Course Instruction Summary:  Please read and study the following material carefully.  When you have finished the material you will be presented with an on-line test.  After successfully completing the test you will be certified as a SAIL Official.  Thank you.  Please send any comments, improvement suggestions, etc. to .

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In any dual, tri or divisional swim meet, a work area is set-up and designated “Records” and for dual & tri meets a work area is set-up and designated “Ribbons”.  The primary responsibility of Records is to determine the official time for each swimmer and to administratively organize the meet information.  Ribbons is responsible for correctly sorting and labeling individual award ribbons.

Records Personnel:

• Four records workers, (two per team)
• Always have at least one Certified Records Volunteer

Records Supplies:

Supplies are the responsibility of the Home Team and should include:

1. Order of events sheet
2. Heat sheets (two) one for each team
3. Calculator (at least two)
4. Plenty of sharpened pencils
5. Highlighter
6. Extra Sail meet entry cards (blue cards)
7. Rubber bands
8. Red pens
9. Paper clips (lots)
10. Permanent Markers
11. Blank paper
12. Stapler
13. Pencil sharpener
14. Small paperweights
15. White-out
16. Scotch Tape
17. Timing Discrepancy sheets – Important!

During the Meet:

1. Records receives the cards from the runners.  The runners should be sure that they have cards for all lanes with a swimmer and the scratch cards from the recording timers. Communicate with clerk of course and ask them to please send the scratch cards through with the heat they should be in.  Ask the runners to please put the cards in lane order as they are walking. You can give them some paper clips to keep in their pocket.
2. One team records the boy’s times and the other the girl’s times. If another way works for you, fine, but it is easier to make sure you have not missed anything if one team does a complete event.
3. The first Records person checks the cards to be sure the heat is complete; that all cards are the same event and heat.  Check off each swimmer on the heat sheet as you check the cards.  It is a good idea to always check the back of the card for DQs – not all DQs are recorded properly. Make sure the cards are in lane order.  If the heat is not complete, you must find the missing card before proceeding.  The Home Team Records worker should communicate any problems to the referee.
4. The first Records person then determines the official time (see procedure below).  You may carefully circle the official time or you may highlight it with a highlighter marker.  (The computer workers may only require the official time to be circled or highlighted.  Re-writing it in the “official time” space increases the chance of error in the transcription).
5. Watch for Disqualifications.  A DQ should show as a RED X across the card and have a reason for the DQ recorded on the back of the card.  The records person then writes DQ with a RED pen in the official finish box on the card.  No red should appear on a card unless the swimmer has a DQ.  If there are any questions, or if a DQ is not clear, confer with the referee.
6. Watch for repeat discrepancies that may indicate a problem with a watch or a timer and report to the referee.   Use the “Timing Discrepancies” sheet to record and keep up with these.
7. Once the first person has determined official times, (s)he passes that heat’s cards to the next Records Person who will double check all of the first person’s work.
8. The second person then paper clips the cards together and passes the heat to the computer workers for entry.  Try to keep the events and heats in order for computer entry.
9. Either the computer people or the records people will sort the cards into teams by the end of the meet so that each team can take their cards home.
10. The computer operator prints awards labels for the ribbons and gives them to ribbons workers.  The computer operator sends the meet results to the Greenville News.

Determining the Official Time:

1. If the three times are all different, the official time is the median or middle time
2. If two of the three times are the same, that is the official time
3. If only two times are recorded; write “COMP” above the times.  Do not average The times will be entered into the computer and the computer will perform the proper calculation.  Note the missing time on the discrepancy sheet.
4. If a 0.3 second difference is present, use the 0.3 Second Rule shown below.

0.3 Second Rule

If one of the three times is 0.3 second or greater off of the median or middle time, drop the errant time and write “COMP” above the times.  Do not average the other two times as we have done in the past. The times will be entered into the computer and the computer will perform the proper calculation.  Note the errant time on the discrepancy sheet.

If the time on that particular watch continues to be off by 0.3 second, the referee should be informed to replace the watch.  In addition, the head timer and referee should be advised to watch the individual to determine if there is another cause for the watch time being errant.

