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.