Distinguished by their white shirts, Stroke and Turn Judges confirm swimmers meet all rules during their swims. The rules for swimming each stroke are set out in the United States Swimming Rules. Our league follows the start, finish, stroke and turn rules with one exception – Gwinnett County Swim League allows one false start before disqualifying someone for a false start. These volunteer officials are trained on the rules. If a stroke judge disqualifies a swimmer for a stroke infraction, the judge will tell the swimmer what rule was broken. Although the swimmer’s time will not count toward the team score, understanding the infraction and learning how to correct it is a learning experience for the swimmer.

Disqualifications (DQs) are a crucial part of swimmers’ development. They strictly enforce proper stroke technique and should be considered educational not punitive. The vast majority of DQs result from unintended mistakes, which are caused by lack of knowledge, proficiency, strength, concentration, or some combination of these factors. Swim coaches use DQs to refine practice plans and training not just for the individual swimmer, but the age group and team generally. The volunteer officials are trained always to give the benefit of the doubt to the swimmer. Any violation called by an official is an "I saw" not an "I think I saw."

Common Reasons for Disqualification

Freestyle