Whitby Swimming is a non-profit organization run by parents for the benefit of all swimmers in the club. Parental involvement creates a fun and inviting environment for our swimmers, contributes to the success of our swimmers and keeps fees lower. We fill over 500 positions when hosting a large, 3 to 4 day swim meet, so for us to successfully host these meets, we need as many members as possible registered as officials, taking clinics, and moving up the officials’ ladder. Swim Ontario provides detailed clinic titles and descriptions; you can check them out here: Officiating Positions and Job Description.

Questions? Contact info@whitbyswimming.ca

To learn more about officiating and how you can climb the ladder visit swimontario.com and click here to review our information sheet.

Each family is required to work a minimum of ten (10) sessions at swim meets. Each “session” is 4-5 hours of time commitment. Many families exceed the session commitment each year helping Whitby Swimming achieve excellence in hosting meets leading to a special recognition award from Swim Ontario in 2017.

To learn more about becoming an Official with Whitby Swimming, click here to review our information sheet.

All new families are required to attend the “Introduction to Officiating/Timing” clinic and are encouraged to take the “Strokes and Turns” Clinic before mid-November. Returning families are required to have at least one member who has taken the Judge of Stroke and Inspector of Turns (Strokes and Turns) clinic by mid-November. Families are encouraged to take one or more new clinics per season and to work at the new positions to become a level II or III official. The club must have a certain proportion of officials at each level to host meets sanctioned by Swim Ontario.

Once registered as an official for the swim season, online courses for Intro to Swimming Officiating, Safety Marshal, and Chief Timekeeper are available through the Swimming Canada E-Learning System. Use your officials login (different than your swimmer's login) to access the training.

In order for our club to get sanctioned to host our own swim meets, it is essential for us to have as many members as possible registered at Swim Ontario taking courses and “moving up the ladder.” New and established members are required to take courses and move towards their level I,level II and beyond.

The following is the order we recommend taking clinics in:

Level I Timekeeper & Safety Marshal

Level 2 Strokes & Turns

Level 2 Chief Timekeeper

Level 2 Clerk of Course

Level 2 Chief Judge Electronics

Level 2 Chief Finish Judge (CJE/CFJ are often combined at in person clinics)

Level 2 Recorder Scorer

Level 2 Meet Management

A reminder to Level 3, 4 & 5 officials, it is recommended to attend the referee clinic every two years to ensure referees are up-to-date with current rules and regulations.

Additional Clinic Information

Want to attend a clinic at another location? Log in to your Swimming Canada E-Learning System to find current clinic offerings.

More questions about moving up in your officiating certification? Contact our level 4 and 5 officials (Paul Duff, Steve Sachs, and Suzi Santaguida) at compcoordinator@whitbyswimming.ca.