Comments on this article
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Concerned
03-15-2001 3:31 pm
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The development of international female umpires should start at home. Canada needs to concentrate at the grassroots level and encourage young umpires to get involved. Not just going to tournaments and do ratings but developing training camps and coaching umpires who want to learn.
Canada is far too quick to turn up and coming people off by not providing proper support.
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carol
03-15-2001 8:27 pm
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Development of female umpires will improve with pro-active support at ALL levels in the game, from club through to national.
The areas for administrators to consider are policies which actively encourage females to umpire by providing opportunities for appointments and umpire coaching support even if they continue to play.
Identifying and approaching players who have the temperament and qualities needed to umpire may provide a greater pool of quality recruits with which to work.
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Concerned
03-16-2001 3:58 pm
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carol, you are quite correct that one way for FHC to encourage females to umpire is to provide appointments and coaching support to players. It is unfair and unreasonable to think that a person cannot develop both as a player and as an official. There is a huge pool of people out there to tap and they are being overlooked for that very reason.
FHC also needs to approach people before they become university or provincial players. Programs need to be developed that encourage umpires at an even younger age, kind of grasshoppers for umpires. Other sports are doing it and it is successful.
I think that the current cadre of umpires needs to be more concerned about the future of the sport in Canada. There are many people who have umpired both nationally and internationally who disappear when they have finished their officiating careers. They take from the program and never return to it to ensure its propegation. (And returning to the program does not mean doing the odd rating or conducting a course or two)
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umpyca
03-20-2001 4:09 pm
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re: Concerned
I know of quite a few senior umpire's who put back into the game. They give and it's their time & knowledge. Yes, it is by doing clinics, ratings, peer/ mentor coaching. FHC may be getting rid of the VP Umpiring position. What kind of support will we and others be getting? The are many ways the "Senior" umpires are contributing and putting in their time without the administrative infrastructure
in place to support them.
We tend to put all our energies into developing players and overlook potential
umpires in all age groups.
Be Concerned... because the umpire's need support just as much as the players.
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carol
03-25-2001 8:10 pm
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Good umpiring is something that takes a long time to develop. It includes a feel for the game and understanding what the players are trying to do on the pitch as well as applying the rules for a fair and safe game.
Being such a technical game, it is much easier to develop this understanding by playing. On the other hand, the best team players are often able to develop into good umpires, given opporunities at club level and encouragement. It shouldn't have to be one or the other - both enhance one's all-round game if supported in the right environment. Choices shouldn't have to be made too early - when the time is right individuals will know and in the end umpiring will be the better for it.
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onyx
03-28-2001 9:28 am
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re: umpyca
I too know many "senior" umpires, I am sure that they put time into the system but I would hesitate to suggest that this activity is in any way alturistic. These people are also the ones who make decisions with respect to who is appointed to which tournaments and these are the people who tell people who are players that they need to choose to umpire or play at a provincial or national level.
The peer mentoring and coaching that you refer to occurs strictly in major centers despite the fact that there are talented individuals who do not live in Toronto or Vancouver who if given the nurturing would represent Canada well on the international scene.
Where are your "senior" umpires who alturistically dedicate their time in atlantic Canada???
sadly there are none...
Where is the mentoring of individuals in atlantic Canada???
.. sadley there is none
Where are your "senior officials in the central provinces or Quebec ??
the reality "dear" umpyca is that there is none and nothing is done to develop or encourage people from these places aside from the odd clinic ... these are the structeral changes that need to take place.
FHC gets federal funding. The last time I checked, each Canadian pays into the taxes that ultimately result in this federal funding. Perhaps FHC sould start treating the country as a whole unit rather than regionalizing in certain centers, creating a mini environment of "haves" and "have nots"
Oh and umpyca, don't think for an instant that these "senior" umpires who as you allege "put their backs into the game" are not recieving some "perks" for their activity.
