WHAT'S NEW
Open Water Officials Clinic
Officials, here is a great opportunity to learn more about Open Water Officiating. In conjunction with our Open Water Championships, we will be hosting a virtual officials clinic hosted by two of the most experienced open water officials in the country. For more information and for the registration link, please click HERE .
Rule Changes - Effective Immediately
Hello officials! As we enter our Long Course season, we have just received word that World Aquatics has made some rule changes that USA Swimming will be implementing, effective immediately. Below is a link to the USA Swimming page where these changes are listed.
https://www.usaswimming.org/about-usas/governance/rules-policies
You can open each rule to see the details of the changes.
A brief summary:
In Freestyle and Butterfly, swimmers will now be allowed to fully resubmerge on their last length after they pass the 5-meter (meter pools) or 5-yard (yard pools) mark immediately prior to reaching for the finish. This brings these strokes into line with backstroke.
In races of 400m/500y and over, swimmers may have a counter and there will be a signal given over the lane of the leading swimmer when that swimmer has two lengths pule 5m/5y remaining. This is the same as the longer distance events.
Therapeutic tape, such as Kineseo tape, is allowed if being used for therapeutic purposes.
Please be sure to pass this on to officials at all of our meets and begin using these rules immediately.
Seen On the Deck
For those of you who kept an eye on the Ft. Lauderdale Open, you saw some great swimming, including a new world record in the 100 Butterfly achieved by Gretchen Walsh. What you might have missed was that one of our very own officials, Jeff Sargent, was the starter for that race. Congratulations to Jeff! If you would like to learn more about going out to meets in other LSC’s, be sure to reach out to the Officials Committee for information!
Click the following link for the Steps to becoming a Junior Official
New Legislation
At the recent USA Swimming HOD in Denver, the new R-2 legislation was passed. Please see below:
101.1 STARTS
.1 [no changes]
.2 The Start
A-D [no changes]
E A swimmer shall not be disqualified for an illegal starting position at the start if the race is permitted to proceed. Enforcement of the correct starting position is the responsibility of the Starter. A swimmer shall be disqualified for an illegal starting position at the start if the swimmer moves from a legal starting position to an illegal starting position immediately prior to or after the “take your marks” command provided that the illegal starting position exists when the signal to start the race is given. Enforcement of the correct starting position is the responsibility of the Starter or the Stroke and Turn Judges.
.3-.5 [no changes]
As you can see, enforcement of correct starting position is now the responsibility of the Starter and of the Stroke & Turn Judge.
For practical purposes, this means that when observing Backstroke starts, the Stroke & Turn Judge will need to keep their eyes on the feet of the swimmer. The most common way to indicate that the feet are in the correct position will be for the S&T judge to put their hands behind their back while they continue to observe the toes.
When observing forward starts, the S&T judge will need to remain in a position where they can observe the feet of the swimmers in their jurisdiction until they leave the block.
Please remember that we should never scrutinize the starting position but merely observe it.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Officials Co-Chairs at officials@ctswim.org .
Uniform Transition
Updated Situations & Resolutions Documents
2026 Rule Book
If you missed the window to ordering your rule book for 2026, you can access it here.
Officiating Courses Available
The online learning modules are available for Stroke & Turn, Starter, Administrative Official and Referee. If you are interested in training for any of those positions, please log into your USA Swimming account and look for them under the Education tab.
CSI Official of the Year will be awarded at the banquet. This award is given to an official who has volunteered within the LSC, worked to advance their knowledge by seeking out opportunities to be mentored and represented CT Officials to the highest standards.
Junior Official
We are excited to announce that CT is offering the certification of Junior Official. Click here for details on this certification. Click here for FAQ's. Those who are interested and have questions, please reach out to the Officials Co-Chairs at officials@ctswim.org
Working on a National Deck
Are you interested in learning the path to working on larger decks? Click Here
NEW TRAINING STANDARDS FOR ALL LSCs
Officials Certification Standards for Utilization by LSC Officials
Date of adoption / Last revision: February 5, 2024
The following standards have been established to provide a clear and uniform path for members who wish to become officials at the local level and enable LSCs to develop and conduct programs to recruit, certify, educate, train, and mentor USA Swimming officials and to provide competent and consistent officiating for our athletes. Furthermore, LSCs are required to implement these standards beginning February 1, 2024. Additionally, all LSCs are required to recognize the certified status of visiting and transferring officials from other LSCs.
New training standards for certification and recertification have been established for all LSCs. The new standards can be found here:
New Officials Certification Standards
ADDITIONAL TRAINING & ADVANCEMENT POLICIES
Becoming a Meet Referee for Championships (Age Groups and Seniors) Guidelines
Assigned Team Positions for Championships Guidelines Guidelines
“TAKE YOUR MARKS” – ALL INSTANCES
Multiple USA Swimming Rules – To comply with World Aquatics SW4
101.1.2C (pp 21) – On the Starter’s command “take your marks,” the swimmers shall immediately assume their starting position, in the forward start, with at least one foot at the front of the starting platform or the deck. Swimmers starting in the water must have at least one hand in contact with the wall or starting platform. When all swimmers are stationary, the Starter shall give the starting signal.
101.1.2D (pp 22) – When a swimmer does not respond promptly to the command "take your marks," the Starter shall immediately release all swimmers with the command "stand up" upon which the swimmers may stand up or step off the blocks.
105.3 Figure 1 C (pp 57) – Arm moves to shoulder level — signal to "take your marks"
105.3 Figure 1 E (pp 57) – Arm raised overhead with palm up (at any time after C. [“Take Your Marks”] and prior to D. [starting signal] — swimmer released from “Take Your Marks” command)
105.3 Figure 2 D (pp 57) – Arm moves to shoulder level — signal to “take your marks”
105.3 Figure 2 F (pp 57) – Arm raised overhead with palm up (at any time after D. [“Take Your Marks”] and prior to E. [starting signal] — swimmer released from “Take Your Marks” command)
701.2.2B (pp 111) – In all starts, the start signal shall be both audible and visible. For fixed platform starts, the Starter shall give the command, “Take your marks,” at which time the swimmers will assume a starting position with at least one foot at the front of the starting platform. When all swimmers are stationary, the Starter shall give the starting signal.
701.17.4 (pp 117) – when swimmers are starting from a fixed platform, give the command, “Take your marks,” at which time the swimmers will assume a starting position with at least one foot at the front of the starting platform. When all swimmers are stationary, the Starter shall give the starting signal.
Differences Between USA Swimming and USMS Rules – Forward Start (pp 123) – The forward start may be taken from the starting block, the pool deck, or a push from the wall. The forward start or the backstroke start shall be used for freestyle events. The referee’s long whistle indicates that the swimmer may take and maintain a position with at least one foot at the front of the platform or the deck (prior to “take your marks”). On the command, “Take your marks,” the swimmer shall immediately assume the starting position that maintains at least one foot at the front of the platform or the deck.