Long Island Swimming Officials Association
Serving Long Island Swimmers for 66 years!
August 2023
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Let's See how this goes...
Thank you to Section XI and the Presidents Council for a big raise in our meet fees this year (see below)!
My concern, however, is the gradual reduction in the number of meets during the boys swimming season in Suffolk County. I've been told its not our (my ) business - but I believe it is precisely "our only business".
Now I know everyone says you cannot compare the two counties here on Long Island however, Nassau County's Boy's Swimming and Diving is growing - more districts adding Varsity Swimming, more swimmers and divers, more meets to work, three new high school pools constructed or currently under construction in the last two years. The Section leadership approving the recommended three-officials for dual swim meets.
Suffolk County has fewer High School swim teams, more contraction by combining multiple school districts into one team. They are down to two leagues. Sachem has two high schools and two pools and one team. Smithtown has two high schools and cannot field one swimming and diving team. Hauppauge has a pool but cannot field a boy’s team of 12 by themselves. Three Town of Huntington school districts - South Huntington, Huntington, and Harborfields combine for one "high school" team. Large districts like Riverhead, Patchogue-Medford, Longwood, Middle Country have no teams. And when they do begin and grow a program - Kings Park - surrounding districts entice them to abandon their home uniforms and mascot and school pride and join with a rival.
In Section VIII, most of the districts with swim teams DO NOT have a pool. The ones without a pool are not combining with another district but finding a pool to use. They understand that high school sports are not about finding all-star athletes from another area and joining to try to make a super team with no school identity - like club sports. They put in the effort to find and grow their team to represent their school and their student body, like all the other teams in their school - not some regional entity - like club sports. Garden City does not have a school swimming pool and was NY State Boy's Swimming and Diving Champion a few years ago.
The Suffolk County schools seem to look for the path of least resistance. Our Section XI Swimming Coordinator tells me that it’s too much work or cost the districts too much money or the early pool time is inconvenient - to find and contract a facility for a boy’s swim team. In Section VIII, the schools bus their teams to rent college pools, community pools, neighboring high school pools, the Nassau County Aquatic Center - Massapequa crosses the county line and rents the Brentwood pool. Swimming and diving in Suffolk County does not seem to be a high priority. There has not been a new school-district swimming pool constructed in 19 years. In Nassau County they find and spend the money needed to provide boys and girls and varsity and junior high swimming for the students in their school district.
Section XI claims it’s up to the districts to decide - although in their handbook (see the Section XI Handbook below) there is a mechanism to “administer and govern” the practice. I was asked not to push this issue with the Section, telling me it's not a problem.
Last year, our LISOA Section XI officials worked an average of five dual-meets for the entire boy’s season; the Section XI requirement to receive a valid ranking and work a championship is six dual-meets! In Section XI we do not have an officials shortage - we have a number-of-contests shortage - and it looks like it will just get worse! The trend seems like eventually there will be "area-wide, non-descript, acronym" swim teams consisting of only star participants from multiple, chosen schools.
Hmm…doesn't sound to me like what NFHS or NYSPHSAA envision as “education-based school participation athletics.” It does, however, sound like club swimming.
Thank you,
George Fleckenstein
president
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SECTION XI THREE YEAR CONTRACT ACCEPTED
The Section XI President's Council and Section XI have agreed on a three-year contract that begins retroactively on July 1, 2023.
Payment to Officials for Swimming & Diving dual meets will increase $13.00 this season to $134.00 per contest (10.7%) and then $5.00 per contest each of the next two years
For every 20-minutes that the meet begins late we will receive $30.00. Officials can leave the facility after waiting 40-minutes for the visiting team to arrive - and receive a full fee.
Championship fees increase by $10.00 this year and will increase by $5.00 each of the next two years.
This was a hard fought and sometimes contentious process for the Presidents Council negotiating team. but the 20 Section XI sports remained united and committed to the issues and received a fair deal for both sides.
Thank you to our Presidents Council representative Nelson Gonzalez and also Kerry Fallarino, who represented the Nassau Suffolk Board of Women's Swimming Officials. Both, especially in the closing weeks of the process, attend numerous very long meetings led by the negotiating team, and helped craft the final deal.
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Swimming & Diving Points of Emphasis 2023-24
Risk Minimization
The NFHS serves as the national authority on competition rules while promoting fair play and seeking to minimize risk of injury for student participants in education-based high school athletic and activity programs. On an ongoing basis, the rules committee assesses and minimizes risks, to the extent consistent with the sound traditions of the sport. This year, specifically, rules related to risk minimization on the backstroke finish, the diving table, and establishing a penalty for a diver’s head being too close to the board, were carefully considered and addressed.
