By Ailish Dougherty, Swimming World College Intern.
Alice Manor Jinn goes by many titles, not the very least of which is “Swim Mom.” Being the parent of two swimmers, she is their proudest and loudest supporter and loves watching her kids race.
Twelve years ago, when her eldest was just seven years old, their team’s meet referee sent out a request that parents become involved as stroke and turn officials, a demanding volunteer position that requires extensive training, hours of being on your feet at swim meets, and a high level of focus.
Back then, Jinn knew nothing about the sport of swimming and was apprehensive about volunteering, but attended a clinic anyway. She was willing to step out of her comfort zone to become deeply involved in the sport that her children would come to love. Today, Jinn is still actively volunteering and is now a meet referee herself.
Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick
She now officiates all age group levels, from 10&U to senior, as well as high school and collegiate level. She has come to love the sport of swimming arguably as much as her children (one of which is a collegiate swimmer), and cherishes her experiences and the people she has met as a swim meet volunteer.
I asked Jinn about the most exciting race she has ever watched, and in true “Swim Mom” fashion, she named two of her son’s races:
“If I had to choose one or two, it would probably be when my son, Brandon, raced a 1500 free at his LCM Age Group Champs and won the championship heat from the outside lane and took off one minute. It was truly an amazing race to watch. The other would definitely be watching my youngest, Timothy, racing as the first leg on a relay and just downing his time and being up there with his teammates on the podium. Sorry to be biased, just a proud mom who also happens to be an official.”
Over the course of her years as a volunteer, Jinn has been able to travel to countless meets with her sons, and has created many happy memories with them. She recalls hearing her sons tell their friends and coaches that their mom is cool because she is an official, and she is the one who blows the whistle.
Nothing puts a bigger smile on her face than seeing her swimmer up on the blocks waving to her as she starts their heat as the deck referee – it gives her a front-row seat to watch her sons excel. Thanks to officiating, she has been able to grow up alongside her sons in the sport of swimming, “at least on the dry side.” She has also had the opportunity to meet and cultivate relationships with others in the swimming community.
Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott
As a curious swimmer, I also wanted to know the most common DQ that Jinn sees at meets.
She replied that it is “the delay of initiating the turn on the backstroke, and definitely the one hand touch at turns and the finish for the breaststroke events. Now, if you mentioned the most common DQ for the 10&U group, pretty much anything goes.”
Jinn’s favorite race to watch is the 50 freestyle at championships – “it is exciting to see them all race to finish at about the same time and it’s a fun challenge for me to try to take down the order of the finish, especially in an 8-10 lane pool.”
Not only is Jinn a supportive swim parent in every way she can possibly be as a meet referee for her children, she is a supportive presence for all swimmers at the meets she officiates. It is her job to make sure that each swimmer has a fair opportunity to swim his or her best, even if giving a swimmer a DQ. She muses that the most rewarding part of being an official is “knowing that you supported so many swimmers by giving them the best meet they could have, both in season and at their championships. There is nothing better than that.”
One might even say that Jinn is a “Swim Mom for All.”
USA Swimming has launched a campaign to recognize our terrific volunteers all month long! Honor all of the volunteers in your life this March by snapping their photo and posting with #1VolunTeam on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Tag @usaswimming and @swimmingworldmag too!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Exactly!
Cyndie Fidanze… share with your hubby.
John Jewell
Thx for the shout out!
Craig Iorizzo
All officials are dedicated swim parents especially the ones who officiate at every event their kids swim in and then volunteer for other events where help is needed. Its giving back because we want to see the sport grow and prosper?❤?
God bless you Odette! ?
And then some (like my husband) continue to officiate long after their child is done swimming. Our daughter is 25 and hasn’t even lived in our LSC for 8 years. He’s still on the pool deck most weekends.
Julie…..I think we recognize this official ?
yep
Yes!
Brian Debnam, Jay Spector, Gini Herbst, Ray Terri Moore
I really enjoyed being in Call room at World Cup as well as championships here in Singapore, same as time keeper at school!
I was like knowing nothing about the sport!
Jayne take a look at this article ??
Yep – nice that Peter Buck is the SW photographer. That pic is from WCT in 2013.
I know exactly how you feel, Jinn! Being on deck, silently cheering on the swimmers is the best and only place to be! It’s so rewarding. I’ve always said, that if the swimmers can work as hard as they do to get to a meet, the least I can do, is be there for them so that they can compete. It is a small sacrifice for such power results.
#GoFAST
#FAST! Thanks to all the officials, for all you do! There is no better place to be, than on deck!!