Officials

Dispelling the Myth

Many people believe that senior officials (Levels III, IV & V) are paid, but they are not. These positions are filled by volunteers and it takes dedication spanning a few years to obtain senior officiating levels. Referees from the area are often 'retired swim parents' and they're looking to us, the next generation, to train and support the swimmers of today.

Starting with the 2007-2008 season, Mississauga Swimming began to focus its membership on volunteerism for club hosted meets. MSSAC swim meets have become the Club’s largest revenue generator. Maintaining the officiating levels required to host three successful major meets each year will take an army of volunteers. We also run smaller meets such as Inter-Squad, TriStar, 12 & Under Club Champs, one time trial, and 3 MSDC meets. To support these meets, all MSSAC families will be required to have at least one volunteer per family attend a Swim Ontario Official’s Clinic per year and obtain accreditation (2 successful deck evaluations) until a minimum of four courses are completed. This is the minimum expectation of the Club. A fine of $200.00 will be levied for noncompliance. Final decision to levy the fine or waive it will rest with the MSSAC Officials Chair.

This approach will also help ensure that MSSAC adheres to Swim Ontario’s new Official’s Development Plan which is required for meet sanction approval. The plan below, recommended by the Ontario Swimming Officials Association, and approved by Swim Ontario, encourages clubs to promote their officials progression up the officiating “ladder”, enhancing the club's ability to host and/or assist at meets. Better officiating means better and more efficient meets. If we don’t meet these requirements, we cannot host sanctioned meets, which would be a huge loss to our Club. The plan will be phased in over the next 3 competitive seasons & we’re currently in Year 3.

CLUBS with > 70 FAMILIES
YEAR 1	YEAR 2	YEAR 3 OPTION 1	YEAR 3 OPTION 2	YEAR 3 OPTION 3
3 Level II	4 Level II	5 Level II	5 Level II	7 Level II
	1 Level III	1 Level III	2 Level III	0 Level III
		2 (Alumni) Level IV/V	1 (Alumni) Level IV/V	2 (Alumni) Level IV/V

Here's a brief summary of the first three levels.

Level I: Completed the one course that covers timer, marshal and safety marshal, and have successfully completed 2 on-deck evaluations.

Level II: Completed Level I + two courses, one of which must be Strokes and Turns Judge + two on-deck evaluations in each of the 2 positions. Note that Head Lane Timer and Strokes & Turns Judge are one position.

Level III: Completed Level II + three more courses + two on deck-evaluations in each of these 3 positions, for a total of five positions. In addition, you must attend the Referee's clinic and give one clinic in the presence of a Level IV/V official. Receipt of your Level III certification must be approved by our Central Region Officials Representative.

Online Officials Training

Online Officials Clinics are now available through the Ontario Swim Officials Association (OSOA) website. Please use the links below to signup and access the clinics.

NOTE: If you have issues with this site, including creating an account or getting a password please contact OSOA Technical Support at TechSupport@osoa.ca

For the most up-to-date information and for more details, please refer to the Officials section of Swim Ontario’s website.

MSSAC will offer a few in-house clinics each year however we encourage everyone to attend the clinics run by our Central Region Officials. They conduct a Saturday training session each fall and spring at their offices in Don Mills located in the Sports Alliance of Ontario, 1185 Eglinton Ave East, Toronto. These sessions provide the opportunity to train in any position and have the added benefit of interacting with volunteers from other clubs along with the senior officials from our region. These clinics will be announced a few weeks in advance on Swim Ontario's website & MSSAC's website & a notice will be sent out via our Parent Reps.

Dispelling the Myth