See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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In June, OSI sponsored my attendance at the Open Water Nationals in Long Beach with the hopes that an interest can be generated in Oregon in open water racing.

A clinic was conducted in conjunction with the event and I had the opportunity to train with open water officials from throughout the country and met swimmers and coaches from the national team.

It was exciting to watch swimmers, after swimming 10-kilometers, lined up six abreast, shoulder to shoulder with 50 meters left to swim, in an all out sprint.

Open water racing can be held in any venue - ocean, harbor, river, lake, pond, and reservoir or even in a 50 meter pool with buoys placed out from the corners so swimmers would not contact the walls.  There are no lane lines, pool walls or controlled water and air temperature.  Swimming conditions can change quickly and be beyond the control of the sponsors.  These challenges have led to the Open Water Swimming motto, “Expect the unexpected”.

In Oregon we have many bodies of water that would be acceptable venues for an open water event.  Oregon masters do hold open water events to which an OSI sanction could be added.  There are also triathlons where the course is already set up to which an open water race could be held in conjunction.

Safety is of primary concern and extraordinary measures need to be taken to insure that the same number of swimmers exit the water as enter it.  All swimmers must be observed at all times and all must be accounted for.

On every swim team, there are swimmers who would enjoy and excel in this Olympic event and we owe it to them to have the opportunity.

I through my contacts in the Open Water Racing community can be a resource for conducting an open water event.

Al Smith

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A question arose at last year’s 11 & Over Championships regarding “closing the heat” and I had forgotten about this until I was recently asked a similar question.  We’ve all seen a situation where the referee turns the heat over to the starter and at some point prior to the start of the race another swimmer jumps up on the block.  What do we do in this case; when is the heat closed?

At the time many of us began officiating we used a recall process for false starts.  Part of the process had a recall referee or designee close the heat with a whistle blast.  I don’t remember if the rules actually referred to this action closing the heat or if this was just jargon, but in our LSC we treated it as the rule.  Regardless, the rulebook clearly outlines the procedure for starting at present, and there is no reference to “closing the heat”.

Still, while there is no official point at which the heat is closed, the rules do set the expectation for the swimmers to step up on the block or place their hands and feet for a backstroke start without undue delay.

Closing the heat is a judgment call belonging to the meet referee.  Because it is subjective, the decision should probably take into account the desire of the meet host.   At most A/B/C meets heavy in B/C swimmers, as well as B/C and dual meets held throughout the season, the goal is to get kids their swims; at most of these meets we often swim kids who’ve missed their heat in a later heat if space exists.  If this is the case it doesn’t make sense to DQ a swimmer who jumps up on the blocks late.

At A meets or A/B meets, as well as late season and championship meets, that grey area of forgiveness is typically shortened and swimmers are required to report without undue delay.  Still, the judgment regarding when the heat is closed to further participants lies with the meet referee, and the meet referee should communicate the expectation regarding closing the heat to the coaches in their meeting and with the deck referee(s) prior to the start of the meet. 

While the rulebook does not refer to closing a heat, the meet referee certainly has the authority to declare to the deck referees “the action of turning the heat over to the starter closes the heat, and anyone stepping up after this, without good cause, shall be disqualified for delay of meet.”  This would then be a delay of meet DQ rather than a no-show or missed heat.

I hope this helps clarify what we mean by closing the heat.  As always, the best way to avoid confusion or misunderstanding is to communicate with the coaches and officials in advance.

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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As many of you are aware, OSI has begun using the USA Swimming Officials Tracking System (OTS) to replace our referee's (post) meet report.  Replacing the meet report with OTS makes the post-meet reporting easier, and it allows the referee to update the OTS meet/session tracking for all officials attending a meet.  One advantage of the referee entering sessions for officials is for the official who is new to the National certification program (N2/N3).  When an official first applies for National certification their information is already loaded in the system so they won't have to go back and enter years worth of deck service.  Another advantage is that officials who are already accustom to updating OTS will no longer need to do this; the meets are now pre-loaded in OTS and the referee needs to simply add names and sessions.

The future plan for OTS, when the system is capable and OSI can determine a process, is for OTS to replace the officials recertification log.  This change is not in place at this time so all officials must continue using the old school recertification log to track meets and hours worked.

If you have any questions about the system or process please contact your Area Chair or send an email to me.

See you on deck!

Bob McMillan

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