3 of us from the OWHA

For me, one of the best aspects of getting to travel and compete as an official has been getting to know some really great people along the way. Although we are ultimately competing with one another to be able to skate on the last day of the tournament (i.e. in the medal games), we are also teammates and must be able to work well with one another when we're on the ice. As I'm sure you can imagine, this creates a very interesting dynamic.

The key for me was to internalize the competitiveness and only compete against myself. To focus less on competing with others and focus more on being the absolute best I can possibly be. Sounds a little corny, I know, but I believe it has made me a much better teammate and ultimately have a whole lot more fun getting to know my fellow officials.

So, about those other officials - my teammates. I've met some really amazing people along the way. Obviously, I am very fortunate to have been selected to go to Vancouver, but what makes it even more special is that I will be travelling there with two other amazing gals from the OWHA program - Mary Anne Gage and Kerri Rumble. All three of us have basically come up through the ranks together in Ontario. We've become great friends over the years, and because we are going to Vancouver together, for me, it will make the entire experience that much more special.

To learn a little more about us, check out some of the articles at the following links:

• Article on me from the Peterborough Examiner
• Article on Mary Anne Gage by the Hamilton Spectator
• Olympic Officials article on Canada.com
• IIHF website posting
• CWHL posting (scroll all the way to the bottom)

Note: King City Times also wrote an article on Kerri, however their articles do not appear to be archived online.... check out the post immediately below.

Article on Kerri Rumble

Feeling Real

Well... all of a sudden, it feels very real....

This past week, I received my flight information, Olympic accreditation and a package of goodies from Hockey Canada. Of course I've known since October that I'm going to Vancouver, and have been taking steps for a very long time to prepare... but all of a sudden it all feels a whole lot more real.

I will be leaving on February 11th and returning March 1st. Between now and then, I'll skate as many high calibre games as possible, remain intimately acquainted with my spin bike, maintain strength and core, and study study study the IIHF rules and procedures.

Today, I'm off to line Team China versus a PWHL team. It will be great practise as we will be using International rules and procedures - should be fun. Then, I have ice time tonight so I can practice the ice testing we will no doubt be subject to in Vancouver - that should be a little less fun!!

Later skaters.... :)

ESPN Article: 13 Simple Rules For Hockey Parents Everywhere

A colleague forwarded me the article at the attached link. It's a bit long, but in my opinion worth the read if you are a hockey parent, fan, or referee. Or if you have kids involved in any other sport...

Article: 13 Simple Rules for Hockey Parents Everywhere

My favorite rules from the article are #3, #6 and #10. I've copied them in below for your quick perusal if you don't have the time to go through all 13 rules in the article.

3. Hockey is a very, very, very, very difficult game to play. You are probably terrible at it. It takes high skill and lots of courage, so lay off your kid. Don't berate them. Be patient and encourage them to play. Some kids need more time to learn how to ride the bike, but, in the end, everyone rides a bike about the same way.

6. Do not fret over penalties not called during games and don't waste long-term heart power screaming at the referees. My observational research reveals the power-play percentage for every Mite hockey game ever played is .0000089 percent; for Squirts, .071 percent. I prefer referees to call zero penalties.

10. Teach your kids not to celebrate too much after a goal if your team is winning or losing by a lot. And by all means, tell them celebrate with the team. After they score, tell them not to skate away from their teammates like soccer players. Find the person who passed you the puck and tell him or her, "Great pass." We have immediate group hugs in hockey following a short, instinctive reaction from the goal scorer. I am proud of my boy for a lot of things, but I am most proud at how excited he gets when a teammate scores a goal. He is Alex Ovechkin in this regard.

Hope you enjoyed...

Answering Questions

When the fact that I referee hockey comes up in conversation, there are a few questions that people usually ask me. I thought I'd try to satisfy the curiosity of any readers by addressing the most common one's here....

1. Did you play? Yes. I started playing organized hockey when I was 12 after figure skating for 10 years. Of course I had a hockey stick in my hand much earlier and spent many an hour playing at home on our driveway and on the frozen swamp on our farm. I played up to the collegiate level and also played in what used to be called the NWHL (Nationals Women's Hockey League).

2. Why ref??? Simple really... I was tired, came to the conclusion that my playing career had peaked and I needed to spend more of my time focusing on my career. Reffing offered me the opportunity to stay involved in hockey on my terms and, most importantly, keep skating.

3. How did you get chosen to go to the Olympics? Sprinkle in some hard work, a dose of good fortune and a lot of amazing support. There really is no set recipe. As a member of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association and living in Toronto, there is a tremendous amount of hockey that provided an amazing training ground. On top of the volume of games, the OWHA has a strong Supervisors program and I have received a great deal of coaching along the way. Without the mentorship of many of our Supervisors, I know I would not be travelling to Vancouver next month.

Getting Started

Hi everyone! It was mentioned to me a few weeks ago that I should write a blog to keep family and friends updated on my experiences in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Olympics... My initial response was "follow me on Facebook", but much to my surprise there are still many of you out there who have yet to start creeping.

In the coming weeks I'll try to let you know what steps I'm taking to continue to prepare... and when I get to the games, I'll update based on my hockey and non-hockey experiences. If you have other thoughts or ideas of what you would like to see and read, please let me know.

So here goes.... enjoy!