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.
