• In person swimming events and activities are resuming following the state and local guidelines. 
• Official's Training clinics will be becoming available online.
• The USA Swimming Professional Documents have been updated....if you have time, look them over to help keep your officiating practices fresh in your mind.

USA Swimming Safe Sport has come out with a new policy.  The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy – MAAPP – is in effect.   Please review policy for details

RECOGNITION

Official of the Month

August 2020- Ricci Huling, Ricci is an official for TEAM Eugene a YMCA affiliated swim team. Ricci is a great up and coming asset to our official base, she always ready to step up and take on new task with a great attitude and a wiliness to learn. Her positive outlook and behavior is a great addition to any deck she is working on. During the championships meets she took on the CJ position not once but twice and worked in a professional manner. I am privileged to name her the YMCA official for Oregon Swimming as official of the month for August 2020. 

Jack Burnett – YMCA Officials Liaison

June 2020 - Amit Kumar, Starter and Referee Apprentice. Without fanfare and always willing to accept any assignment on deck, Amit has been a steady and quiet presence on deck for __ years and has helped train many novice Stroke & Turn officials. In recent years, he has served an important role for any club that hosts a lot of meets: Officials coordinator for Tualatin Hills Swim Club, making sure there are appropriate training opportunities available for new officials, and helping Meet Referees recruit staff for hosted meets. And even though he longer has a swimmer in the water, last year he made the commitment to train as a Referee. He had nearly completed his Referee training when COVID-19 brought competitive swimming to a halt. We look forward to welcoming Amit back to the deck and soon joining the ranks of Referees.

Tom Holt -  Officials Training Coordinator Co-Chair

May 2020 - Oregon Swimming OSI Official of the month for May 2020 is Bob Sommers with the Hillsboro Heat Swim Club.  Bob is a key part of Oregon Swimming serving as a Stroke & Turn official since 2017 where he has been a regular on the pool deck showing up for meets even when he doesn’t have a swimmer in the water.  In the 2019-2020 Short Course season he completed 28 sessions including 7 as a Stroke & Turn official for the 11-14 Age Group Championships.  We regularly utilize Bob as a trainer of new officials as he has a great understanding of the rule book and a calm way in which he trains new officials.  For those of you who have had the pleasure of working with Bob on deck you will quickly recognize him as someone who leads by example.  Bob is always willing to work wherever he is needed, he always has a smile and a great sense of humor blended perfectly with a high level of professionalism.  It is our honor to recognize Bob for all he has done and continues to do for our sport as the May official of the month.  Thank you, Bob, for all you do for OSI Officiating.

Darrell Geymann – Portland-Westside Officials Chair

April 2020 – Due to the COVID outbreak, this has been a very unusual time for our swimming community.  Most Officials are at home instead of spending weekends on deck at swim meets. That being said, I would like to honor Bob Heymann as the April 2020 Official of The Month. Not only for his on-deck officiating (there was none), but for his devotion to the Lake Oswego pool campaign. 

Bob, along with his wife Carolyn, have spent this past year ensuring that a new competition swimming pool will be built in Lake Oswego. They have spent hundreds of hours working with the school district and the city to make sure that the funding that the voters have approved of will go to a pool as specified.  Thanks to the hard work of the Heymann’s, Lake Oswego will have a new pool, hopefully 50 meters! 

We also cannot ignore Bob’s great work on deck over many years.

So, with this in mind I am nominating Bob Heymann for the April official of the month. 

Joe Dahl - North Willamette Valley Officials Chair

March 2020 - It is my absolute pleasure to announce March Officials of the Month, Patrick and Sonya Huskey with MHA. Patrick and Sonya are a husband and wife officiating team; Sonya commits to a meet and just like that there are two Huskey’s on deck. It is such a pleasure to work with them, Sonya’s kind demeanor and Patrick’s quick wit make them a welcome addition to any deck. I can remember a meet that was extremely short staffed, 5 deck officials for the am session. Patrick and Sonya heard about the staffing challenges and came the next morning to help, no swimmer in that session. Come to find out it was their son’s birthday; a little officiating before the birthday party. A testament to the type of officials they are and the support they provide our officiating community.  They both are great examples of what it means to be an official, supporting their swimmer, club, and LSC. Patrick and Sonya Thank You for being a part of our officiating community, I look forward to working many more meets with you both! See you on deck soon!!!

Judi J Creech -  Portland-Eastside Officials Chair

February 2020 - Mike Ahten is focused on the swimmers and their success.  It drives him in everything that he does whether it is providing training for officials for his team or other teams in the Eugene area or stepping up and helping with additional meets to make sure that the swimmers are supported.   Mike swims Master's swimming with Emerald Aquatics.  He has been the the Official's Coordinator and for the last 2 years the team president for TEAM.  Mike has continued to grow his contribution through being a Meet Referee over the last 2 years.  Please if you see Mike on deck congratulate him.

Bill Shreeve - Eugene/Springfield Officials Chair

January 2020 - When looking at Officials who are outstanding contributors to the sport of swimming, one needs to look no further than the January 2020 OSI Official of the Month, Pat Allender.  His dedication to swimming started early, as a swimmer, and as an accomplished Breaststroker, Pat competed in college, and is a Masters Champion in the 100 Breaststroke.  Pat began as a Stroke and Turn Judge in 1995, and his commitment as a volunteer includes officiating for USA Swimming, Oregon Swimming, US Masters Swimming, Oregon High School Swimming, and beyond.  Pat exemplifies the qualities of superb officiating at all levels, including a trip to US Nationals.  As an AO, his work is unquestionably thorough, equitable, and relied upon for accuracy.  As a Trainer, Pat can be counted on for great communication, availability, a knowledge level that is masterful, along with a ready smile, and positive outlook.  Pat is a fabulous mentor who works many hours beyond those required during a swim meet, with anyone who has a need from Meet Referee’s, to Administrative Officials, including Meet Directors, Coaches and many others.  If you have a question about Admin, from the entry process, to how to build a meet in Hytek, with times verification, or how to format prelims/finals…etc.  Pat is the man to see.  The Administrative Team, AO’s and ET’s, are vital members of officiating, that are not as visible as the “Wet Deck” during a swim meet, so you may have to find Pat, upstairs, or behind some glass, to ask a question, or to offer congratulations on this recognition, but the search will be worth it!  The outstanding officiating found in Oregon Swimming is in part attributable to his mentorship!

Thank you, Pat, for your continued support of Oregon swimming!  

Sheila Lovell-Otterstrom – Mid Willamette Area Chair

2019 Special Olympics

2019 LC Senior Sectionals

2019 LC 10&U Championship

Oregon Swimming is saddened by the loss of long-time official JoAnne Wisniewski.  JoAnne passed away peacefully on Dec 29, 2018.  JoAnne served our community as certified official for 22 years. She was a great mentor and friend and a joy to be around.  She played a key – and patient – role in training hundreds of officials over the years. She had a great attitude, big heart and warm smile.  She will be greatly missed!