Have you always wondered what all those officials in white at a swimming gala actually do? Would you like the excuse to wear an all-white outfit and get into galas free?
Licensed officials are vital to the running of our club championships and club galas and we need more of them.
There are two ways to become an official:
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Timekeeping – timekeepers record the time it took each swimmer to cover the distance of their race using a stopwatch. The timekeeper training course is one classroom theory session followed by a practical assessment on poolside. If we get enough people interested we can run a timekeeper course at Runnymede pool.
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Judge level 1 (J1) – this covers timekeeping, being a chief timekeeper and inspector of turns (ie ensuring swimmers follow the rules for turns for each stroke). Training consists of an online theory course followed by poolside training and mentoring at galas.
If you are really interested in officiating at galas we suggest you do the J1 training as it allows you to volunteer at galas and county and regional championships.
You can 
read more here:
read more here:The club will pay for training, membership of England swimming and provide a white Runnymede official t-shirt.
If you would like to hear more about becoming an official, please contact Alex Comber our officials coordinator. Alex is also in the clubroom most Friday evenings during the junior session (7.15 to 8.15).