The Referee is the Chief Executive Officer of the competition and is responsible for dealing with all points of dispute and infringements of the rules. Previous experience in another officiating role or as a skater, along with leadership skills, are all valuable assets for a Referee.

The Starter is the individual who ensures each race of a competition gets off to a fair and equal start, using the commands “go to the start” and “ready” to cue the skaters before firing the gun to begin the race. Starters must remain calm and deliver consistent start instructions throughout the entire competition.

The Meet Coordinator is responsible for the organization of the meet, which includes verifying entries, setting the program of events and distributing the results. Meet Coordinators are extremely detail oriented and must have a good understanding of competition timing and flow.

The Competitor Steward/Sport Expert– in collaboration with the Meet Coordinator and Chief Referee –prepares the various rounds of racing throughout the competition, ensuring that the right skaters are assigned to the right race. Accuracy, speed and remaining calm under pressure are all assets for this role. At the national level, Competitor Stewards are assigned to short track events while Sport Experts execute a similar role in long track.

The role of the Timer is to accurately time the skaters participating in a race, using a manual timer or stopwatch. This information is used to determine the advancement of skaters in the competition. For competitions with an electronic timing system in place, these manual times are used as backups.

The Finish Line Judge determines the order in which skaters cross the finish line in a race. Skaters are often bunched closely together at the finish line, so this task requires undivided attention. For competitions with an electronic timing system in place, the Finish Line Judge’s determination is used as a backup.

The Announcer provides those in attendance – including athletes, coaches, spectators and other officials – with important program details and updates. They may also provide spectators with play-by-play style commentary during the races. An Announcer should have a good speaking voice and an outgoing personality to get the crowd engaged.

The Lap Recorder informs the skaters and officials of the number of laps left to be skated in a race and rings a bell when there is only one lap to go. They are tasked with tracking each skater or relay team, including any lapped skater(s), to ensure everyone completes the correct number of laps for a given distance.

A Track Steward is an on-ice official responsible for replacing missing blocks on the corners of the track and any other duties as directed by the Referee. Between races, this often includes fixing imperfections on the ice and squeegeeing water onto the track.

The Heat Box Steward, a role specific to short track, is responsible for ensuring that the proper skaters (based on names and numbers) are ready for their upcoming race. They have great influence on the orderly and smooth running of a competition.

The Clerk of the Course, a role specific to long track, is responsible for ensuring that the proper skaters (based on names) are ready for their upcoming race and are wearing the correct armband. They have great influence on the orderly and smooth running of a competition.

Upon completion of the requirements for a given level, officials can request an upgrade to Speed Skating Canada. The request is reviewed and, upon verification of having met the requirements outlined in the Officials Pathway, the official is certified at the new level.

Apply for an Officials Upgrade