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Re: onyx
03-28-2001 2:04 pm
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WHOOAA THERE !!! I think you should RE READ my comments! Like I said, we need the infrastructure to enable us to develop umpires. GET FHC TO UPDATE & DEVELOP their umpire's database so that we know where everyone is based.
I don't understand how derived so much hostility out my comments. Don't paint ALL SENIOR umpire's with the same brush you do not know what is happening in our areas.
I am based on Vancouver Island and our leagues are self-made "haves". We can't help it if the weather is so nice all year round. The perks??? that you refer to are self-funded and maybe if some are fortunate, one tournament a year. The senior umpire's I refer to are those at both ends of the spectrum.
Canadian, Regional and Provincial who work with umpires of all ages. Please explain where these perks are so that we could apply for them. Don't wait for FHC, look to your Provincial & Local Associations to develop you or your colleagues. I can't alter your situation there in Atlantic Canada. If you wish to find out how we've looked at our dilemna ask Hari for my email and explain further. There are going to be those few who "MILK" the system. BUT the vast majority are in it because they care. Let those who don't put back into umpiring system know how you and others feel and remind them they did not get to where they are alone!
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onyx : re women's program
04-03-2001 8:57 am
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Hello Umpyca....
first of all, the article deals with the progression of women to the international ranks. (I don't think that you fit into that category (woman) though I may be wrong)... and it is the women's program within FHC that has the most problems. I know that the men have their own difficulties partly because they do not have the opportunity to participate in a lot of national tournaments simply because there are very few. In all, however, the men have a better opportunity to progress through the system despite the dismal number of national tournaments... they have a more supportive group and do not put obsticals infront of the up an coming people.
How many active male internationals are there in Canada??
How many active female internationals are there in Canada?
How many different men have had the opportunity to officiate on tours, at training camps, or visiting international teams?
How many women have had this same opportunity??
I think that if you look into things and do a comparative analysis, you may just find that there is a SERIOUS problem in the progression of female umpires in this country. For some reason, the new people are held to a substantially higher standard than those who are currently in the system. As Carol suggested women are told early that they have to choose between umpiring, playing and coaching.. that one cannot progress towards both and then chose as they get older.
What FHC needs is what is being suggested by the people who are discussing carding of athletes. FHC needs to have an impartial pannel that makes decisions about appointments.. a pannel where one or two people do not have the power to make decisions while others watch and acquiesce.. put the decision making in the hands of people who do not have a vested interest in progressing their own umpiring careers.. use retired umpires and use people from across the country in order to identify new women who have talent but aren't so fortunate as to live in Vancouver or Toronto.
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umpyca
04-03-2001 11:32 am
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Excellent Point! I know of at least 5 umpire's that are active in some form internationally over the last
five years. Three from BC. one from Alberta and one from
Ontario. Many others have participated in training camps. I don't know of any other women who have been outside Canada other than Ann
, Janice and I think we had another umpire go to a jr. qualifier.
If FHC eliminates the VP umpiring your concerns are amplified. Great comments.
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Island Ump
04-03-2001 4:22 pm
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Furthermore, look at the age difference between our most senior women umpires, and the ones in the lower echelons. There haven't been lot of promotions of late, have there (Kim Eagle being a notable exception)?
Is Canada suddenly going to be stuck with 1 or 2 FIH calibre women officials after the magical age of 47 descends?
Why hasn't FHC taken the time to identify up and coming officials? And without the VP of Umpiring, will this ever get done?
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onyx
04-10-2001 9:10 am
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It is very sad that no one representing FHC has the guts to get online and respond to some of these comments and suggestions. Seems that these people are quite happy with the status quo and are not truely commited to the change that they propose....
re: Island Ump... the identification of up and coming officials was not done with a VP of umpiring.. so not having a VP of umpiring will probably not change that too much. There needs to be a wholesale change in the system perhaps a look at other ways to get the job done!
