How do I become an Official?
If you’re interested in getting involved and training as a Technical Official, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact admin@swimsouthland.org.nz
Becoming a Technical Official doesn’t mean you need to officiate at every meet — just whenever you’re available. The more officials we have trained, the easier it is to share the load and support our regular team.
Timekeeper
To run any swim meet, we need at least two timekeepers per lane — and with an 8-lane pool, that adds up to a lot of timekeepers!
This is an easy and enjoyable job — anyone with a spare thumb can grab a stopwatch from the control room and take one of the best seats in the house to watch all the action.
We must have the correct number of timekeepers for the meet to be recognised as an official meet by Swimming New Zealand. Without this, swimmers may miss out on gaining qualifying times for South Island and National Meets.
Marshall
Calling all people with a great “school teacher voice”! This is such an important role — helping to organise swimmers into their correct race, heat, and lane.
We fully encourage (and expect!) our swimmers to know their race number, heat number, and lane number before coming down to marshalling. If you’re a keen organiser who enjoys keeping things running smoothly, our swimmers will thrive with you at the helm!
Control Room Staff
We need 2–3 people to help run the Control Room during each meet. This team is responsible for ensuring the timing equipment runs smoothly and accurately before and during the event.
All swimmers’ times are automatically recorded through the system and posted on Meet Mobile for everyone to see. The Control Room team also handles medal and ribbon presentations, so it can get pretty busy — any extra hands are always appreciated!
It’s a fast-paced and sometimes stressful role, so if you’re quick to pick things up and can keep a cool head under pressure, come and see us to find out more about what we do.
Inspector Of Turns (IOT)
These are the officials you’ll see standing at each end of the pool during a meet. Their job is to ensure all swimmers comply with the rules for starts, turns, and finishes.
It’s such an important role — no one enjoys disqualifying a swimmer, but it’s vital to help them learn the correct techniques early on. By identifying any issues at our local meets, we can prevent swimmers from being disqualified later at South Island or National Meets, where the stakes are much higher.
Judge Of Stroke (JOS)
These are the officials who walk up and down the sides of the pool during the meet, ensuring that swimmers follow the correct stroke rules for each race.
It’s an important role in maintaining fairness and consistency — helping swimmers develop good habits and making sure all performances meet Swimming New Zealand’s technical standards.
Starter
“Take your mark... Beep!” The Starter ensures that all swimmers are given an equal and fair start to their race. It’s a key role in maintaining the integrity and flow of each event.
Referee
The Chief of the Pool! The Referee has overall control of the meet — overseeing all officials and swimmers to ensure everything runs according to Swimming New Zealand rules. This role keeps the competition fair, safe, and well-organised from start to finish.
For more information check out the individual tabs under officials in the main menu.
Admin Login