Records  Examples

	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3	Example 4	Example 5
Timer A	48.59	28.52	1:33.03	41.05	41.05
Timer B	48.21	28.30	1:32.95	41.40	41.40
Timer C	48.25	28.21	1:32.54	41.72	47.08
Official Time	48.23*	28.30	1:32.99*	41.40	41.22*
* Calculated By Computer

1. Errant time is 48.59.  Write “COMP” above the times and record the 48.59 on the discrepancy sheet.
2. No errant time.  High and low times are less than 0.3 second from the median or middle time. Official time is the median or middle time.
3. Errant time is 1:32.54.  Be careful, median time is 1:32.95.  Write “COMP” above the times and record the 1:32.54 on the discrepancy sheet.
4. Two errant times present.  Use median or middle time if the discrepancies are similar and record the errant times on the discrepancy sheet.  Watch that lane for further problems and report to referee if problems persist.
5. If both the high and low times are 0.3 second or more off the median or middle time, but one time is extremely off and is obviously an error either in timing or recording, confirm the time with the recorder, then consult with the referee, and he/she will probably advise you to throw out that time and write “COMP” above the times.  Record the errant times (all times) on the discrepancy sheet.

Things to remember:

1. All SAIL dual/tri meets have 80 events.
2. The order of finish is determined by using the official times.
3. In the event of a tie in any place, the next ribbon is not given out.

Example:  Tie in second place – both swimmers receive a second place ribbon and no third place ribbon is awarded.

1. The Home Team provides all the supplies.

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Ribbons Personnel:

Two Ribbon/Awards Workers- one from each team

Ribbons Supplies:

• SAIL Ribbons (Home Team supplies)
• Team Ribbons
• Filing System

*SAIL Ribbons are awarded to the first heat only!
(these are the swimmers who actually swam in the first or SAIL heat even if there is a faster time from another heat)

*Sail Ribbons are not used for relays

*Team Ribbons are awarded to all the additional heats and all relays

Prior To The Start Of The Meet:

1. Ribbons area should be set up and ready.
2. Arrival time for Ribbon Workers should be discussed and determined prior to the start of the meet.

Once the meet has begun:

1. Labels are received from the Computer Operator separated according to team.
2. Labels are placed on the cardboard on the back of the ribbon.
3. Ribbons are filed according to age group and name to be distributed by the team.

Code of Ethics

All members of the League shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics.

• As a participant, I will refrain from all personal action that might provoke other participants, spectators, or officials to unsportsmanlike conduct.
• As an individual, I will refrain from offensive or abusive language and will confine myself to proper remarks at the proper time to officials in charge.
• As a participant, I will respect the dignity of the meet in which I am engaged, the officials, the opponents, and the communities they represent.
• As an individual participant, parent, coach, team, league representative or league officer, I will do nothing that would give myself or my team an unfair advantage over another participant or team.
• As a coach or parent, I will not engage in nor permit actions which will interfere with the operation of the league or its meets; nor will I intrude upon the area of the league and meet officials.
• As a meet official or league officer, I will return courteous answers to legitimate questions and recognize remarks made by authorized persons. I will not allow any acts by others which do not uphold the standards set forth in the by-laws of the league.
• As a participant of the meet, I will maintain an attitude of true sportsmanship.
• As a member of SAIL, I pledge myself to create a mature, healthy, and fair atmosphere for all swimmers at all times.

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Name:
eMail:
Team:	— select one — Gower – red Sugar Creek – red Greenville Country Club – red Thornblade – red Stone Lake – red Woody Creek – pur Silver Leaf – pur RiverWalk – pur Pebble Creek – pur Half Mile Lake – pur Spaulding Farm – pur Devenger – wht Forrester Woods – wht Stonehaven – wht Orchard Farms – wht Pelham Falls – wht Neely Farm – blu Holly Tree Country Club – blu Foxcroft – blu Roper Mountain Estates – blu Asheton Recreation – blu Brushy Meadows – blu Summerwalk – blu Bent Creek – blu Botany Woods – grn Weatherstone – grn Dove Tree – grn Brookfield – grn Knollwood – grn Brookside – grn Planter’s Row – grn Poinsettia – grn Heritage Lakes – grn Del – gld McCarter – gld Wade Hampton Gardens – gld Edwards Forest – gld Sparrows Point – gld Adams Run – gld Wellington Green – gld Canebrake – gld PMP – gld Other

I acknowledge the SAIL Code of Ethics as stated in our By-Laws and attest that I am the person indicated above taking this test.