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Hari Kant
04-10-2001 9:28 am
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Are we sure that the appropriate people at FHC are reading this stuff? Who is in charge of Umpiring once the VP is gone?
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Island Ump
04-10-2001 6:03 pm
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Oynx, who was responsible for identification? Boy, was I ever under the wrong impression!
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Ian Gibson FHC VP Umpiring
04-11-2001 2:15 am
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I would like to take this opportunity to offer my thoughts and to respond to some of the previous comments.
I did not read this article until it was brought to my attention earlier this evening and therefore had not taken part in the ongoing discussions."Lack of guts" is not the reason for my silence.
I have been involved with umpiring in Canada since 1973 and became VP Umpiring one and a half years ago. I would like to provide some information as to the activities of the Umpiring Committee over the past eighteen months. I will begin with the Domestic Competitions:
- in 2000 29 different umpires received at least one appointment to a National Tournament. Of these 29 umpires twenty were women and nine were men. As there was only one Men's Tournament the opportunities were limited. To the best of my knowledge only two umpires who applied did not receive an appointment. The appointments were made by the VP Umpiring in consultation with the other members of the Umpiring Committee.
International Appointments:
- in 2000 ten different umpires received International Appointments. For five of them it was their first international exposure and to their credit four of them received their International Badges ! Four new International Umpires in one year is good news for Canada. In addition two recently retired Canadian International Umpires have been appointed by the FIH as Umpires Managers. Canada will be able to utilize their expertise to develop more quality umpires.
Canada currently has two active International Umpires on the Women's side and six active International Umpires on the Men's side.
Some of the International appointments are made by the FIH and some are made by the FHC Umpiring Committee. The committee has made a concerted effort to nominate as many new candidates as possible and we will continue to indentify potential new candidates in 2001.
Our plans for 2001 are as follows:
- coaching and assessment of umpires will be undertaken at the five National Tournaments this summer
- coaching and assessment of umpires will take place at the Atlantic Cup in August. FHC will be sending an active International Umpire to this event to provide coaching, video analysis, and to rate umpires.
- FHC will be sending at least three umpires to the JSK Montreal Cup, one of whom will be a Senior International Umpire. These umpires will work with other Regional Umpires throughout the tournament.
- at present we are attempting to set up a similar program at the National Capital Cup in Ottawa.
- the two active International Umpires in Alberta are available to run clinics, and to coach, and assess umpires in the Prairie Provinces.
Any province wishing to take advantage any of the above services is asked to contact me. My e mail address, phone number, and fax number are posted on the FHC Website.
I am sure I have not answered all of the concerns expressed by previous contributors but I would be happy to discuss the challenges facing Canadian Umpires with anyone.
My term in office ends June 30,2001 and as it appears there will not be a VP Umpiring after that date I am not sure what the future will bring. The circulated proposals suggest umpiring will be in a working group with coaching, technical, and development, but umpiring does not appear to be included in the International Working Group. At present I am not sure how the National and International Appointments for umpires will be done.
Please feel free to contact me about any of the above.
Thanks to Hari for the opportunity to participate in this discussion.
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Onyx
04-11-2001 9:28 am
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Re: Island Ump - The VP umpiring is simply an administrative position. In the past few years that person has lived in the interior of BC and though that this individual may get to tournaments in Vancouver and the occasional national tournament, this individual does not know all the people, their particular talents and weaknesses. In some cases the VP umpiring is of one gender and does not always interact/participate in tournaments from the other gender.The system as it stands requires the VP umpiring to rely on the "information", "promotion" of local "Sr" umpires. This is where the system crashes as there is no doubt some bias involved especially with respect to the city that the people come from. And amazingly enough, it is these Sr. umpires who are ultimately responsible for the rating of candidates for Canadian and Canadian I. And, only Canadian I's can rate people for their Canadian... so the number of people who actually permit people to "join the club" so to speak is very very small.
