Officials Appreciation

Cauy Cuthbertson is an Alberta amateur wrestling official. Cauy is a former wrestler himself who is fairly new to officiating, having started in 2019.

How long have you been an official?

I’ve been an official for 3 years technically but on mat experience I’ve only been fortunate enough to officiate for a year! I’m looking forward to more. I got into officiating in 2019, and I have done it once in a while when I was still competing to help out at smaller tournaments.

What drew you into officiating?

I was an athlete in wrestling for 8 years and had to withdraw from a sport injury and have missed it ever since, so I wanted to find a way to still participate even if it’s not competing anymore.

What age group or level of competition is your favorite to officiate?

I really enjoy high school age groups because they are a lot more involved and technical, and get to see some amazing talent point blank most of the time.

What is the most rewarding or most challenging part of officiating?

The most rewarding part is feeling like I’m still involved and adding to the fun and intense path that is wrestling and sport. The hardest part is having to also make tough calls, even when many don’t agree with you.

What is one piece of advice you would give to up-and-coming officials?

The only advice I can give is just enjoy it, add to the community for as long as you can. Be kind and generous as well as fair and equal to everyone participating!

James Olson is a football official in his 15th season of officiating. As a teenager, he also officiated 2 seasons of hockey.

What drew you into officiating?

I was first drawn to officiating when I was about 13 and I helped umpire bases for my dad when he coached my sister's slow pitch team and the umpire never showed up for the game. After that I really enjoyed being part of the game even when not playing. I worked a couple years as a hockey official as a teenager before I went to university. When I came back I wasn't officiating anymore and that is when my dad and brother asked if I wanted to officiate football and join the association. I was hooked after my 1st season and I haven't looked back.

What age group or level of competition is your favourite to officiate?

Honestly I like officiating all levels for different reasons. While at times peewee can be harder to officiate because the game pace is slower we end up taking on almost a coaching role and help teach the game. Obviously we teach more about the rules than fundamentals. By the time the kids hit bantam you start to see them come into their own as football players and start to understand the rules. High school I really enjoy working because the game pace is faster and the kids really understand the game. This is when the game becomes fun and the conversations between players and officials becomes more than just, "That's a penalty!" The top players really strive to understand the game from all aspects.

What is the most rewarding or most challenging part of officiating?

What I find most rewarding about officiating is when former or current players thank you for officiating or let you know that they appreciate what you are doing. One of my favourite stories came from a Cardston vs. CCH playoff game in 2019. We were doing our pregame field walk and one of the Cardston player's tells me that he is glad that I was a part of the crew for that game. He went on further to say that I was one of their favourite officials. Then partway through the 1st quarter of the game a CCH player comes up to me and says, "You are our favourite official." I kind of joked with both players at the time of each comment and said, "I think you are just trying to butter me up." However, in both cases the comments of both players I felt were genuine. I have also had numerous former players ask if I still officiate and they often ask if I remember them. The mutual respect that is earned between players and officials. Small things like always calling the players sir or ma'am when talking to the players and when they reply back with sir. Seeing that my son is now looking to join our association next season along with one of his teammates. These moments are what I find rewarding about officiating.

The experiences I have had because of officiating are also rewarding. I have had the privilege of officiating all over Alberta. From provincial finals to the Alberta Summer Games. Every time you get into games like that it is a reflection of the work and time that you have put in over the course of the season. When you get those games you get the opportunity to represent your home association on the provincial level. Lastly but most important are the friendships that are built by working together over so many years.

What is one piece of advice you would give to up-and-coming officials?

My piece of advice I would give to new or up and coming officials would be to always try to give your best game. Sometimes it won't be there, but if you are always trying to give your best you will always try to improve yourself. Players and coaches do notice the effort that you put in and in turn I find that the coaches and players are generally willing to work with you and not against you. If you can get players and coaches working with you it makes the game that much better. Make sure that you keep learning and are willing to grow and change as the game changes. Lastly, always ask questions because there will always be that situation that you haven't seen before. When that time happens you will be more prepared for it. If you are doing these things it is always easier to give your best game.

The photo below is from the 2012 Provincial Final Played in Edmonton. James is 2nd from the left.

Kailyn Smalley is a ringette official currently in her 4th year of officiating.

What drew you into officiating?

I played the sport for almost a decade and once I quit to pursue other sports, I wanted a way to make sure that I was still involved in ringette. This is why I chose to get into officiating.

What age group or level of competition is your favorite to officiate?

I think that my favorite level to officiate is U16 because these games are usually pretty exciting.

What is the most rewarding or most challenging part of officiating?

The most rewarding part is usually during games of importance when you get to call the winning goal. The most challenging would probably be trying to keep on top of all the rules and ensure that I am calling everything that I can see. However, there are 12 players on the ice for the most part and so it is quite challenging to watch all of them at the same time.

What is one piece of advice you would give to up-and-coming officials?

You are not going to catch everything, if you miss a call, shake it off and just make sure that you get the next one. Call everything with confidence, even if you are not super confident, because if you appear confident in yourself, then you appear confident to others around you.

Kevin Sudo is a level 4 certified football official. He's been officiating football in Lethbridge for 31 years.

What drew you into officiating?

When I was a youngster I was watching Dave Yule (ex CFL official) ref a CFL game and I got hooked on what they were doing to maintain control over the football game. I played high school football here in Lethbridge then after I graduated went into officiating to give something back to the local football community.

What age group or level of competition is your favourite to officiate?

Over the years I have officiated many levels of football including bantam, high school, Alberta provincials, Canada cups and Summer games.

What is the most rewarding or most challenging part of officiating?

The most rewarding part is when you know you have done the best job that you can do and maintain a standard of fairness and sportsmanship between the teams.

The most challenging part of reffing is getting yelled at by irate coaches and players. You just have to be firm and always confident with the way I handle every situation.

What is one piece of advice you would give to up-and-coming officials?

My best piece of advice is always to have fun with your crew. That's why I keep doing it year after year. The officials are like a family to me, and we strive to be the best we can be!

Kevin Sudo #55

Thank you for reading the official's profiles. We encourage you to take a moment to thank an official you know that helps keep sport alive for our community.

Ways to say thank you to officials:

1. You can download the image below to post on social media,
2. You can copy and paste the text below to make your own appreciation post.
3. You could visit any of our social channels to share a post. (all of our social links are at the top of this website)
4. Alternatively, you could write your own thank you post, and add photos of your officials, or your athletes thanking your officials! The sky is the limit.

If you make a post on social media, we'd appreciate it if you tagged us (@lethbridgesport) so we can share your thanks.

"To the officials, thank you. Thank you for your effort to ensure the game goes on. Thank you for training as hard as the athletes, to ensure the game is fair. Thank you for giving your energy and patience to the sport. Thank you for taking time to learn the rules to make the tough calls even when they don't go our way. We know poor behavior by athletes, parents and coaches can shake the foundations of love for the sport. You maintain sportsmanship and integrity of the sport. You keep the game fair and give your all. Without you, there would be no sport to play. Thank you for keeping sport alive."