Budding referees kept their whistles at the ready during the weekend when Williams Lake played host to the BC Hockey Officiating Mentorship clinic.
Sixteen participants aged 12 to 19 from Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Quesnel donned their officiating stripes among Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association executive members, volunteer parents, Williams Lake referee in chief Doug Warwick, Cariboo officiating co-ordinator Ross Campbell and BC Hockey officiating development co-ordinator Larry Krause for a training and mentorship weekend during the Williams Lake Bantam Timberwolves Tier 2 Tournament Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.
“Last year at about this time BC Hockey’s executive put together a plan to mentor, train and equip officials across the province,” Krause told the Tribune. “We’ve got 4,500 certified officials in B.C. and the Yukon, so they decided to target 95 tournaments across the province, including Williams Lake.”
At the clinic mentors held a meet and greet with the officials on Friday, before performing a series of evaluations and critiques throughout the tournament, all while providing an opportunity for one-on-one teaching in a multi-game, multi-day setting at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
From Williams Lake referees included Ryan Roberts, Alex Kitsul, Marcus Kennedy, Cameron Prest, Patrick Kniec, Jesse Wallace-Webb, Benn Taylor, Brayden Smid, Russell Waterhouse, Devon Hill and Laurel White, with Doug Gassoff, Jaryn Campbell and Logan Lybeck participating from Quesnel, and Brandon Balbirnie taking part from 100 Mile House.
Krause said the transformation they see in the referees in such a short amount of time is amazing.
“It’s incredible what you see out of the students,” he said. “We teach a lot of the skills coaches are looking for out of their players. Game sense, skating, mobility, quick decision making and then, of course, game management, procedures, signals, where to stand, awareness of players and their tendencies and communication.”
The stress involved with managing a hockey game can be difficult for a young referee, Krause explained.
“A 12- or 13-year-old young man or young woman is now expected to carry authority and expected to communicate with an adult in an adult conversation, explain Hockey Canada’s guidelines, rulebook and procedures and ensure every game is fair and safe,” he said. “That’s a lot on the shoulders, especially sometimes when you’ve got parents in the stands who may or may not have played the game and may not have any understanding, let alone the rules.”
He pointed to Taylor — who is already qualified to referee competitive minor hockey and is one of the more senior youth officials in the lakecity — as a shining example of a young referee showing a lot of promise to advance in the field.
“I’m absolutely optimistic at some point he’s going to be a regular member of the staff,” Krause said. “He’s got all the ability — outstanding skating style, good speed, he sees the ice well and his penalty selection is above average. It’s just up to him how far he takes it.”
One of the most important things BC Hockey has set out to do through the mentorship program, Krause said, is to provide young officials with an opportunity.
“This year BC Hockey and the WLMHA have spent more money developing officials,” he said. “It’s a great time [to get into it]. We’re always looking for more — either kids or adults — because they find there’s a fraternity, a camaraderie and friendship that happens.”