BCSSA Officials - FAQ - Crafting a Correct Official Time

 

At Provincials this year (2004) I was reminded of the importance of the sequence of steps that lead from a touch at the finish to the posting of an official result and the importance of the checks that exist in ensuring that the  result is a correct one.

 

Surprisingly few people are familiar with the details of this well-defined process that transforms a swim into an official result. Even fewer have actually served at all stages of this process.  Yet, I believe that if all volunteers better understand this sequence and the importance of each step they can be more effective in their roles in the overall process.

 

Briefly stated the chain of events in terms of officials is as follows:

1. Electronic timing officials monitor the electronic timing system for satisfactory completion of each lane and provide a results sheet of times and placings in each heat.

2. Manual timers and a recorder, under the supervision of a head timer, together with place judges, provide a manual record of the results of each finish.

3. The crash desk and recording room officials examine the collected electronic and manual data for accuracy and consistency, and try to determine an official time and placing in the heat for each swimmer following established rules.

4. The chief meet recorder reviews the results and resolves inconsistencies with respect to electronic versus manual times and placings versus times.  The chief meet recorder approves the results that will be entered into the computer and posted as the “official result of the race.”  The chief meet recorder may consult with the session referee in resolving difficult cases.

 

Now there are clearly many people (about 35 at Provincials) that are involved in this task and so the opportunity for error is great; hence the need for careful checking.  Fortunately this level of attention to detail finds virtually all errors, but occasionally the nature of the error is such that the redundancy built in to minimize the effect of an error is insufficient to remedy the error easily.  Hence the delays in posting final results and on rare occasions the need to revise those postings.  Very rarely, it may be necessary to reswim a race!

 

Let me now summarize “only a few” of the things I have observed that can impair our ability to provide a satisfactory official result:

• The timers miss the starting gun and submit their time anyway or attempt to estimate their error rather than entering a “no time”.

• The timers use the electronic score board to replace a manual time.  To compound the problem, they incorrectly interpret the order of finish on the scoreboard as the lane number.

• Timers of empty lanes fail to start their watches with the starting gun.

• The manual recorder notes the times on the wrong card.

• The manual recorder includes the electronic time on the swimmers timecard.

• The head timer provides a timer with a watch that the head timer has started in order for the timer to record a finish time.

• The place judge misses a finish and guesses at the result or discusses the finish with another place judge, or uses the sweep voiced by an electronics official or displayed on the electronics scoreboard.

• The place judge, on missing some of the finishes provides no sweep, rather than a partial sweep.

• The crash desk clerk automatically assumes that the electronic time is in error because the difference between it and manual times is greater than 0.3 seconds.

• The crash desk clerk uses the manual placings to determine the order of finish even though the electronics placing is valid.

• The chief meet recorder…well Greg Giles assures me that these folks dont make mistakes, so perhaps it is not only session referees who are faultless!

 

Now veterans of any of these positions will know the appropriate procedures.  But experience comes from learning the job and volunteers should be encouraged to step forth without fearing to err.  It is why those with experience need to share their knowledge with the newcomers - to eliminate errors like these that are simply the result of a lack of understanding of how and why things are done the way they are.  As officials, be it  timers or referees, we should avail ourselves of every opportunity to ensure that we understand our jobs as fully as possible, and so are able to impart accurate advice to the “up-and-comers”. Mistakes will always occur, but that should not deter us from always striving to improve our craft.

 

Tony Dixon, Past Provincial Director of Officials.