Officials News Archive - November, 2010

Hi Folks.

If you are interested in officiating in a neighboring LSC, Pacific Northwest Swimming has an event in the near future.  They are especially interested in a person wishing to work at the Administrative Referee postion.

For more information click HERE.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks.

Our trainer page has been updated.

One goal with our newest revisions to the training program is to align our trainer expiration dates with our official’s certifications.  You will find that two persons taking the same trainer clinic may have two different expiration dates, one in 2011 and the other in 2012.  Again, the purpose for this is to align the expiration of a person’s training certification with the expiration of their official certification.

There remain a number of trainers whose certification expires this year, 12/31/2010.  If you fall into this category you have likely met the recertification requirements; please send a note to your AOC with a copy of your OTS log, or a copy of your old paper log if you still have it, and we’ll get the system updated to reflect a new expiration date of either 2011 or 2012. 

If you have any questions please contact your AOC for assistance.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks!

Here is a list of the championship meets we will be hosting in the near future:

West Coast All Star Meet
01/08-09/ 2011
Gresham
Referee - JoAnne Wisniewski

OSI 10 & Under Championships
02/19-20/2011
Springfield
Referee - Kathy Coddington

OSAA High School State Championships
6A meet – Referee - Judy L’Roy
5A meet – Referee - Joe Dahl
4A/3A/2A/1A meet – Referee - Tom Ishii
02/18-19/2011
Gresham

OSI 11-14 Championships
02/24-27/ 2011
Corvallis
Referee - David Twenge

OSI Senior Championships
03/03-06/ 2011
Gresham
Referee - Julie Carpenter

If you are interested in serving in an assigned position at one or more of these meets please send a note to the meet referee(s) as soon as possible as they will be recruiting to fill these positions in short order.  If you haven't served in an assigned roll at a championship meet please consider this, it is really a lot of fun!  In addition, the 11-14 championships and the senior championships will be OQMs and you will have the opportunity to achieve or renew your National certification.

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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Hi Folks.

A year ago when we began our move away from paper logs and began tracking sessions in OTS we were advised as referees to record a trainer’s sessions as a trainer and not in the position worked.  For example, if I worked on deck as a S&T trainer the referee would have entered my sessions as “trainer” and not as “S&T”.  Now USAS is advising we should enter out time spent serving as a deck mentor as time in position worked and enter the trainer portion separately.  For example, if I work as a S&T trainer the referee will record my sessions as “S&T” and I must go into OTS and manually enter my training time.

This might seem cumbersome, but it’s actually a good thing as you will now receive credit for everything you do on deck.  If you are serving as a trainer or deck mentor you are technically working as the certified official in that position and that time should be recognized as such.  In addition, you are also involved in a teaching activity and should receive credit for that as well.  That said, the teaching activity really only applies to National certification so you don’t have to enter this if you are not interested in achieving or maintaining N2 or N3 certification.

For a walk-through on entering your sessions spent as a trainer (or deck mentor) click HERE.

If you have any questions about this please reach out to your Area Officials Chair.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks!

It’s been one month since the OSI mini expo and time has absolutely flown by!  My intent to was to immediately post the items we introduced at the meeting, but alas, life got in the way!  That said, please review the following posts to get a better understanding of our new recertification requirements, revisions to our training program, and the upcoming background checks for officials.

Making changes to our systems is not fast , nor is it simple; sweeping changes require a lot of thought and discussion before they can be implemented.  It is important for me to recognize those people who have given so much time this year to help bring these changes to fruition. 

We assembled a Recertification Committee this past spring to review our current recertification requirements compared againse the requirements set by USA Swimming, and to determine how recertification will integrate with our use of OTS for recording time worked on deck.  This committee was Chaired by Julie Carpenter and its members were Jacki Allender, Julia Murphy, Tami Smith, Jim Quisenberry, and David Twenge. 

Our Training Committee has been meeting for over a year now.  This committee was tasked with, among other things, reviewing our existing training materials, developing a master trainer program, and modernizing and standardizing implementation.  This committee was Chaired by Mark Rieniets until he learned of a required transfer out of the LSC by his employer.  Kym Jacobson assumed the Chair and the committee members are Joe Dahl, Sue Fuller, Margaret McMillan, and Linda Postma.  The training committee continues to standardize the remaining training materials and these will be released as they become available. 

The roles played by these individuals cannot be recognized highly enough; please extend your gratitude to our committee Chairs and members for their tireless dedication to our sport and our organization!

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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Hi folks!

Six or seven years ago OSI rolled out a revision to the officials’ training process.  This revision included sweeping changes to the fundamental process as well as to the methodology surrounding providing feedback to trainees.  This was a positive change and was well received.  The new process recognized that in addition to training our new officials, we must train the individuals who are working with those new officials; this was the creation of our Train the Trainer process.

Over the past year the Training Committee has been working to further refine this training program with goals of more greatly standardizing the system, of emphasizing coaching techniques, and of implementing a master trainer program.  Many of the attendees at this year’s mini expo took training clinics or master trainer clinics and we’ve received positive feedback around both programs.

There are two types of trainers, Trainers and Master Trainers.  Trainers can give clinics for new officials or officials advancing to another position, and they work as on-deck mentors for officials in training.  Master Trainers, in addition to working as Trainers doing deck mentoring and/or presenting clinics, can give Train the Trainer clinics to bring new Trainers online.  The criteria or prerequisites for becoming a Trainer or Master Trainer as well as re-certification requirements, can be found HERE.