National Trends
The NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee consistently monitors national trends having to do with technical rules, technology, and behavior. The committee remains cognizant of the philosophy of the NFHS membership, the health and safety of the competitor, as well as financial considerations that may present a competitive advantage, while also preserving/protecting the important values of education-based athletics, good citizenship, and personal responsibility. Electronic devices may currently be used to record a competitor’s performance, as well as used as a coaching aid, but not while the athlete is swimming or diving in competition. The information may be presented to the athlete prior to the next race or dive, or for review afterwards. Devices which transmit information to athletes during competition are not allowed.
Participant and Spectator Unsporting Conduct
The 2023 NFHS Swimming and Diving Questionnaire revealed a dramatic increase of profanity on the deck. Coaches and competitors are reminded of rule provisions prohibiting this kind of behavior. Under Rule 3-6-1, unsporting conduct includes, but is not limited to, making insulting or derogatory remarks, gestures or acts including taunting, trying to influence, showing disgust, or interfering with an official. The meet referee always retains the authority under Rule 3-6-1 to disqualify a competitor for any act the referee deems as unsporting conduct. Per Rule 3-6-2, unacceptable conduct includes, but is not limited to, the use of profanity whether or not it is directed at another person, or any action which could discredit the individual or the individual’s high school. Team personnel shall be disqualified from that event or the next event in which the competitor is entered, whichever is appropriate.
Designated Areas for Photographers
Guidelines for photographer access should be clearly defined prior to the swimming and diving event. It is recommended that state associations and event hosts consider the areas, and specifically the angles, for photography of swimmers that they consider appropriate/inappropriate and set reasonable guidelines. Due to swimmer attire and the starting positions in the sport, media access in the starting area may not be appropriate. If a designated media area is used, it should be established before the meet begins. It may be more appropriate for photographers to be limited to areas adjacent to the starting area (starting area is defined as that behind the blocks). When there is not a designated area for press/media or others, photographers can be limited to taking photos from the side and/or the turning end of the competition pool.
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NEW YORK STATE SPORTSMANSHIP RULE
Spectator Regulation:
Any negative, inappropriate, derogatory comments or actions that draw the direct attention of a supervisor or school administrator by a spectator or group of spectators are required to be addressed by the host school, Sectional or NYSPHSAA representative in the following non-sequential order depending on the comments or behavior:
• First warning – Directing the spectator or group of spectators to refrain from any negative comments or actions.
• Second warning – A personal discussion with the spectators or group of spectators on the above NYSPHSAA expectations and reminding the spectators or group of spectators of the next step, removal of the game or event, will be utilized if the behavior continues.
• Removal from the contest – The spectator or group of spectators will be directed to leave the facility for the remainder of the game or event. If spectators or group of spectators refuse to leave the game or event, play will be stopped until they vacate the premise.
Penalty for being removed from a game or event: Any spectator removed from a game or event will have a minimum penalty of completing the NFHS Parent Credential course or a one game suspension before they are allowed to attend any interscholastic event. Once the course is completed the spectator will provide a certificate of completion to the athletic department office. Schools are required to communicate with the offending spectator on the NYSPHSAA
Sportsmanship Spectator Expectations.
• Depending on the severity of the behavior/comments or future disqualifications by the offending spectator NYSPHSAA and the Section may get directly involved in the situation. (May 2023)
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LISOA Calendar
Mandatory Rules Interpretation Meeting - Thursday, September 28 - Nassau BOCES - 7:30 p.m.
Better and Consistent Workshop - Tuesday, October 17
Pre-Season Meeting - Tuesday, November 14
Diving Clinic - TBD
Section VIII Relay Carnival -
Nassau County Aquatic Center
Annual Meeting - Wednesday, January 3, 2024 - Hauppauge Library
Championships Meeting - Wednesday January 17, 2024
Recognition Dinner/Banquet Meeting - March 2024
Active members are required to attend a minimum of three (3) meetings and/or clinics as prescribed in Article I of the By-Laws. Attendance at the LISOA rules interpretation meeting is required.
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Things Every Diving Judge Should Know...
... The entry into the water should be as vertical as possible with the body straight and toes pointed. The diver’s line into the water is only one segment of the total dive and should not be over judged.
The dive should not be too close, too distant or off to the side of the springboard. If the diver’s head is six inches or less from the end or the side of the board as it passes through the plane of the board, the dive should be considered too close and unsafe, and the dive should be scored as unsatisfactory. The diving referee will make the call and instruct diving judges to score as such.
