Officials News Archive - January, 2011

Hi Folks!

Championship season is upon us and this year's season-ending short course meets are certain to entertain.  Those interested in working assigned positions should contact the meet referees:

10 & Under Championships - Kathy Coddington

11 - 14 Championships - David Twenge

Senior Championships - Julie Carpenter

OSI also officiates the high school State meets and the referees for these meets are:

6A - Judy L'Roy

5A - Joe Dahl

4A/3A/2A/1A - Tom Ishii

High school district meets can also use the help of certified OSI officials so if you are able to work one of these meets your assistance will be appreciated.

In addition, both the 11 - 14 meet and senior champs will have National evaluators on site to observe officials wishing to certify or recertify in N2 and certain N3 roles.  The meet referees should be your contact regarding National certifications as well as assigned positions.

If you've never worked a championship meet you don't know what you're missing!  The energy at these meets is awesome, and the officiating protocol is unlike any meet you will attend throughout the season.  I highly encourage officials to work one or more of these meets, regardless of whether you have a swimmer in the meet.  And remember, long pants for finals!

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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Hi Folks.

We've now learned trainees must submit for background checks just like certified officials.  Please spread the word as you attend meets in the coming few weeks because folks who have not passed the background checks at the time of the February 15 deadline will not be allowed to work on deck.  Please also add this information to any entry level clinics you may administrate.

If you have any questions please contact your Area Officials Chair.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks.

As most officials are now aware, the USA Swimming background check program is now in affect.  Any person choosing to continue to officiate at meets sanctioned by USA Swimming, or at meets run by Oregon Swimming using USAS certified officials must submit to a background check.  To be clear, to continue officiating for Oregon Swimming and USA Swimming a background check is mandatory.  Background checks must be performed by the USAS selected vendor and there is a click-through link to initiate the check on the USAS website. 

There is a fee of $39 for the initial background check.  This must be paid online at the time the check is initiated.  I am certain this fee will be reimbursed by some OSI clubs, but any reimbursement is the responsibility of the individual official(s) and club(s).  OSI and USAS will not engage in discussion regarding reimbursement between clubs and officials.

A FAQ list written by USAS can be viewed here.

Undoubtedly there will be some officials who choose not to submit to a background check; for some the $39 fee will be a deal-breaker while others will object to a loss of personal privacy.  I would not consider speaking against or judging around either of these objections, I will however state I truly hope we do not lose even one official because of this new process.  I will offer as well the possibility of an increase in our number of athletes as parents come to realize our sport has implemented another safeguard to protect our swimmers.  This is the reason background checks in our sport have become mandatory, for the protection of our athletes and our kids.

If you have questions please contact your AOC, or send me an email and I'll get back to you in short order.

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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