Participating in the Olympic Games is a significant aspiration for technical officials, similar to athletes. For swimming coach and technical official Trisa Cheer-Dunn, this dream has become a reality as she prepares to officiate at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Trisa is a well-known figure at the national aquatic center, regularly seen at various swimming competitions, from club events to national and regional meets. After dedicating over 15 years to her role, she has achieved her goal of becoming a technical official at the Olympic level, where she will serve as a turn judge and will also be involved in the video review room.
Not only is she among the few Fijian swimming officials to officiate at the Olympics, but she also makes history as the first female from Fiji to attain this position. The last Fijian swimming official to participate in the Olympics was Dennis Miller.
“It feels unreal. Now I got to tick that off my list,” Trisa expressed. She encourages more technical officials in Fiji to gain experience, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning, as rules frequently change.
She highlighted the complexities of officiating at the Olympics, noting that there are many behind-the-scenes preparations regarding marching and positioning. Upon receiving her invitation from World Aquatics in February, Trisa checked the list of officials multiple times to confirm it was real. She also served as a technical official at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Trisa’s passion for swimming is fueled by witnessing the growth of young swimmers progressing from learning to swim to achieving podium finishes. She initially became involved in officiating after her coaching experience revealed that many swimmers were disqualified due to a lack of understanding of the rules.
“I decided to attend a technical official workshop to better understand the rules and coach swimmers effectively to avoid disqualifications,” she shared.
While her coaching role has diminished somewhat, Trisa remains heavily involved in organizing competitions, scheduling events, and managing entries. She hopes to see an increase in the number of technical officials in future games.
Technical officials come in various levels: gold, silver, and bronze, and national federations nominate officials for important events if they have officiated at two national meets. Recently, World Aquatics has recommended referees based on a designated list; two other Fijians, Amelia Simpson and Susau Elaisa, have also been recognized.
Trisa advocates for attracting more young individuals into officiating, especially those who have previously swum, as they possess a deeper understanding of the sport. She serves on the world technical committee for World Aquatics and highlights the shortage of officials on the pool deck for stroke and turn judging.
She emphasizes the need for clubs to ensure they have volunteers and timekeepers and acknowledges the reluctance of some parents and coaches to engage in confrontational situations, especially following disqualifications.
“My advice to upcoming and young officials is to never give up; it’s going to get tough, but keep moving forward,” Trisa concluded.