Katy Downey has become one of the first area referees on the ice to earn both a branch and national award for her excellence in officiating.
Oceanside Minor Hockey Association were proud to submit the name of Katy Downey for the Hockey Canada/BC Hockey Officiating Award for Most Improved Official in BC earlier this year.
Downey, who is 15 years of age, has just completed her third season as an on-ice official in Oceanside and has quickly developed each season. This last season was a breakout year for her, as she learned how to effectively manage a game using her voice, assertiveness and strength in emotional control under sometimes very stressful conditions, which gained her respect from her peers, players, coaches and the membership.
Taking constructive comments and suggestions and working with them right away, Downey was able to quickly incorporate some of these changes into her game. Always willing to learn, and when she did miss a call or interpret it wrong, Downey is a student of the game, doing her “homework” to ensure she totally understands the rule for the next time it happens.
Downey has twice attended the Summer Officiating School in Lake Cowichan hosted by BC Hockey (2012 and 2013) and this season attended the BC Hockey Female Officiating Camp in Kamloops, where she excelled.
She has been working at the Peewee Rep level as a linesman and Referee, and worked the Bantam Rep and Bantam Rec leagues as a linesman. It is fully expected that she will move up to start being the head referee in the Bantam Rec. league early next season, and will most likely be refereeing at the Bantam rep level late next season.
These are all of the highest levels possible for an official her age.
Downey has shown commitment and dedication towards officiating and the game, and will be an asset not only to the officiating program, but more specifically to the female officiating program within both BC Hockey and Hockey Canada. It is expected that she will eventually be part of the BC Hockey Female High Performance Officiating program in the very near future.
Downey, a student at Ballenas Secondary School, has done all of this while at the same time competing at the Female Bantam Rep level with the VIAHA Female Bantam Impact team, Vancouver Island finalists. She was also a member of the Team BC Hockey Team at last years BC Winter Games in Mission, her first appearance at the BC Winter Games.
“On behalf of all of the officials and members of Oceanside Minor Hockey Association, we want to let her know how proud we are of her and her accomplishments to date,” said John Sloan, OMHA Referee in Chief. “Katy has done a fantastic job as an official here in Oceanside and we’d like to applaud her as the first official at the Oceanside Minor Hockey Association to be recognized with both a Branch and National award of recognition for Excellence in Officiating.”
