Aspiring swimming officials in Cayman will have an opportunity to get started in the field through a free clinic, ‘Stroke & Turn’, hosted by the Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association.
The two-hour evening session is scheduled for 30 Sept. from 6:30-8:30pm at the Intergenerational Hub, located at 131 MacLendon Drive.
The clinic is designed to introduce parents of new competitive swimmers and aspiring officials to the World Aquatics swim rules for officiating at pool swimming events, while also serving as a refresher for existing certified officials.
Key topics will include the review of the four competitive swimming strokes and their specific rules, in addition to an examination of officiating relays and general competition regulations.
The session will be led by two Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association referees, Elaine Gomez and Ciara Nash.
“Elaine and I have come up through the CIASA officiating ranks. You can see us on deck at most of the swim meets,” Nash said.
They will utilise video demonstrations combined with dynamic discussions facilitated by experienced officials to help attendees gain a comprehensive understanding of what is taught.
Nash highlighted the importance of the clinic, making reference to the highly anticipated 50-metre swimming pool project to be included in Cayman’s new aquatics centre.
“Our overall goal is to deepen our pool of qualified officials. When the new 50-metre pool is complete and we are holding our competitions there, we will need more officials on deck, as the new pool will have more lanes,” Nash said.
She added, “Holding fully officiated meets in the Cayman Islands ensures that our swimmers’ times are internationally recognised and can be used as qualifying times for overseas meets. It also prepares our swimmers for international competition under World Aquatics rules.”
For more information, email [email protected].