As you may or may not know, there are no active "Sr" umpires for either gender east of Toronto. I am quite sure that there are some bright lights out in the Atlantic and Quebec, but there is no support for them.
re Hari: I am sure that some people in FHC are reading this, and if they are not I am quite sure that someone is telling them about it. I suspect that FHC does not want to get involved in the discussion because they would have to actually think about what kind of answers/comments to make and then realize that many of these comments bear consideration. As for who is in charge of officiating once the VP is gone??? one would have to scrutinize the proposal to find out where this sits.
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Umpyca
04-11-2001 12:10 pm
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Re: Onyx
Has Ian ( VP Umpiring) been given a list of potential Umpires from Eastern Canada? Have these umpire's let be known that they are interested in attending domestic events in Ottawa, Toronto & Montreal? US Tournaments on EastCoast US
Is there a tournament in Halifax? It seems to me there are several difficulties facing us? There is little money? There is only one national tournament for the sr Men. No U18, No U21 regional or National events.
Our "CLUB" as you refer to is actually very big and diverse but if there is not enough hockey for them to umpire, what can we do? We would need a huge increase in funding to give the "sr" umpires the hockey they need to maintain their level. Regional disparity is a problem! have you any suggestions? Unfortunately, there will be some regional biase because thats where most of the hockey is played. Ian has done a great job, given the fact he has to work within the infrastructure of FHC.
Should we be looking at setting up regional VP's? as an alternative to eliminating
the overall VP. Umpiring should be seen as an independent body and there is a worry that others who are not involved in umpiring and not aware of the issues we face will be making decisions. KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING!! Let's hear from the other umpire's who share our concerns. Let them know of this forum.
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Ken Reid
04-12-2001 6:43 am
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Lets be honest here. Women umpires arent great. They should stick to umpiring womens games. The day that a woman umpires a mans game is the day I hang up my stick and my astro trainers and walk away from the game.
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onyx
04-12-2001 9:12 am
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re: Ken Ried
wow that was an enlightened and useful statement for this forum....... I guess that you are going to be loosing those astro trainers pretty soon 'cause changes they are a comming....
I am thinking that you are also opposed to female corporate CEOs, females in the armed forces... basically females anywhere but barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen...
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Islandump
04-12-2001 2:12 pm
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Ian, thanks for the information.
Just wondering, the initiatives you outlined above, are they the 'running' mandate for FHC umpiring and will expire after the proposed change take affect? Or did you already answer that in your comments about working groups?
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onyx
04-17-2001 9:16 am
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Perhaps Ian can explain to us why the men have so few national tournaments and opportunities for men to obtain their ratings yet they have 3 fold the number of active international officals than the women who have many national tournaments and only 2 active international officials.
Also, I hear from from the kids that were at the CIAU championships that there were two men officiating. How does this fit into the FIH priority ? were there no other female officials of the appropriate level to participate at the tournament??(and before you tell us that it is the CIAU that chooses the officials, I called them and asked and they said that the selection of officials are deferred to FHC)
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Re:Onyx
04-17-2001 11:39 am
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Has there been an explanation from Janice M.? ( past VP )Suzzanne @ FHC ? I don't think Ian has any control over how the women select their umpires.
Has there always been an "unwritten" policy of each taking care of their own appointing and development of male/female umpires?
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IslandUmp
04-17-2001 4:50 pm
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The rules for umpiring the CIAUs involve the amount of games you do in your conference through the season.
Apparently the women back East didn't get enough games... The umpires from the West were women. Looks like the problem was the allocation of umpires in the East (or just Ontario?).
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OntarioUmp
04-18-2001 9:11 am
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re: IslandUmp
Well IslandUmp, I am in Ontario and I can tell you that at the point that the selection of the officials was made, neither of the men chosen had officiated in as many games as the women had in that university year. There was no problem with the allocation of umpires in Ontario.... there was a problem with the selection of officials by FHC. If you ask the Head Official for Ontario he will tell you that he was not consulted prior to the selection.
