upon quizzing the turn
judge about what was observed, the referee determines that the judge observed the following
sequence of events:
• The turn judge picks up the swimmer in lane 2 as the swimmer is headed away from the wall
• The turn judge sees that the swimmer is not on his breast
• The turn judge shifts her eyes to the feet of the swimmer and sees that they are off the wall
• The turn judge raises her hand.

Should the swimmer be disqualified? 

Recommended Resolution: The swimmer should not be disqualified. The rule requires that ”From the
beginning of the first arm stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the
breast”. In the sequence that was described, it is possible that the swimmer’s feet were still on the
wall when the turn judge observed the swimmer not on the breast. By the time the turn judge’s eyes
had shifted to the feet of the swimmer, the swimmer had left the wall. To give the swimmer the
benefit of the doubt, the turn judge must first observe the swimmer leave the wall and then check the
position of the shoulders. 

Applicable Rules: 101.2.2 

3. After a turn in the 100-yard breaststroke, Peter took his first stroke immediately after he turned, while his shoulders were past vertical toward the breast. Another official watching this action questioned why he was not disqualified. Can you make the call on this situation? 

Recommended Resolution: Since Peter was toward his breast the key is whether the arms were in
the same horizontal plane at their first stroke. As no observation was reported regarding the arms,
there should be no disqualification. 

Applicable Rules: 101.2.2 

4. At a novice meet, the Referee told the coach that the swimmer from his team swimming the
breaststroke was disqualified because his body was not horizontal toward the breast when the first
arm stroke began. Is this a correct disqualification for this stroke? 

Recommended Resolution: This is incorrect. The rulebook states “from the beginning of the first arm
stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the breast.” The swimmer should
not be disqualified. 

Applicable Rules: 101.2.2 

BUTTERFLY

1. At the turn in a 50-yard butterfly event, the turn judge recommends a disqualification for a one-hand
touch. Upon quizzing the turn judge, the chief judge determines that the turn judge observed three
swimmers in his jurisdiction come into the wall simultaneously. As the turn judge shifted his eyes
across all three lanes, the turn judge observed the swimmer in lane 3 pulling away from the wall with
only the left hand in contact with the wall. Because the turn judge did not observe the right hand of
the swimmer in contact with the wall, he raised his hand to make a call. Is this a valid DQ? 

Recommended Resolution: The chief judge should recommend to the referee that the call not be
accepted. Stroke & turn judges should only call what they see, not what they don’t see. While it is
possible that the swimmer did not make a two-hand touch, it is also possible that a two-hand touch
was made, but made before the turn judge had shifted his eyes to that lane. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.4 

2. A swimmer in lane 3 of the 100-yard butterfly moves too close to the right lane line. During the
recovery portion of an arm stroke the swimmer’s right arm hits the lane line causing the right arm to
trail the left arm over and into the water (alternating action). However, the swimmer then pulls both
arms back simultaneously during the propulsive portion of the arm stroke. The stroke judge signals a
disqualification. Is this a valid DQ? 

Recommended Resolution: This was a correct call. In the butterfly both arms must be brought
forward over the water and pulled back simultaneously. In this case, the swimmer’s arms were not
brought forward over the water simultaneously. The fact that the lane line prevented the swimmer
from recovering both arms simultaneously is not germane to the judging of the stroke. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.2, 103.13.1 

3. A swimmer in the 100 yard butterfly takes a simultaneous two-arm pull, kicks several times with her
arms at her sides, brings both arms simultaneously forward over the water, keeps her arms stretched
out in front of her for several kicks and then does another simultaneous two-arm pull. She repeats
this process throughout the swim. Should she be disqualified? 

Recommended Resolution: There should be no disqualification. There is no rule requiring an arm
stroke between leg kicks. The swimmer may kick as many times as desired between strokes as long
as both legs kick simultaneously. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.2, 101.3.3 

4. At the officials’ briefing, one of the presenters said that during the beginning of the first arm pull, the
position of the body can be in any position, just as long as the head breaks the water surface before
the 15-meter mark. What is wrong with this statement? 

Recommended Resolution: The presenter should have said that from the beginning of the first arm
pull, the body shall be kept on the breast. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.2 

5. At our local championship meet, a coach noticed that many swimmers were dropping their shoulders
after the final arm pull and prior to the touch. The coach believes and has taught his swimmers that
they must keep their shoulders level with the water until the touch was made. Is the coach correct in
his belief? 

Recommended Resolution: No, the coach is incorrect. The rules do not address the position of the
shoulders during the swim or approaching a turn. The rules only require that the body be on the
breast, therefore the shoulder position at the turn or finish doesn¹t have to be level with the water.
The only time the rules mention shoulders is when the swimmer leaves the wall after a turn. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.4, 101.3.5 

6. A swimmer in the 100-meter butterfly enters the water at the start and swims on her side without
going past vertical toward the back. She performs a kick with both legs moving simultaneously
without alternating but moving from side to side. The turn judge at the start end calls a
disqualification stating that the swimmer did not perform a kick with an up and down motion. Should
the DQ be accepted? 

