YMCA National Swimming Officials Committee
Uniform Standards for YMCA Swim Officials

Link to pdf Version: Officals Uniform Standards

The YMCA National Swimming Officials Committee announces the following revised guidelines for on deck uniform attire at all classifications and levels of YMCA swim meets. These revised guidelines reflect the results of the national survey of YMCA officials that was recently undertaken.

A well-trained corps of officials must project a consistent, professional attitude and appearance while officiating swim meets. When the entire officiating crew dresses uniformly in crisp, professional appearing attire, they convey a sense of professionalism and consistency to coaches, athletes and spectators. This attitude carries over in the approach to and conduct of the meet. Appropriate attire and attitude embody the four YMCA Core Values- Honesty, Caring, Respect, and Responsibility.  

The standard uniform for Men and Women shall consist of a short sleeve, solid white, collared Polo/Golf shirt with Navy blue pants or shorts. Capri pants or skirts are also acceptable for women.  Blue jeans and blue jean cut-offs are inappropriate and never acceptable. Likewise, faded Navy blue shorts and pants should be discarded in favor of crisp, un-faded Navy blue attire. Shorts shall be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee with no exposed compression shorts. White Polo shirts with a colored trim on the collar or banded sleeves are acceptable. Tee shirts are unprofessional, and considered inappropriate when officiating on deck.

White tennis shoes/sneakers are the preferred footwear on deck for comfort and safety. White shall be the predominant color, but trims or brand logos of a contrasting color are acceptable. White Crocs or white water sandals are acceptable; however, the official must consider the safety aspect of rapidly walking as a stroke judge when wearing Crocs. Bare feet, flip-flops and non-white shoes are not acceptable. Hats and caps are not to be worn at indoor venues.

In regard to shirts, a solitary YMCA of the USA, Brand Logo may be embroidered on the left breast. The Y Brand Logo may be embroidered with the lettering Swim Official, but no home team name or other designations are to be used.  If desired, a plain white, short sleeve Dress shirt is also acceptable, with the same embroidery as above. The official should display his/her YMCA Officials Certification Patch suspended from a clip or lanyard.  It is strongly recommended that Officials shirts of other organizations (High School, NCAA, USA Swimming) not be worn at YMCA competitions, and vice versa.

For championship meets involving preliminary and final sessions, the standard uniform is recommended for both the preliminary sessions, as well as the final sessions. However, if meet administration chooses, a more formal look may be used for finals, such as a white dress shirt and tie or scarf with a Navy blue blazer and white long pants, or skirts for women.

For meets that have a special session involving a theme, a special shirt reflecting that theme may be worn. In choosing the theme and shirt, good taste and good judgment are the rule.

Any questions regarding uniforms may be directed to:

Joel Black, Chair, YMCA National Swimming Officials Committee

Online YMCA Swim Officials Certification Test

Access the site

• If you have previously received an email from "YMCA Swimming", this email will contain a link that says "Click here to be automatically logged in and view the article on the YMCA Swimming Web Site"
• This link will take you to the web site and automatically log you in.  You are already setup as a registered user.
• If you have never received an email from "YMCA Swimming", go to www.ymcacompetitiveswim.org.  Immediately under the logo (left top corner), you will see two links: Register and Login.  Select Register.
• This will bring up a registration form. Click Agree to the terms and fill in the information on the form. 
• If you are currently an official, make sure you select the role, Swim Official - YMCA.  If you are not currently an official, select, Officials Class Attendee
• Once you receive the successful registration message, select, Take Officials Test from the left-hand menu.  It is under the section, For YMCA Officials

• Note: You can not take the Online Officials Test without attending an Officials Training Class.  Even if you are recertifying, you must attend an officials training class.  Certifications are good for three years
• Once the YMCA Officials Online Test screen appears, you will begin by verifying and updating your personal information in the first section.  Most of this is the same information you entered when registering.
• In the Update Your Class Information portion, you will select the instructor/class date of the class you attended.  If your instructor/class date is not in the list, follow the instructions on the screen
• In the Select The Test portion, select the test that you want to take.  Certification test are for people who are not currently certified at that level.  Recertification tests are for people who are currently certified at that level
• When you completed all the information, click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen 
• This will take you to the first question of the online test