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onyx
04-18-2001 9:25 am
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Wrt comment:
Well, now there is a thought, that the VP for Umpiring does not have any input or control into the ALL of the officials represented by the FHC umbrella? This goes back to a past comment that perhaps on the women's side there is not equitable treatment.... perhaps it is easier for men to move through the system than for women because of barriers placed before women by their own gender....
And we still need to go back to Carol's good comments with respect to young women being told to choose playing or officiating.... perhaps they are not mutually exclusive....
I thought that federal funding was based on amalgamation of the men's and women's programs... perhaps it is time for FHC to take this to heart...
and... if there is no elected VP umpiring, where is the democratic process in the selection of the leader in Canada, does this move perpetuate the current problems.... or make it worse?
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Islandump
04-18-2001 1:45 pm
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Ontario Ump...
It would appear the information we received here in BC about the lack of women umpires (from ON) at CIAU wasn't entirely accurate.
So who is in charge of allocating CIAU and university games??
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OntarioUmp
04-19-2001 9:04 am
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University games are generally by invitation of the coach that is hosting the tournament or game (feel free to make whatever conclusions that you wish about this practice but hey the host university pays for the transportation, game fee and per dium)... in Ontario there are several tournaments and individuals state their availability and are assigned by the Ontario Umpiring Coordinator.
The CIAU championship requires representation of officials from the different conferences OUA, Canada West, Atlantic... but generally the CIAU leaves the selection of the officials to the national officials association or in the case of field hockey, FHC.
There are not many "senior" female Canadian officials in Ontario, but there are a few and this year, the selection of officials did not take into consideration the number of games done since at the time of the selection the gentlemen that were selected had not participated in any OUA tournaments and the assignments for the remaining tournaments were not completed. There were women of the appropriate rating available who had done games ... FHC just chose to go in another direction thereby alienating what few female officials that there are in Ontario.
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onyx
04-20-2001 9:25 am
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re:OntarioUmp
There were no umpires representing the Atlantic. Pehaps FHC should consider more regional representation of the officials rather than who has a Canadian Rating... that way some of the atlantic umpires who put in lots of time and games will get the opportunity to umpire at a national competition. This may encourage excellence in officiating.
Perhaps then the same people wouldn't be officiating all the time....
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Re: latest Onyx
04-20-2001 3:12 pm
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Do have anyone identified in Eastern Canada? Could you not have the Halifax Tournament as an ID camp for Umpire's and then submit candidates for other Eastern tournaments. I hear alot of complaining but we don't know what have or have not done to promote the umpires you currently have.
Who are they and who have you let know that they exist? Details..Details, not general complaining. Enlighten us.
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onyx
04-20-2001 5:12 pm
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Yes, there are individuals in eastern Canada who are identified as having good potential.
There is no way to get people their Canadian and Candian 1 ratings without having them do national tournaments. First of all there are not enough people to do the ratings, and secondly people keep hearing that the competition is not heated enough to warrant the rating. There is a limited amount of money available and what money there is will often be sent towards the players (and justfully so).
How many mountains do you want to put infront of an up and coming official before they decide that they can fulfill their desire to officiate in other more accomodating sports such as soccer and basketball.
What I am saying is that FHC needs to look at the country as a whole, to recognize that there are very real struggles in parts of the country and do more to help them. If the teams do not get consistent, solid officiating they are disadvantaged if they even try to compete at the national level.
If field hockey dies in the atlantic, there will not be CIAU championships because there are not enough regions represented and then university programs will die because universities will not waste money on a sport that is not recognized by the CIAU. Hey face it women's Ice Hockey is much more popular than field hockey why not put money there???
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Re:
04-20-2001 7:06 pm
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My understanding is that there are people in Eastern Canada. Trevor Martin? Marg Lanning? Peggy? Why can he or they not go to the Montreal Cup or the Nat. Cap. Cup?
