Can anyone help with the Long Jump?

Athletics is a sport that follows strict rules and procedures to ensure both the safety of the competitors and consistency of results worldwide. Officials are there to ensure that these rules are followed. These rules are governed by the UKA and IAAF.

There’s a whole host of motivations why people officiate in athletics from giving something back to the sport they love, helping improve their skills, making new friends to experiencing the sport from a different angle.

Are you a parent of an athlete?

• Assisting in the officials team will enable your child’s events to be run at the competition,
• Ensuring that your child’s personal bests are valid for recognition in national rankings (The Power of 10)
• You will get a free lunch or tea/coffee at many of the league meetings!!!
• You will have fun whilst learning something new,
• You will still be able to watch your child compete
• You will be under the supervision of at least one qualified official from the club

Want to give something back to your sport?

• Are you currently injured and want to still be involved in your club?  Why not see the sport from a different angle and try officiating?
• A senior athlete returning from University who wants to help out
• Passing on your skills to others.
• Putting your skills and experience to good use.

Looking for work?  Officiating provides an opportunity to:

• Learn new skills, level of responsibility and much more
• Undertake accredited training.
• Get a reference; employers are generally impressed by the skills and commitment of volunteers.

Whatever your motivation becoming an official is a great way to enjoy athletics from a different perspective. It’s also a great opportunity to get outdoors, meet new friends and get closer to the action!

Our club officials have all started as parents of athletes. Their shared interests have brought them to training sessions and competitions where the qualified officials run each event.

The more volunteers we have available at the club attending matches the less they individually have to do.

Details on the officials’ pathway can be found at EA Officials, but even assisting the qualified official of the club will ensure that the events run to time and that all distances and times are within the rules of the sport.

If you decide that you want to progress and get qualified then Team Bath AC will fund the training and DBS check, in return for assisting at their competition matches. Full details can be found here on the different levels of progression available.

It is also worth noting that the two leagues that Team Bath AC compete in have a requirement for a minimum number of qualified officials and unqualified assistants. So you could be helping the team win the league simply by raking the long jump pit for 20 minutes! You just have to volunteer and sign in at the event.

Next time you hear the cry of ‘Can anyone help with the long jump?’ Please step forward, your assistance will be appreciated and who knows where it could lead….

For more information please contact webadmin@teambathac.org or tmtf@teambathac.org