Twist on Entry - the dive should be square (without any twist) as it enters the water.
A properly performed dive will result in an entry with minimum splash. An exceptionally good entry will have little to no splash. This is commonly called a “rip” entry. Rip entries are impressive and are essential to the overall impression. However, since the entry is the last part of the dive seen, it is easy to judge the dive solely on the entry, forgetting mistakes on other elements of the dive. Avoid this common trap and score the dive based on all of its elements.
The dive is completed and scored when the body passes through the surface of the water. What happens after the diver passes through the surface of the water should not affect the judges score.
Properly executed dives should be performed a safe distance from the board and walls.
Two elements a judge should not consider are the approach to the starting position of a dive and a diver’s movements beneath the surface of the water.
The art of judging diving is not only a question of having sufficient knowledge of the NFHS Rules Book as, in reality, the written rules are the easiest part of judging. The difficulty is in mastering the unwritten rules and factors which influence all diving judges, both consciously and unconsciously.
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ANNUAL EXAM
IN DRAGONFLY
Take the Part 1 (no video) exam!
NY State approved
(there is a glitch in the video exam)
ALL RETURNING OFFICIALS MUST COMPLETE THE NFHS Swimming & Diving Exam
in Dragonfly
by
September 17
The November testing window is only for new officials.
You must reregister because the NFHS moved its testing platform onto the NFHS Centers for Officials Services powered by DragonFly Athletics. This system will provide all officials to use one login, their DragonFly account login, to take the NFHS exam.
Below is the information needed to take your annual Swimming and Diving Exam.
Here are the links needed to get into the test site with instructions for creating a new account: "Sign up for free"
You will have to create a new user and password on this site in order to take the test. The retired site will no longer be available
.
Instructions to Login and take the test are included in the attached document which can be accessed by clicking the respective link:
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High school sports and performing arts produce an environment where students learn that we become better for our schools, our communities, and one another when we play, perform and compete, together! |
COMING THIS FALL
ZEBRAWEB
The New Section VIII
Meet Assigning and Ratings platform!
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New Swimming and Diving Rules Interpretations |
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SITUATION 1: Prior to the beginning of the meet, a coach presents to the meet referee a female competitor wearing a wetsuit because of a modesty issue. The referee does not permit the swimmer to compete wearing the wetsuit.
RULING: Correct procedure. An accommodation may not fundamentally alter the sport, heighten risk to the athlete/others or place opponents at a disadvantage. Any approved suit accommodation must be constructed with a woven/knit textile material, permeable 100% to air and water, and not aid speed, buoyancy or body compression. (3-3 NOTE)
SITUATION 2: In a dual meet, an infraction/ false start is observed by both the referee and the starter. The false start is identified in writing by the referee but not the starter. No infraction/ false start is charged.
RULING: Incorrect procedure. In championship meets, dual confirmation in writing by the starter and referee is required. Dual confirmation in writing is not required during dual meets unless it is specified in the meet announcement that the meet is being conducted under championship meet rules. (8-1-3d PENALTY 2)
SITUATION 3: As the backstroke swimmer approaches the wall to finish the event, the swimmer’s head passes the flags and the swimmer submerges and dolphin-kicks to the wall. The meet referee disqualifies the swimmer because of the forward propulsion caused by the underwater kick.
RULING: Incorrect ruling. Once some part of the swimmer’s head has passed the backstroke flags, the swimmer may partially or completely submerge and continue kicking until touching the wall. (8-2-1g)
SITUATION 4: In the 200-yard individual medley, a swimmer approaches the wall to finish the backstroke leg. After the swimmer’s head passes the backstroke flags, the swimmer submerges and dolphin-kicks to the wall. The swimmer is disqualified because of re-submerging at the backstroke flags.
RULING: Incorrect ruling. Each leg of the 200-yard individual medley must be finished in accordance with the finish rule that applies to each stroke. Once some part of the swimmer’s head has passed the backstroke flags, the swimmer may partially or completely submerge and continue kicking until touching the wall. (8-2-1g, 8-2-5)
SITUATION 5: During the 100-yard breaststroke, the meet referee notices that the swimmer’s arms are not in the same horizontal plane while executing the initial arm pull after the start. The meet referee disqualifies the swimmer.