Go to the Big Apple Tournament in NY. The JFK Tournament? There were and are umpire's being sent to the First 2 Tournaments to get their Canadian Ratings . If the Women's games are not competetive enough then do Men's games. Sometimes you have to go to where the hockey is. It's a reality when you want your Canadian rating. I sympathise with your situation.
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OntarioUmp
04-23-2001 11:21 am
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Both Peggy and Marg have retired and are no longer active in fieldhockey. Which begs the question... what did the fieldhockey community do to these people that they would disappear completely from the scene??
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Catherine Jones
04-23-2001 12:55 pm
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Speaking from a FHO perspective:
Just to clarify re: Ontario Umpiring assignment and OUA league requirements regarding # of games. The OUA has a regulation stating that for an official to be eligible for CIAU's they must have umpired at least 50% of the total number of games any OUA Team plays over a season. This year each team played 12 regular season games, so no umpire who did less than 6 games would be eligible to travel to CIAU?s. The OUA Coaches implemented this decision.
There are a number of other factors regarding assignment to both OUA final weekend and CIAU?s. These include; coaches feedback, player?s feedback, umpires performance and availability.
To my knowledge, no umpire affiliated with OUA umpiring has done less than 6 games a season over the past 4 years. Therefore in all practicality, all umpires in OUA would be eligible from the start of the season. (Only if the umpire assigned to CIAU?s did not follow through with the appropriate amount of games would they then have to be replaced) It is a misrepresentation of the facts to insinuate that the two Ontario representatives to CIAU?s did not meet the requirements of number of games. These two umpires have dedicated a great number of hours and personal experience while working with and for umpires in Ontario.
On a personal note:
There are people who feel that only women should go to CIAU?s or that priority should be given to women. There are certainly arguments for and against that point of view, and everyone is entitled to their individual opinions. The umpires in Ontario operate in one system; we are not separated along gender lines. I have personally been involved in umpiring with the OUA for the past 4 years and have had the honour of learning from several dedicated individuals, both men and women. We as umpires are a small enough group as is, we need to stick together and help each other move forward. I would encourage any individual to join FHO?s newly formed umpires association. I feel it?s the best way for all umpires to grow and improve.
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concerned
04-26-2001 9:25 am
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i noticed that Ian Gibson came on and posted once. He did not address all of the issues posted and he did not really answer any of the questions. It seems strange that Janice has not responded, nor has any other "senior" female umpire. Perhaps they are afraid of stepping into the fire and being accountable for their actions and decisions.
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Observer
04-26-2001 11:58 am
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Good Points Catherine,
except that selection to the CIAU championship is proported to be based on number of games done, appropriate rating etc... rather than service to others. If it was service to others, then there would be an entire group of individuals from other provinces who should be eligible as well.
The point as I read it was that the decision with respect to who was selected to officiate at the CIAUs was actually done without input from other people such as the Ontario Umpiring Coordinator. There needs to be consistency is selection criteria, otherwise it is simply a choosing of favourites and friends.
No one is disputing that these gentlemen have dedicated a great number of hours and personal experience while working with and for umpires in Ontario. I am sure that they are both wonderful gentlemen.
The issue with respect to the gender of these individuals only fits into the context of this article where FIH wants the promotion of female officials. How does FHC promote female officials and get the young girls interested in officiating??
Why does Canada have only 1 or 2 active international female officials??? What is being done to draw female youth and young adults to umpiring and give them opportunities to become international officials before they reach their mid 30's when they are on the downward slope as far as international requirements go??
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Catherine Jones
04-26-2001 2:06 pm
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Actually the two fellows do have the appropriate rating, games done and positive feedback along with service to others. However, your point about input is well taken.
I personally feel that input, also requires commitment and self-responsibility. Too often groups want input but do not follow up with appropriate feedback when asked. There are very few volunteers trying to keep many aspects of field hockey together. If you don?t' like the way it works get a group together to work WITH your appropriate province to make things different
Strong regional growth will then add to growth at the national level.
