GET INVOLVED

What is a Field Judge?
A Field Judge is part of a team of officials who oversee the Throwing and Jumping events at an athletics meeting.What events are involved?

There are nine field events in athletics – five are throws and four are jumps as follows:

• Shot (including seated for athletes with a disability)
• Discus (including seated for athletes with a disability)
• Hammer
• Javelin (including seated for athletes with a disability)
• Club Throw (for athletes with a disability)
• Long Jump
• Triple Jump
• High Jump
• Pole Vault

What sort of things would I do?
You would help with marking where the throwing implements land, returning implements back to the competition area after they have been thrown, measuring and recording distances or heights, ensuring the rules for each event are adhered to and ensuring the competition is conducted fairly and safely.

How many Field Judges are there at a meeting?
At league meetings, clubs are asked to provide a certain number of officials to judge the field events. They are placed under the direction of the field referee who is appointed by the host club. Usually from three to six judges are required for each field event, depending on the event and the type of meeting.

What do I do during the Meeting? 
Either Judging the Finish (including operating the Lap Board and Bell and maintaining Lap Charts) or Umpiring.

How do I Judge the Finish? 
By writing down the athletes’ numbers as they cross the Finish Line.

How do I get all the Numbers? 
Only with experience gained by practice and advice from other Officials.

What if I don’t get all the Numbers? 
Don’t worry, as this is common with inexperienced Officials. Just write down what you can. Don’t Guess and Don’t copy. If the Referee has sufficient judges, one person, or more, will be designated to concentrate on the last 3 or 4 athletes only.

What does the Clerk of the Course do? 
Ensures that all equipment for the Track events is available and safe and this includes such items as the judges stand, hurdles, lap board and bell, relay batons and flags, wind gauge, etc.

What does the Track Steward do? 
The Track Steward maintains the seeding sheets, records the result, liaises with the Chief Timekeeper to record the times and liaises with photofinish and Referee on any changes to results.

What is the Track Referee? 
The Referee is in charge of all Track events, allocates duties to the Judges/Umpires, decides the result in case of any difference of opinion and deals with any disputes.

What do I need to know as an Umpire?
You will need to be aware of all the rules related to Track Running and the action you need to take if you observe an infringement. If in doubt, ask.

What duties does an Umpire undertake? 
Check that athletes do not stray from their lanes; in 800m and 4x400m relay races, oversee the Break Line; identify Obstruction; report infringements in hurdles races and steeplechase events; officiate at relay take-overs; operate the Wind gauge.

Who decides on the Race Result and Umpires Observations? 
The Track Referee makes decisions on track races.

What does the Starter’s Assistant (Marksman) do before a race?

• Call-up the competitors approximately 10 minutes before the race is due to start
• Advise athletes of heats/lanes allotted or draw for lanes if not pre-arranged
• Check clothing, shoes and numbers
• Issue leg numbers for right leg of shorts if required for photo finish
• Advise athletes of qualifying conditions if heats are to be held; likewise for quarter/semi finals.
• Advise Starter of number of heats.
• Check positioning of starting blocks
• Advise athletes of ‘break points’ for echelon starts.
• Tell the athletes to “Remove Track Suits” approximately 3 minutes before the race is due to start, marshal them to approximately 3 metres behind their start line in their correct lane.
• As soon as the athletes are ready and not before the race is timed to start the designated Starter’s Assistant for this duty must advise the starter clearly (usually by raising a clipboard).

What does the Starter do?

• Start the race after receiving ‘clearance’ from the Chief Starter’s Assistant and alerting the Timekeepers.
• Recall the athletes if there is a false start.
• Recall the athletes if there has been a block failure.
• Issue warnings / disqualifications to the athletes.
• Remain alert to the duties performed by Starter’s Assistants.
• Be responsible for keeping the meeting to the timetable
• Liaise with Photofinish team as required.

What does the Starter’s Assistant (Marksman) do at the start of and during a race?

• Watch the start line on straight starts for hand faults.
• Watch lanes on echelon starts for hand faults etc.
• Watch ‘inside’ athletes from rear on straight starts for hand faults etc. i.e. hands inside lanes.
• Watch ‘outside’ athletes from rear on straight starts for hand faults etc. i.e. hands inside lanes.

How do I time an athlete?
You can borrow a stop watch and will be shown how it works.

How are athletes timed?
From the flash (or smoke) from the Starter’s gun to the athletes crossing the finish line.

Which athlete do I time?
You time the finishing position given to you by the Chief Timekeeper, not the lane the athlete is running in.

When do I stop my watch?
When the torso of the athlete you are timing (or front axle of wheelchair) crosses the finishing line.  Watch the athletes closely as they approach the finish line in order to ascertain the location of the finisher you are timing. When the athletes are approximately 6-10m away from the finish line switch your eyes to look across the finish line and stop your timer at the moment you see any part of the torso of the athlete you are timing reach the finish line.

How will I know when a race is going to start?

• The Starter (the person wearing a red shirt / cap) will blow a whistle or fire a gun.
• The Chief Timekeeper checks that everybody is ready and signals back to the Starter.
• You only watch the Starter (not the athletes!).  When the Starter raises his / her arm, concentrate, wait for the flash (or smoke)  – but not the sound (unless it is a whistle) – and then start your watch.
• If for any reason your timer has not started, you must let the Chief Timekeeper know immediately as someone else can watch it.

What is endurance officiating?
An endurance official’s licence is applicable to officiating at road races and cross country races.

What kinds of races would I officiate at?
You would start off officiating at a club and local races of around 250 runners or less and can progress to large field races over 1000 runners.  If you wish you could progress to working in Race Management as a race organiser for off track races.

What tasks would I do if I was starting out as an endurance official?

• Assisting with the setting out a start/finish area pre-race
• Start Line assisting/assembling Athletes
• Marshalling on the course, at crossing points and road junctions, loops or change overs in relays
• Assisting with the judging/recording at a race finish or equivalent
• Stewarding/Marshalling at finish or operating a finishing funnel

What other tasks do endurance officials perform?

• Managing course set up and marking / signing (in smaller sized races of 1,000 competitors or less)
• Managing Post Race/Post Finish Services or equivalent role
• Start/Finish Area Management / Start Director or equivalent role
• Lap Recording
• Finish Recording
• Finish Funnel Management
• Manual Timekeeping at Off Track events
• Timekeeper recording
• Clerk of the Course duties and responsibilities
• Course Director
• Race Refereeing or Assistant to Race Referee
• Line Judging/judging a finish
• Operating a finishing funnel