How to become an official
In September 2023, the annual USA Swimming House of Delegates approved Resolution R-9, which required the National Officials Committee to set “the singular standard by which all officials are certified and trained”. The USAS Certification Guidelines became effective in February 2024, and can be found here: USAS Officials Documents The North Carolina Officials Committee has begun to align our processes to the new Guidelines, and the impact for current NC officials and current and future apprentices is summarized here: R-9 Impacts for NCS Officials
Steps to becoming an official
New officials start their certification process as a Stroke & Turn Judge (S&T), an Administrative Official (AO), or the new Junior Stroke & Turn Judge(Jr-S&T). The general steps for becoming certified for each of the positions are the same. This is the recommended (but not required) order for becoming an official.
- Register as an Official (non-athlete) Member of USA Swimming.
- Take Appropriate Clinic
- Currently, clinics are offered by NC Swimming. Schedule for these clinics can be found on the Clinic Schedule webpage.
- Over the course of 2024, all clinics will move to on-line self-paced courses with integrated tests offered via USA Swimming University. S&T clinics will transition to USAS University on April 1st.
- Fill out NC SWIMMING Google Registration Form (RECOMMENDED)
- Clinic Attendance Registration Form
- Completion of this form will ensure that your apprentice certification is added to your USAS Membership, you get the correct on-deck training form, and you receive a NC Swimming name badge upon completion of all certification requirements.
- Take the Appropriate USA On-line Exam
- Complete the minimum number of required on-deck training sessions
- Complete the required steps of:
- Athlete Protection Training (APT)
- Background Check (BGC)
- Concussion Protocol Training (CPT)
- Email a copy of your on-deck apprentice form to your Zone Representative Certifier and to trainingcoordinator@ncswim.org
Useful Tips for these Steps:
- USAS Registration link is provided by your club’s Registrar or the NCS Registrar
- Links for APT, BGC, and CPT can be found here: USAS How to become an Official
- Registration and Background Check require payment to complete. All other steps are free of charge. (Some clubs will reimburse officials for these costs.)
- NC Swimming optional PART 1 Clinic (on the NCS Clinics and Training page) has step by step instructions with screen shots for Step 1 and Step 6
Updated 3/2/24