RULING: Incorrect ruling. NFHS rules no longer require that a competitor’s arms move in the same horizontal plane while swimming the breaststroke or the butterfly. However, arm movements must still be simultaneous. (8-2-2d)
SITUATION 6: Prior to the diving event, the diving referee asks to be seated in line with the end of the diving board. The host coach refuses to allow this to happen, stating that their diving coach always sits in that position. The diving referee insists on being seated in line with the end of the diving board.
RULING: Correct procedure. The diving referee is responsible for determining if the diver’s head is too close to the board as it passes the horizontal plane, and therefore, it is strongly recommended that the diving referee shall be seated in line with the end of the board to have an accurate line of site for judging this new requirement. (9-7-4c)
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SECTION XI HANDBOOK
Swimming - 12 or more individual competitors from a school will constitute a team which must complete a league schedule.
VII. Combining of Interdistrict Teams (Revised 3/15/88)
WHEREAS, it is the purpose of the Suffolk County Public High School Athletic Association (Section XI) to formulate and adopt within its bylaws such policies as will enable the Association to administer and govern interscholastic athletics within Suffolk County and,
WHEREAS, it is the purpose of the Placement Committee to consider the appropriate placement of schools, and such relevant matters which pertain to such placement.
WHEREAS, the Athletic Council has charged this Placement Committee with the responsibility of determining the procedures and standards to be utilized by Section XI in considering applications on the matter of the merger of athletic teams by two distinct school districts and,
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Placement Committee and Section XI to enable as many student-athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics within the framework of providing for equitable competition for all member schools within Suffolk County.
NOW, THEREFORE IT IS DULY RESOLVED that the merger of the athletic teams of two school districts may only be effected for one year and by way of the following procedures:
A. Superintendents of the subject schools will file a joint application to the Executive Director of Section XI setting forth their request for a merger of athletic teams and will provide with such application a substantiation of the need for such merger; such substantiation to disclose the insufficiency of student interest in participation in the specific sport(s) for which the merger is requested. Such application is to be received annually by the Executive Director no later than January 15th for the following school year.
B. The Executive Director will refer the application to the Section XI Placement Committee for its review; the Placement Committee will possess the prerogative to request additional information from the petitioning school districts on the matter of the justification for a request to merge the subject athletic teams.
C. Schools seeking to combine in any sport where there is an avenue of competition for the individual competitor may be requested to appear at the appropriate Placement Committee meeting to justify the need for such combining. In unusual circumstances, teams seeking to combine in team sports will be required to appear at the appropriate Placement Committee meeting upon the sport chairman's request.
D. The Placement Committee will recommend an acceptance or rejection of the applications referred to it; the recommendation of the Placement Committee will set forth to the Executive Board the basis upon which its recommendation is made. In addition, should the Placement Committee approve of the requested merger, it will recommend the appropriate placement of the combined team. The Executive Board will make a recommendation to the conferences on the matter of the Placement Committee findings.
E. The conferences, at their next regularly scheduled meetings following the Placement Committee meeting at which a report on a merger request is made, will consider the recommendation of the Placement Committee.
F. The Athletic Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting following the submission of the matter to the conferences will approve or disapprove the requests of school districts seeking merged athletic competition.
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The primary role of the official is to ensure fair competition which is conducted in a positive, safe and healthy environment and that actions of the competitors, coaches and other team personnel are in compliance with the rules. |
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The purpose and goals of the LISOA and its members shall be to:
Officiate all meets in a competent and professional manner.
Have its members actively work to improve interscholastic swimming and diving officiating.
Provide a consistent interpretation and administration of interscholastic swimming and diving rules.
Service and collaborate with the swimming and diving community for the improvement of swimming and diving.
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The official must establish the best possible competitive climate for fair competition with the attention on the athletes, rather than on the official. The conduct of each official affects the public’s attitude toward all officials. Therefore, every official must uphold the honor, integrity and dignity of the profession. |
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President:
George Fleckenstein
Vice President:
Nelson Gonzalez
Secretary:
Jeff Lewis
Treasurer:
Jeff Chu
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Directors:
Barbara Wendt
Cyna Buckley
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Rules Interpreter:
Bob Kersch
Past President:
Frank Dowd
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OUR CHARTER MEMBERS (1957)
Charlie Schlegal
George Columbo
Jim McAllister
Dick Atwater
Jack Reilly
Frank Krayer
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NYSCSO Distinguished Service Award Members
Frank Dowd (2022)
Laurette Tekverk (2020)
Jim McAllister (2019)
Doug Virkus (2011)
Mush Masters (2008)
Pete Moeschen (2004)
Stan Adler (1993)
Bob Kersch (1990)
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