For the future: I would hope that by creating a strong umpiring association in Ontario, detailed criteria and evaluation tools will be developed in order to better assign , instruct and encourage growth of umpires. The development of women officials would occur within the one umpires association (men & women). Perhaps, once established, the Ontario umpiring group might better assist our eastern neighbours with umpiring development.
I personally choose to look forward an actively participate in improvement. It is healthy to complain and it most often means you care enough about the issue to do so, but offer viable alternatives
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Re: Observer
04-26-2001 3:31 pm
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Soon those Umpire's will be gone and FHC will be scrambling to get younger umpires to move up. It does not seem to be the case. Ask FHC to tell us who the are so that we can monitor their progress. There are quite a few appointments for the Women's tournaments this summer. Are there potential internationals there? or is it a closed shop?
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Another Observation
04-27-2001 9:37 am
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Here are some thoughts to consider... and this pertains to the women's program... a number of years ago there was a larger pool of senior female officials and some with potential to move forward. Some of these were in the east and some in the west. Slowly the numbers have diminished and these people have moved away from the sport. Some of these people include Rita Bruneski, Alison Palmer, Maggie Gibb, Peggy Stoddart, Geordie Stowell to name a very few. Where are these people now??? Why did they disappear??? They loved the sport enough to participate and officiate at a high level, why are they not around now??... People don't usually just walk away from something that they have dedicated many years to without a good reason. Perhaps there is something in the women's program that isn't quite right...
There are even some younger ones who thought that they would like to be officials, started with their provincial ratings and then got their regionals enjoying hockey and officiating and then somehow got turned off.... they just disappear.. you won't hear there stories... but some people have and they are not pretty... now each story has two side... and usually there are elements of truth to both sides.. but still... they are gone and no longer a part of the sport.. some taking bitter memories. The sad part is that these were also volunteers that worked with your grass roots people as well.
Looking at the latest assignment of officials there are several names missing from the list that have been on several lists in the past. Where is Marla Van Gelder, Chris Hansen and Julie Nelson, Ruth Johnson, and Pam Homenick?? Have they left the game too???? and why?????
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Re: Another
04-27-2001 11:58 am
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Ask some of Past Umpire selectors? Was there some bias? Body image? Knowledge?
Politics? Did they meet the Standards? Who knows? I am sure someone at one time or another got passed over for one or more of the above, justification or not.
Most of the time it is not a fair situation.. We should be developing as many umpire's as we can and not trying to
turn off those who put alot of time and effort to keep umpiring strong.
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Kim Fowler
04-27-2001 10:35 pm
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Firstly, given this is the year of the volunteer, we should recognize and thank all those umpires, who endure all weather, disrespect from players, and ignorance from crowds (not including the dogs!). I don't wish to count the number of times I've asked what the !@#$* I'm doing out in the pouring rain, cold wind, etc. to put up with the treatment we get, particularly after a long week at work. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why so many umpires have left. Having talked with several who have left permanently, I agree their stories are disheartening, as many have left with much regret and resentment and we lose the benefit of their time and expertise. Not a legacy of which to be proud.
Most men are told to keep their nose out of women's umpiring. The exception appears to be Ontario - good for you and keep it up! We should work together as much as possible, except with that ignoramus of a previous email (who we've wasted too much time and space on already).
I agree with Jonesy's proposal of building locally to provincially and then the national system will be required to change. It only takes a few to start a system or only one to change it (and I pray you don't burn out!). Local to global/national change is the only route to success, as shown in many endeavours.
What appears necessary is a forum for debate, suggestions for change, success stories to follow, abysmal failures to avoid, and general support for those screaming in the dark (at least a flashlight!). Perhaps this is where FHC can assist.
As a fellow umpire who has lived & played in three provinces of this great country, my respect to those who spend inumerable hours keeping the sport going and to those who worry about its future and identify need for change. We can achieve much more pulling together than tearing apart. Why can't we work together to sort it out? What are your suggestions? I appreciated and learned from those who submitted comments.
