Bermuda needs more qualified officials in order to be able to host high class meets as well as maximise the potential of up and coming swimmers, according to senior official Chris Smith.

Currently the Island has just a few middle level officials, but no senior or master officials, and Smith hopes to help increase those numbers.

To that end he is presently conducting clinics at Saltus school on the various aspects of officiating, including timekeeping, strokes and turns, involving clerks, marshalls, chief timers, referees and starters.

A Bermudian, Smith is recognised as a senior official by the Ontario Swimming Association and is called on to work at events in Canada as well as the West Indies. He's also officiated at the Canada Games.

"I think we (Bermuda) have quite a few good officials at the middle level,'' said Smith, who also works as a planning development consultant, dealing mostly with non-profit organisations.

"We have quite a few people who've done a number of jobs and are very competent at the middle level, but we don't have any senior officials at all that I'm aware of and we really don't have enough of the timers and people like that...the sort of soldier types.

"And what happens when you don't have enough, then certain people have to work all the time.'' He suggested that Bermuda should make it mandatory for parents of swimmers to become involved in officiating. The involvement of parents would also benefit the children who would then have a regular support base to aid in their development.

"In Bermuda it's all voluntary, while in Canada it's compulsory -- if your kid swims, you officiate,'' he said. "They don't have that system here and I wonder how long they'll be able to go on.

"If you really want to have good officials you're going to have to make it compulsory.'' "Part of it is that we don't run that many meets here. We've tried to get by with the number of officials that we have, but I think that a lot of people are starting to realise that if we want to really have high quality officials at all our meets then we're going to have to make officiating compulsory.

"Most of the other sports here do that. If your kid plays golf you've got to go and work and go around with the kids and do stuff. You can't just drop them off at the golf course and say okay, `see you at five o'clock', so I think that attitude is quite acceptable in other sports here.'' Smith, a father of three who attended Saltus before completing his education at St. Andrews High School and the University of Toronto, also is heavily involved in Masters swimming and has hopes that it will catch on in Bermuda.

CHRIS SMITH -- `make it compulsory for parents to help out.'