Interview with KIJHL Lineswoman Cydnie

I recently had the chance to meet with KIJHL lineswoman, Cydnie. She has been lining in the KIJHL for four seasons, and has been officiating hockey for over six years, including at the national women’s level.

I was curious how she got into officiating, and curiously she didn’t express interest initially. A colleague signed her up, and as they say, the rest is history.

I asked her 20 questions over lunch and here are her summarized answers (actually it was 12 questions, and my random thoughts are in brackets):

Where do you officiate in the KIJHL?
The Eddie Mountain Division; Kimberley, Creston, Fernie, Invermere and sometimes Golden.

Where is your favourite place to officiate?
Kimberley for the large ice surface (excellent answer I might add). Creston for lighting, and Fernie for the environment.

What was your favourite moment this past season?
Lining the Kootenay Conference Final games in Creston.

How does one get selected for officiating at the conference finals?
Based on a ranking system. Linesmen and referees are watched at most games and evaluated. Based on their performance throughout playoffs they are chosen for certain assignments.

What has been your favourite moment officiating?
Reffing Bronze Medal at the “Junior Women’s Hockey League” playoffs.

What were some of the funniest things you saw this past season?
There was an official who tripped over a banner. Another official forgot to bring their hockey pants so they had to ref in dress pants. There was another official who didn’t realize they forgot their whistle until they tried to make their first call. As for the player side, there are some good one-liners (but she wouldn’t share any specifics! Darn).

What are some of the scariest things you saw this past season?
Any hit from behind, especially when the player is unsuspecting and close to the boards. She also had to fill in for a female ref who took a puck to the face. There was blood everywhere. The result ended up being a broken nose, a split lip, and a few stitches!

What’s it like being a female linesmen going into scrums (and I noted that I believe Cydnie could beat me up in a parking lot fight)?
Exciting (I will admit I didn’t expect that). The high point to games is breaking up scrums.

What’s it like escorting players to the penalty box?
Sometimes that’s when the weirdest conversations happen. The pesky players (that I expected to be the worst to talk to) are the most laid back and easy to talk to because they are in a pesky role and have different personalities when not in play.

What is it like being a female official in a male dominated sport?
The first month is always an adjustment with the new players, after that the respect is there. It’s also a proud accomplishment to define the odds.

Do the fans yelling in the stand ever get to you?
The fan fights are really the only thing that will actually reach us at ice level.  They disrupt the flow of the game because we have to stop play for it to be dealt with. They distract everyone’s attention from the ice level to the stands. For the most part, you don’t hear fans on ice level during the game, just during warm up.

Have you had any encounters with fans after a game?
There is always that fear that someone is waiting on the other side of the door after a game, but most fan encounters have been positive.  In addition being on the lines, you tend to be the “good guy”.

And those fan encounters, Cydnie, just might change when you start refereeing in the KIJHL, you won’t be the “good guy” anymore.