When Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh came up four-tenths of a second shy of setting the world record in the 200-metre butterfly last month at the Canadian Swim Trials, Prince George swim referee Larry Chrobot was standing in awe on the pool deck in Victoria.
He knew the 18-year-old, a four-time Olympic medallist, was fast — but when she touched the wall in Canadian-record time with nobody else even close, it left him speechless.
“She really wanted to get that world record and she just missed it,” said Chrobot.
“She was so far ahead that you wonder, how does this person continuously create records when there’s nobody beside her pushing her?” he said. “She was 15 or 20 metres ahead — there’s nobody around her — she’s doing it all by herself, and it’s fantastic to see the discipline.
“She came out of the water and said, ‘I wanted that one, I’m going to do it,’ and you can just tell she’s going to do it. She’s so gifted — and a nice person. You can see how smooth she is. She’s really matured the past two years and we really got to enjoy watching her because she’s really good with the fans now. She talks about what she wants to do.”
That same week, McIntosh broke world records in the 400-metre freestyle, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley — becoming the first swimmer to break three long-course world records at the same meet since her idol Michael Phelps did it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also set a Canadian record in the 800 free.
Chrobot has now witnessed McIntosh break world records four times. The first came a year ago in Toronto at national trials, when she set the 400 free world mark. Chrobot was in the timing room, working as chief judge of electronics.
“All the results were coming in and you’re just going, she’s going to do it,” he said. “And the first thing that goes through your head is, are all the times good? Did everybody’s touchpads go at the right time, and did everything line up to have a nice clean heat?
“So you say, those times are good, you give the thumbs-up to the ref, and they post it — a world record.”
In May, the 57-year-old Chrobot was one of three Canadian swimming referees named to the World Aquatics international officials list. He represented Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, and with 25 years of experience, he’s now accredited to work virtually any swim meet, including the Olympic Games — possibly as soon as Los Angeles 2028, though that’s up to Swim Canada.
“I can’t speculate. It’s all up to them, but the Olympics would be a big stretch because only one from Canada gets to go,” he said.
“You do it for the love of the sport and the athletes. You give up your vacation time and you’re there to support the sport. You get to see these great moments as officials, and you get pretty close with them — build some pretty good bonds — because you’re all doing it for the same reason. You don’t get paid.”
Chrobot got his start officiating at local meets hosted by the Prince George Barracudas Swim Club. He was there to see his son, Andrew, rewrite the club record book numerous times. Andrew tried soccer and lacrosse before finding his niche in the pool — first in diving, then swimming — and at 16, broke Jim Fowlie’s 34-year-old club record in the 400 IM.
Larry remembers walking into the Prince George Aquatic Centre to watch a time trial and feeling inspired to join the team of parent volunteers with stopwatches, timing their own kids racing.
“The first meet ever was absolute chaos,” said Chrobot. “There were kids yelling and screaming, they had their races written on their arms, and there were whistles going. It was chaos — but organized chaos.
“I tell young parents this is a lot like getting a plane in the air or an aircraft carrier out to sea. Everybody has a very specific role, and when you all do that role, the plane flies. If anybody isn’t doing their role, you get turbulence. You find the thing you’re comfortable with — and enjoy it.”
Chrobot was half-forced to learn everything it takes to run a swim meet when longtime Barracudas referee Blake King told him he was moving away and wanted Chrobot to take over.
His day job as vice-president of Bright Health Software Solutions — writing computer programs for doctors — came in handy in the timing booth. He used his tech skills to write instruction cheat sheets that became templates still used by local operators for data entry and race timing.
Chrobot enjoys matching parent volunteers with tasks that fit their strengths and always tries to make meets fun. He was driven by a desire to keep improving his own skills — until he became the one in charge.
“To become a referee, you have to know how to do all the positions,” he said. “I had to go to Victoria to get assessed at a provincial meet — and it’s intimidating. It’s a different world when you leave Prince George.”
He passed his referee’s test that weekend and steadily climbed the ladder to earn Level 5 status with Swim Canada. National-level assignments helped pave the way for international experience.
At major international meets like the Pan Am Games, televised coverage changes the dynamic. Referees no longer run the show — TV producers do, starting with the swimmer introductions. Cameras are anchored on tracks that follow swimmers through the water, and officials must be careful not to obstruct the shots.
His Pan Am Games experience in Santiago was full of highlights — and he was grateful to share it with his wife, Carolyn. The day he served as referee, Canadian swimmers excelled.
“We had Canadians on the podium — gold, silver and bronze — and when the national anthem plays and you’re the ref standing right there by the flags, it’s emotional,” Chrobot said. “It’s so cool. Especially when you see two in the same race. Canadians swam very well there.”
