Whether it’s a career, club, or team, being a part of something greater than yourself offers a sense of purpose and personal growth. It’s a platform to develop skills, build relationships, and make positive impacts, and it's something you’ll look back on and be tremendously thankful for!
Through her own experience and as an educator for decades, Kathleen Scandary believes sports, much like many other clubs can provide a ready-made path to feeling confident when moving from small established groups into large populations. Kathleen swam competitively for many years. After all, it was the best way to beat the summer heat in Kansas growing up! While being a part of the swim team, Kathleen had the opportunity to learn about officiating from her friend’s father, who after work, would volunteer as the Meet Referee at swim competitions and fire the starting pistol for every race. The fire of the starting pistol ignited
Kathleen’s interest in officiating at a young age.
Fast forward to 1993, Kathleen found herself watching her own children swim and compete. Sitting on hard bleachers was no competition for getting soaked at the edge of a pool while observing races, so Kathleen decided to volunteer at year-round swim team meets throughout Northern Colorado. It was then that she became proficient at other positions on deck and made friends from other clubs, eventually leading to the invitation to become a part of the Colorado Swimming Officials Committee as the Northern Colorado Representative.
Realizing how much time she was spending as the Meet Referee for a year-round swim club in Windsor, Kathleen asked her three children if they would rather she not officiate so much and be more available to them. Their response was “No, Mom, we’re fine; we think it’s cool and so do our teammates!” Just as her own children valued being identified as swimmers, they recognized and understood the value she possessed in now identifying as an official. With the approval and grace of her very own children, Kathleen was able to make the leap outside of Colorado swimming in 2005 when her nephew and Godson made cuts for Junior Nationals in Irvine, California. Somehow, the Meet Referee for Junior Nationals was informed that Kathleen would be there as a spectator and invited her to work the deck. As her nephew continued to advance competitively into new heights such as The US Open, Kathleen was able to attend and volunteer as an Official. Over time, she met the national leaders in officiating which led her to her first Olympic Team Trials invitation in 2008.
As The Official Chair-holder of Colorado Swimming, Kathleen and her friends began to put together a team of like-minded officials from Colorado to facilitate building a structure of support for training and mentoring others so they could enjoy their own successes on the national scene. To date, Colorado has bragging rights in claiming eight different officials who were selected to officiate at the US Olympic Team Trials at least once in their career. From 2008 to 2016, Kathleen accepted challenges and took on new certifications that gave her the chance to be a National Meet Referee and get chosen for her third Olympic Trials. She was honored with a spot on the International List of Officials and was able to experience her first World Championship. Since then, Kathleen has traveled to Hangzhou, China, Tokyo, Japan, and Melbourne, Australia representing the United States as an Official and serving at the 2021 and 2024 Olympic Trials as a Referee.
As technology has evolved and become a part of sports, the human judge has been assisted by video. Over the past eight years, Kathleen has watched how underwater and overhead cameras have been relied upon to overturn disqualifications from deck. The human eye sometimes fails in split-second evaluation of a fast-moving body part creating a greater need for assistance from underwater cameras. For years, videos have been intently watched frame by frame by multiple human eyes leading to the reversal or confirmation of calls from deck. New video feed is used to initiate calls as well, but those infractions must be observed first by one referee and in real-time. State-of-the-art cameras fixed in position on the bottom of the pool at specific angles and spacing now allow some of the best accuracy to ever exist, and give fans an in-depth look at the world’s most elite swimmers! Kathleen is grateful to have been able to witness the evolution of this technology, making swimming competitions more fair and accurate than ever before.
Last Winter, Kathleen’s name was submitted by USA Swimming for the XXXIII Olympics in Paris, France, and in March, she received a personal call inviting her to be a part of the team of 28 International Technical Officials from around the world! What added to the excitement was that she was then asked to make a similar call to the top U.S. Starter, Lisa Vetterlein from San Diego to let her know that she was selected to be one of just two Starters at the Olympics! Feeling beyond honored and thankful to be a part of history, Kathleen entered the deck of the Olympic swimming arena paying close attention to the magnificent Olympic Rings and how it felt in that moment. Kathleen was awestruck. Here she was, watching what she had only seen on television, now right in front of her. Then came the national anthems. Everyone in the arena stood and faced the flags as they ascended overhead in unified respect for each country and what the athletes had accomplished. Although no one was allowed to sing or demonstrate any action that could be interpreted as biased during the national anthem ceremony, Kathleen hummed the U.S. National Anthem and reveled in pride for how well the athletes from our country performed. There is nothing greater and more pure than the glory of athletic competition. Witnessing the best athletes in the world compete in the truest form of competition is an unforgettable experience and should never be disrespected or overlooked. This is what the Olympics is truly about.
During her time in Paris at the Olympics this year, Kathleen thought of everyone who supported and mentored her through this wonderful journey. From her loving children and family who recognized her passion, allowing her to continue to move forward, the great support of her fellow staff and students at the school at which she taught, understanding the time she needed to commit to fulfilling such a role, to the Lord above for all that he has bestowed upon her. It is with tremendous gratitude that Kathleen thanks all of the amazing people she has met along the way and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities she has been able to experience. As we celebrate November and the season of Thanksgiving, Kathleen’s story serves as a good reminder that the effort it takes to reach where you are today is never done alone. Have faith in yourself, be grateful for the accomplishments you have made, and remember to give thanks to those around you.
Kathleen is thankful for the love and support of her family, friends, and colleagues throughout the exciting journey that brought her to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“Sports, much like many other clubs can provide a ready-made path to feeling confident when moving from small established groups into larger populations.” - Kathleen Scandary
“Mom, we think what you do is cool, and so do our teammates!” - Kathleen's children