A checklist of Trainer requirements can be found HERE.

A checklist of Master Trainer requirements can be found HERE.

As most trainers are aware, a list of trainers and their expiration dates can be found on the OSI website.  New Trainers and Master Trainers from clinics at the mini expo as well as those who re-certified at the mini expo will have their expiration dates added or revised shortly.  Those of you expiring in the near future, please consider contacting your AOC to renew your certification.  If you have met the re-certification requirements please send a note to your AOC to have this information updated. 

Trainers are in high demand as new trainees are required to work with trainers at critical points in their process and cannot move forward without this criteria being met.  Furthermore, serving as a trainer is quite rewarding; if you meet the requirements, please consider becoming a trainer.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi folks!

One year ago we began a process to change the way we use a very powerful tool, the Officials Tracking System (OTS).  Prior to one year ago our referees were required to manually complete a paper Referee’s Report following every meet.  This was cumbersome and time consuming.  The reports were sent to the AOC responsible for the host club and they were filed away.  Frankly, the program was out of date.

Last year we made a huge change and our referees now enter the pertinent information regarding meets into OTS.  Specifically, the referee enters all the officials who worked, the position(s) in which they worked, and the total sessions worked.   Those of you who have achieved National certifications know the session count is important in OTS.  You must meet the minimum number of sessions worked to certify or to re-certify at N2 or N3.  Prior to our referees entering session count, each individual official was required to manually enter sessions worked but this is no longer necessary.

The next stage of this process change is using OTS as a re-certification tool within the LSC.  We are all familiar with our paper logs, the log we’ve carried around to have signed by the referee at the end of the meet.  The same log we’ve dropped in the pool, that is folded and creased to the point of falling apart, and that we’ve lost between the long course and short course seasons.  Beginning in January, 2011, now that our referees are entering our session count into OTS, these paper logs are no longer necessary.  Next year we will all use OTS to obtain and forward to our AOC a copy of our recertification log.  For a detail of the re-certification differences between this year and next year have a look at an outline created by Julie Carpenter found HERE.

Of course, as many of you already know, OTS tracks sessions, not hours like our old system.  Moving to OTS caused us to modify our requirements for re-certification.  Fortunately USA Swimming already has minimum session count standards for re-certification so that was an easier process than expected.  You can find the new minimum standards for re-certification HERE; remember, these session count standards become applicable January 1, 2011. 

If you have questions regarding our re-certification logs contact your AOC.

See you on deck!

Bob  McMillan

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Hi Folks.

The USA Swimming House of Delegates voted at this year’s convention to expand the criminal background check program to more than just coaches.  It was decided that all persons having close contact with athletes should undergo background checks, and this determination applies to us as officials. 

The process and procedures have not yet been determined.  What is known is our new cards issued for 2011 will have an expiration date signifying the date by which the background check must be completed.  Once the process is in place we will be notified and can manage the check.  The common belief is we will log on to the USAS website and complete a form to that authorizes a third party to do the check.

There will be a fee for these background checks, however it is not currently known what the cost will be.  USA Swimming will not pay this fee, nor will Oregon Swimming.  Whether your club will pay this fee is a decision that must be made by your club leadership.

Undoubtedly some people will not respond well to the idea of submitting to a criminal background check; I can think of a number of reasons folks may use as objections.  The fact is however this was a decision made by the leadership of all LSCs as a group at the annual convention and if we are to officiate we must abide by this rule. 

Most importantly, please remember this was a decision made with the safety of our children in mind.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks!

After a number of years in position, Jim Alexander has stepped down from his role as Electronic Timing Chair for OSI.  Jim will remain involved in the sport and in officiating; when you next see him feel free to thank Jim for his service to OSI.

Andrew Guyler has been appointed to replace Jim.  Andrew has many years of experience as an official and will do an outstanding job in the role.  If you have any ET questions or if you just want to welcome him to the position you can find Andrew’s email address on the Official Chairs page.

See you on deck!

Bob

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Hi Folks.

Gene Mielke is the referee for the Special Olympics meet held in Gresham this coming weekend and he would deeply appreciate the help of any officials in staffing the meet.  This is a fabulous opportunity to work a meet you may not have previously experienced; please consider helping out, and send Gene an email if you will be available.

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Reminder:  Competition day is the first day of Pacific Standard Time where
clocks "fall back" one-hour (starting at 2am on that Sunday morning).

2010 Special Olympics Oregon Fall Regional Games Aquatics in Gresham

Competition Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010

Venue: Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center - Gresham

11/7/10 - General Schedule of Events (subject to change):

8:00am                                                Coach Check-in
8:30am                                                Volunteer Check-in
9:00am - 9:30am                                              Warm Ups
9:00am - 9:30am                                              Officials Meeting
9:30am - 9:45am                                              Head Coaches Meeting w/Referee
9:50am                                                Opening Welcome
10:00am                                              Competition Begins for Traditional Swim
Approx. 11:30am - 12:30pm                        Lunch Break

Approx. 11:30am                                  Competition Begins for Developmental Swim (in shallow end of pool during lunch break)
12:30pm                                              Competition Continues for Traditional Swim
Approx. 4:00pm                                    Competition Ends

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