2021 Steps to becoming a Certified USA Swimming Official in the Georgia LSC

  1. Attend a Stroke and Turn official clinic taught by a certified trainer (online or in person). 
  2. Take the Stroke and Turn officials test located on the USA Swimming website www.usaswimming.org.  The tests are located under “Officials” tab, Online Testing.  You can take the online test before you join USA Swimming, USA Swimming will issue you a temporary USA Swimming ID so you can take the tests.  The testing is open book, and you can either use a rule book or the PDF version on the rulebook available on the USA Swimming website.  The test must be passed with a grade of 80 percent or higher, and can be taken multiple times.  The test results are emailed to the Georgia Swimming Officials Chair, and the training coordinator. Email cwasmuth@comcast.net when you have completed your test. (Must be 80% or higher)
  3. Clarice will email you an apprentice form once you have taken and passed your test. You must take this apprentice form with you to each USA meet until you have an Official GA Certification Card.
  4. You must apprentice at five (5) sessions, at two (2) different Georgia Swimming meets.  There you will work with an experienced official, to go over what happens during a swim meet and how the job is performed on deck.  You should endeavor to work with different officials, so you can make the most experience during your apprenticeship.  At the end of each session, you will have an apprentice form signed by the meet referee.  Once this form is completed, you send a copy of it to the certification chair & training coordinator, and your USA Swimming credentials will be entered and activated.
  5. Before you can be a certified official, you must join USA Swimming.  You may start apprenticing prior to joining USA Swimming.  Go on-Line to Georgia Swimming (https://www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?_tabid_=0&team=lscszgs). Click on Registration on Left. Go to the middle of the page and click Online Officials/Non-Athlete Registration) and pay $71 via check or $73 via Paypal and submit the form: https://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=106783&team=lscszgs      This a yearly process to stay certified as a USA Official.
  6. USA Swimming officials are required to pass a Background Check.  Unfortunately, background checks for other organizations will not meet USA Swimming’s requirements.  The check costs $38, and the links to the background check are located on the USA Swimming Website under officials.  There is a link on the main officials’ page to the background check section.   www.usaswimming.org/backgroundcheck
  7. You must complete Athlete Protection Training (APT). Due to new Safe Sport Rules – you must do this within 60 days of your 1st apprentice session on a deck. You must join USA Swimming as a non-athlete member prior to taking the APT - see step #5. There is a link to APT on the main Officials’ page: https://www.usaswimming.org/utility/landing-pages/safe-sport/apt  There is no charge for this.
  8. Final requirement (only required once) is Concussion Training – it is a free online course that can be taken at: ​    https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html                            send completion certificate to:    Ed Saltzman  swimsalt@bellsouth.net
  9. Once you complete all these steps, you email the complete apprentice form to:
    1. Georgia Swimming Officials Chair (Ed Saltzman) swimsalt@bellsouth.net  
    2. the Training Coordinator (Clarice Wasmuth) cwasmuth@comcast.net 
    3. and the Certification Coordinator (Doug Kintz), cdkintz@earthlink.net
        The apprentice form has these instructions at the bottom of the form.
​
05/20/21