What extra jobs does the head lane timer have?
Rule- USA
- USA Swimming
- Swim meets
- All ages
- Timing
- 2026 rules
- Timers
Under Article 102.16.2, the head lane timer:
- checks the swimmer (or relay team) is present and in the correct lane, heat and event
- for relays, records the swimmers' names and order before the start, and checks they swim in that order. Changes to names or order must be declared to the head lane timer before the heat starts. No changes are allowed after that (102.3.7).
- records the watch times, or that the seeded swimmer or team was absent
- assigns a timer to take relay splits or initial-distance times if the Chief Timer asks
- notes on the timing card if the swimmer delayed touching or missed the touchpad, or if there's reason to think the times may be inaccurate
The Chief Timer assigns timers to lanes and picks each lane's head lane timer (102.16.1A).
Added 21 Oct 2026