On occasion, interscholastic officials are honored by being asked to officiate at the Olympic Games.  One of those individuals was John Santos, a swimming and diving official from New York State, who worked at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Santos grew up in the city of Yonkers, New York, and attended Yonkers High School. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served his country for several years. Upon his discharge, he enrolled and attended New York University. Following his graduation from NYU, he worked for the New York Telephone Company for 40 years and retired as a management engineer.

Santos has been a member of the New York State Certified Swimming Officials Association since the  1958-59 school year. This association serves interscholastic swimming and diving in the Empire State. He also has officiated collegiate and US Swimming swim meets. He and his wife Shirley live in Bedford, New York.

Santos was interviewed about his Olympic experience by former NFHS Officials Publication Committee member Bob Kersch. The following document is that interview:

BK:  Rumor has it that you’ve retired from officiating. Is that true?

JS:  No way! I’m still very actively officiating high school meets. This past winter I did a number of high school meets in Rockland County. (Rockland County is located north and west of New York City.)

BK:  What Olympic Games did you work?

JS:  1996; the Games in Atlanta.

BK:  How were you informed that you had been selected to officiate in Atlanta?

JS:  By phone. I knew some people in Texas that I’d officiated with in the past. One of them was in charge of procuring officials for the Modern Pentathlon. He needed six officials to work the swimming portion of that event and asked me if I’d like to be one of those six officials.

BK: What was your reaction to being asked?

JS: Oh my goodness. Hey, I thought it was great. Never, ever, would I have believed that I’d be asked to officiate at the Olympic Games.  It was just one of those things that you never expect.

BK:  What were your officiating responsibilities at The Games?

JS:  I was a stroke and turn judge.

BK: And how many days did you officiate.

JS:  Two days.

BK:  Was there anything about your officiating at the Games of the 26^th Olympiad that stands out in your mind?

JS:  The amount of people that were spectators and watched the swimming portion of the Modern Pentathlon.

BK:  And how many was that?

JS:  25,000!

BK:  Are there any memorable moments or events that took place regarding your officiating?

JS:  The Olympic pool is 50 meters in length. As you know, right in the middle of the pool, at the 25-meter mark, is the entrance into the pool.  When each of the six of us were introduced and entered the pool to officiate, 25,000 people clapped and gave me (us) an ovation.  It was mind boggling and I still get chills thinking about it.

BK: Any other memorable moments?

JS:  Yes. I enjoyed and cherish the opportunity to work with friends. In addition to that, I met a lot of very nice people.                                                                           

BK: Obviously, tragedy struck those games when a bomb detonated in Centennial Park. Where were you when the bomb went off?

JS:  That evening I was in the Olympic Village visiting friends. At about 1:00 a.m., I started walking to the train to go home. I heard the blast but didn’t think it was a bomb. I thought that someone shot off a cannon.

BK:  What perks, if any, were you given as an official?

JS:  They paid for my transportation. I could have also stayed in the Olympic Village but my in-laws live in Atlanta and I decided to stay with them. They also gave me my complete outfit which included a sport coat. We could also use our Olympic Credentials to get into most of the Olympic events.

BK: Did you take advantage of that opportunity and use your credentials to see any events other than the Modern Pentathlon event you were officiating?

JS:  Yes. I watched diving, water polo and basketball.

BK:  Did working as an official at the Olympic Games have any effect on how you now officiate high school swim meets?

JS: Absolutely. To this day, when I go to officiate a meet, I want to look as sharp as a tack, just like I was when I officiated in Atlanta. My uniform has to be pressed. I always want to be as clean and as sharp as I can be!