Apologies to those who may think this too idealistic, but isn't that were fundamental change starts?
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Someone Who Has Been There
04-30-2001 1:49 pm
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I have been following this discussion with some interest but I think now is the time to comment:
"ask some of the past selectors"- trust me they have been asked by many people and the answers have generally been less than satisfying, there were no specifics, no criteria, more like "duh, because..."
"was there some bias?" - for sure there is some bias, stop kidding yourselves; sometimes we choose our friends, for instance look at the names of the officials who have umpired the gold medal matches at the women's senior and CIAU championships over the past 10 years.... is there a bit of a pattern???
Body Image??? - must be a man writing these comments.... do you think that the girls feel that they are too fat to fit into the skirts??? spare me !!! what is meant by this??? Now if you are talking self esteem then you may be closer to the target, because it is hard to maintain self esteem when those who are supposed to be your colleagues whisper behind your back making comments about you... or sit in the stands in a group of partents and players and point out what they concieve to be errors (and no this is not rating)
"Knowledge" - well i dunno someone gave most of the people mentioned Canadian Ratings....
"Politics" - most likely...
"Did they meet the Standards?" - well who knows.. but first of all show me where the standards and criteria are published....
For you men out there here is a question: how many of you who when you went for your regional or canadian ratings recieved a pass on "half a game" meaning that you would need to do at least 2 more games to pass... well it has happened to many women and no where in the manual does it state that one can be examined and rated on ony parts of a game and then eventually sum up the total. Do you think that maybe it is just a bit demoralizing to go to a tournament to get a Canadian rating and get "one half of a game"? Well boys and girls it happens and it shouldn't.... if they were good enough for half a game then why not give them the game??? sure there are going to be games that are not hotly contested and perhaps those shouldn't count.. but really a quarter of a rating????
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Re: Been there
04-30-2001 4:08 pm
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I certainly did mean to offend you with regards to the "body image" reference. You are correct that "Self Esteem" would have been a better choice. However, there
are parallel experiences for men as well! It all depends on the person or persons doing the evaluations. All of your comments a very valid and can be related to by many of our colleagues at one time or another. Umpires are the targets of players, coaches , fans and even fellow umpires who feel threatened. We have no avenue for recourse but to rise above the pettiness. The part rating situation is BS and your critsism is well warranted. No assessor I know of would use that excuse to deny a person a rating. They should have done a better job in getting you the type of game you needed. Hey, but the guys have been accused of giving ratings away! Cheer up! you know you deserved it and those colleagues who are sincere know your abilities as well.
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re:re
05-03-2001 2:17 pm
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Interesting comments...
but i must say that if you are in the west and know any or all of the senior women officials then you know assessors who used this "part of a game" rating system. It is common pracice on the women's side.
I like your use of "threatened umpires" because it is exactly it. These people are threatened, afraid that someone younger and better is going to come along and bypass them. Just so you know, comments in the stands to observers were not only made about umpires who were aspiring to become Canadian or Canadian I but also directed at those who are on the world cup list. A sad situation that individuals cannot be happy and support those who are fortunate enough to have success.
Rising above the pettiness is a lofty ambition, but most people will just walk away and dedicate their time to other sports, or other endeavours.. Kim mentioned that it is the year of the volunteer and everybody (sports, community etc) is clammoring for more volunteers and people would rather be appreciated for their contribution than critisized. I do know that some people who dedicated much time and who made valuable contributions to the sport in their community have walked away from the sport because they were tired of the politics, and the abuse, and the back biting that occured.
With respect to the fans, coaches and players yelling.. well, it is going to happen, everybody is an official (well until they are required to actually do it) but the this sport, just as most other sports needs to work on educating the participants and spectators on what is acceptable. Regardless of the sport, abuse of officials needs to be stopped and field hockey should participate fully in any programs available. Apparently winning is everything in these times.
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