Recommended Resolution: The DQ should not be accepted. The view of the kick as up and down is
relative to the swimmer’s body. 

Applicable Rules: 101.3.2, 101.3.3 

BACKSTROKE
1. Mary was swimming the 100-yard backstroke. At the first turn, the turn judge indicated a
disqualification stating that the swimmer missed the wall on the turn. Mary and her coach both say
that she did touch the wall and that her feet just slipped. They also state that Mary could not have
pushed off the wall if she didn’t touch it. 

Recommended Resolution: Stroke and turn judges are taught to call what they see and not what they
don’t see. This philosophy is most evident in the missed touch at the turn where it is a requirement of
the turn judge to say, "the swimmer did not touch the wall" rather than "I didn’t see the swimmer
touch the wall." The judge also cannot infer an infraction from other evidence such as a slow
departure from the wall that normally accompanies a missed touch. The coach and/or swimmer
should go to the referee and question him/her about the call. It is the duty of the referee to make
sure that the call was, in fact, correct by checking with the judge and reviewing exactly what the
judge saw. The referee should find out exactly how the judge knew the swimmer missed the wall. 

Applicable Rules: 101.4.3, 102.13.1 

2. During the 50-yard backstroke a swimmer in lane 4 approaches the turn. When the swimmer moves
past vertical towards the breast to make a flip turn, he finds himself in contact with the wall. With out
doing a flip turn the swimmer leaves the wall past vertical towards the back. What action should the
turn judge take? 

Recommended Resolution: No action is required. During the turn the shoulders may be turned past
vertical toward the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous double arm pull
may (not required) be used to execute the turn. As the turning action was continuous, there should
be no disqualification. 

Applicable Rules: 101.4.3 

3. After passing under the flags and preparing for a turn during a 100-yard backstroke event, a swimmer
turns past the vertical towards the breast and extends his arm while kicking. He does not take an arm
pull but continues to kick into the wall then executes a flip turn, leaving the wall on his back. Should
he be disqualified? 

Recommended Resolution: The swimmer should be disqualified for a non-continuous turning action.
As there is no initiation of the turning action after the shoulders pass vertical, the turning action is not
continuous. The fact that the swimmer was kicking has no bearing on the disqualification. 

Applicable Rules: 101.4.3 

4. During a backstroke turn a swimmer turned his shoulders past vertical toward the breast to make his
continuous motion turn. While on the breast, he immediately took one single arm pull and then one
continuous simultaneous double arm pull to execute the turn. He was disqualified for the double arm
pull after the single arm pull. Is this DQ correct? 

Recommended Resolution: Yes. During the turn the shoulders may be turned past the vertical
toward the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm
pull may be used to execute the turn. The swimmer can only use one continuous single arm pull or
one continuous simultaneous double arm pull, but not both. 

Applicable Rules: 101.4.3 

FREESTYLE
1. During a 500-yard event, a swimmer misses the wall. The turn judge signals an infraction. At what
should be the end of the race, the coach shouts, “swim another 50,” and the athlete does so. Is there
any limit to when a swimmer can go back and touch a missed wall? Does the disqualification stand?
What if the event is 100 yards or 1,650 yards? Does the length of the race have any bearing on the
disqualification? 

Recommended Resolution: The disqualification should stand. USA Swimming Rules and Regulations
require that the swimmer touch the wall upon completion of each length. When the swimmer makes
the next touch at the opposite end of the pool, he has lost the opportunity to correct the missed
touch. The length of the race has no bearing. 

Applicable Rules: 101.5.3 

2. A young “freestyler” just completed the only turn in the 50-yard freestyle, but didn¹t touch the wall.
She started to swim and got as far as the middle of the pool when she decided to return to the turn
end of the pool and touch without doing a flip turn. In the meantime, the official raised his hand and
wrote a disqualification slip. Was this a valid disqualification? 

Recommended Resolution: No the disqualification should be pulled. Upon completion of each length
the swimmer must touch the wall. She should not have been disqualified if she went back and
touched the wall at the turn end prior to touching the wall at the finish end. 

Applicable Rules: 101.5.3

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Starter Situations

1. In the girls 10 & under 50-yard breaststroke, the starter has just finished giving the command “take your mark” when the swimmer in lane 4 comes down and immediately falls in the water headfirst. The referee could not tell why the swimmer went into the water. However, the starter indicated he/she thought the swimmer had lost her balance when she came down for the start.

What should occur and why? 

Recommended Resolution: The starter should “Stand up” the remaining swimmers. It should be determined if the swimmer had any outside interference, which they responded to such as a flash camera or horn sound. If the referee agrees that the swimmer fell before becoming set and this was not a starting motion, the swimmer should be allowed to swim with the heat. 

