Officials
Speed skating officials help make the sport possible, both on and off the ice. Learn more about the training and certification programs officials must follow to ensure a safe and fair environment for our skaters.
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Many officials start with no training as a club volunteer or being informally mentored by a Certified Official in one of many positions: referee, starter, meet coordinator/competitors steward, timer, place judge, lap counter, heat box steward (clerk of the course) announcer, track steward or other volunteer roles.
The officials' accreditation system used in speed skating is jointly administered by Speed Skating Manitoba (Level 1 - 2) and Speed Skating Canada (Level 3 - 5).
Certification includes five levels for referees and three levels for competition stewards, meet coordinators, timers, finish line judges, announcers and recorders.
Introduction to officiating through various streams, including competition referee, starter, competition steward, meet coordinator, timer, finish judge, announcer, lap counter, and track steward.
Level 1 Officials Clinic
Assist in a position at a minimum of 2 events (at least one must be SSM-sanctioned)
Submission of an online upgrade request to info@speedskatingmb.com by March 31 annually.
Level 1
Level 2
Intermediate knowledge of stream, including assistance at non-sanctioned local, sanctioned region/provincial, and sanctioned national competitions
Level 2 Clinic (meet coordinator, competition steward, timer, judge, announcer, referee, starter)
Chief in a position at a minimum of 2 SSM-sanctioned competitions
Assist in a position at a minimum of 2 SSC-sanctioned competitions
Submission of a request to info@speedskatingmb.com with a performance evaluation form by March 31 annually.
Level 3A
Referee/Starter
Level 3 Clinic (meet coordinator, competition steward, referee, starter)
Chief in a position at a minimum of 3 SSM-sanctioned competitions
Assist in a minimum of 3 SSC-sanctioned national/international competitions
Submission of upgrade request by email to info@speedskatingmb.com before submission to Speed Skating Canada by April 15 annually
Level 3B
Official/Referee/Starter
Advanced knowledge of stream including assistance at non-sanctioned local, sanctioned regional/provincial and sanctioned national competitions.
Instruct a Level 1 Officials Clinic (referees only)
Chief in a position at a minimum of 3 SSC sanctioned competitions
Assist in a minimum of 3 SSC sanctioned national/international competitions
Submission of upgrade supported by 2 performance evaluation forms request by email to info@speedskatingmb.com before submission to Speed Skating Canada by April 15 annually
All applicants must complete Speed Skating Canada's requirements for Level 3 Officials.
Official role descriptions
MEET COORDINATOR
The Meet Coordinator is responsible to the club/provincial executive and Referee for the total organization of the meet. This includes receiving and verifying entries, setting the program of events, overseeing the Chief Recorder and ensuring that all paperwork before, during and after the meet is complete, including record applications and results distribution.
The Meet Coordinator must know the main rules which cover the organization and the running of the particular competition. He/she must also have a thorough understanding of the duties of all officials.
CHIEF REFEREE
The Referee, as the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for all aspects of the meet on ice. The Referee decides all points of dispute and infringement of the rules during races. Required to be on skates with helmet during meet.
CHIEF TRACK STEWARD
Chief Track Steward is responsible for delegating roles to Track Steward assistants; ensuring the track is set correctly before each race and deciding (with Referee) when to add ice to track. Track Stewards are responsible for maintaining and repairing the ice between races as well as replacing missing blocks on the corners during the races. They must be on skates and be competent skaters and are required to wear a helmet.
CHIEF PLACE JUDGE
The role of the Chief Place Judge is to record the placings from the other place judges. The volunteer Place Judges determine the order of finish of the participants in the race.
ANNOUNCER
The Announcer needs to be knowledgeable about the skaters and the sport to be able to convey to the crowd the points of interest. Above all, he/she should be enthusiastic about the sport and ready to sell it to the audience, whether indoors or outdoors.
CHIEF STARTER
The Starter is in complete control of the race starts; calling skaters to the line, using starter gun and decides all disputes relating to the start. They ensure that all competitors have a fair and equal opportunity at the start of the race.
CHIEF MANUAL TIMER
The role of the Chief Manual Timer is to delegate skaters to each manual recorder volunteer and record the times from the manual timers when race is complete. Manual Timers provide secondary times as a backup for E-Timing for higher level competitions.
CHIEF E-TIMERS
The role of the E-Timers is to accurately record the skaters participating in the race using a computer program called FinishLynx. E-Timing is the primary timing system using a camera to capture the finish times. Ideally 2 Chief E-Timer to run and train apprentice.
CLERK OF THE COURSE/MARSHALL
The Clerk of the Course, also known as the marshall, makes sure that the skaters are ready for their upcoming races. The Clerk lines up the skaters at the gate, checks their names and numbers and ensures the skaters have all the safety equipment required for competition. The Clerk volunteer will have the next set of skaters ready to go.
RECORDER/ COMP STEWARD
The Recorder prepares and distributes all paper associated with the running of the meet. The Recorder together with the Meet Coordinator must ensure that the necessary office equipment and supplies are on-hand. The week before the meet, the Recorder works with the Meet Coordinator in receiving and verifying entries, setting up the program of events, assigning entrants to the initial heats and preparing timing and judging forms and meet result sheets.
CHIEF LAP COUNTER
The duty of the Chief Lap Counter is to inform the skaters of the number of laps left to be skated in a race. The Lap Counter Volunteer checks the Chief Lap Counter and looks after the lapped skater(s) if required. When the last lap of any race is approaching, the Chief Lap Counter signals this by ringing a distinctive bell. A minimum of two Lap Counters are required for SSC-sanctioned meets.
The Lap Counter must have lap cards that are shown to each skater in the race as they approach the finish line and enter another lap. The numbers are presented to the skaters at about eye level from a position safely clear of the skating track and the Lap Counter should also announce in a loud, clear voice, the number of laps remaining.