Applicable Rules: 101.1.3A, 101.1.2C, 101.1.2D, 102.13.1 

2. At a long course Sectional, several National Team and Olympians are seeded into the championship final. Each swimmer will be competing in major international meets representing the USA later that summer. Just prior to the start and after the command is given to “Take your mark” the lane 4 swimmer twitches his right knee. Reacting to the movement, the lane #5 swimmer takes off. No starting signal has been given. What is the ruling? 

Recommended Resolution: If it is determined that this swimmer started before the start signal and both the starter and referee confirm this, the offending swimmer in lane #5 should be disqualified. The referee should first, however, determine that there were no extenuating circumstances such as a flash from a camera, etc. If the starter and referee both saw the movement in lane #4 as well and felt that it was a starting action, the swimmer in lane #4 should also be disqualified. 

Applicable Rules: 101.1.3A, 101.1.2C 

3. A backstroke heat is started with one swimmer having curled his toes over the gutter prior to the start. The starter and deck referee did not notice although the meet referee and the turn judge did. The swimmer had stopped moving and was in a set position at the start, yet clearly gained an advantage. How should this be handled? 

Recommended Resolution: As there was no movement at the start, no false start occurred. Since the toes were already above the water and the toes curled over the gutter at the time of the start, no stroke violation occurred. Since no call/warning was made prior to the start, no call may be made afterwards. This situation is an example where the expeditious recall of the heat could have corrected the advantage gained by the swimmer in question over the rest of the field. 

Applicable Rules: 101.4.1, 101.4.2, 101.1.3, 101.1.2C 

4. The multi-whistle command is given and then the one long whistle for the 200M fly. The referee turns over the pool to the starter by raising her/his arm in the designated manner. John, age 12, in Lane 3 is not up on the block and before the starter gives the "take your mark" command, jumps up on the block. Is John disqualified for delay of meet rule? If the starter believes that it has not distracted the field, does he/she still ask the swimmers to step down or does the starter start the race? 

Recommended Resolution: This is a situation that occurs at many meets and the decision can vary depending on the type of meet, the crowd conditions around the blocks, etc. The decision to allow the heat to go or to step the swimmers down is the referee’s. The starter should probably step the heat down and the referee should investigate the situation. This occurrence should be discussed prior to the start of the session so that the starter knows how the referee wishes to have it handled. In the situation described, if the meet is running a very tight timeline with a lot of activity and crowds behind the blocks, the referee could permit John to swim as he may have just gotten caught in the crowd. If this is the championship final of a prelims and finals meet and the referee was patient in waiting to raise his/her arm to indicate that the heat was closed, then a delay of meet DQ would be in order. As stated earlier, a lot depends on the circumstances surrounding the meet and all details need to be taken into account in making a fair decision. 

Applicable Rules: 102.13.1, 102.13.4, 101.1.5B 

5. At a local championship meet, Coach Smith noticed that many swimmers during the breaststroke were dropping their shoulders after the final arm pull and prior to the touch. Coach Smith taught his swimmers to keep their shoulders level with the water until the touch was made. He went to the Deck Referee to protest the lack of action from the stroke and turn officials. What should the Deck Referee tell Coach Smith? 

Recommended Resolution: The Referee could explain to the coach that the officials understand the rules of the breaststroke and that the rules don’t address the position of the shoulders during the swim or the finish and then refer him to the appropriate section of the rulebook. 

Applicable Rules: 101.2.2, 101.2.4 

6. A swimmer in a 200-yard freestyle relay swims 15 yards, loses his goggles and then swims back to the start end. The relay continues without anyone noticing the infraction except the turn judge at the turn end who does not raise his hand as the swimmer was not in his jurisdiction. A couple heats later, the embarrassed coach approaches the referee, explains what happened and asks the referee to disqualify the relay. What should the referee do? 

Recommended Resolution: The referee cannot disqualify the team because no hand was raised at the time of the infraction. However, the referee or chief judge needs to have a discussion with the turn judges regarding freestyle jurisdiction, making the call when the swimmer does not touch the wall and being generally more observant. The turn judge at the turn end should have raised his hand when the swimmer turned and started swimming back to the start end. 

Applicable Rules: 102.10.15F 

7. In the final preliminary heat of the 400-meter individual medley, the swimmers assume a stationary position at the start. The starter starts the race. The swimmer in lane 2 slips on the block pushing off and “flops” into the pool a body length behind the field. Should the starter have recalled the race? 

Recommended Resolution: This is a judgment call that needs to be made on site. There could have been a problem with the block or with something next to it that contributed to the situation. As the benefit of the doubt goes to the swimmer, the starter should recall the heat and then the referee should check on what happened in order to preclude further problems. All swimmers will be allowed to swim the heat. 

Applicable Rules: 101.1.3C

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