SUBMITTED PHOTO Susan McDonald judges the lines during a volleyball match at Medicine Hat College last week.
Recently, I visited Medicine Hat College for my volunteer shift at the latest instalment of Get Benched (if you haven’t heard of it, make sure you follow @FAMEmedhat on Instagram and Facebook). As I sauntered into the Snake Pit, a familiar face caught my eye. I was surprised to see my work colleague – someone I typically spend eight hours a day with in a corporate setting – dodging volleyballs in a navy blue ref uniform on the hardwood. Susan McDonald was one of the floor officials for the women’s and men’s volleyball games that night.
To be honest, my first reaction was elation and pride, for so many reasons. First, officiating at the collegiate level takes years of training, dedication, and experience. Susan is a Level 2 volleyball official which means she can ref provincially. To achieve that rank, one must complete training, a written exam, and a practicum evaluation.
Second, I know how hard Susan works during the day, and she runs a farm at home, so I was exceedingly impressed that she used her personal time and energy to give back to those athletes on the court.
Third, Susan is female. In an age where gender equity in sport is illuminated, the presence of female role models in positions of authority is forward progress. Volleyball Canada is actively recruiting more female referees and has an entire section on their website (volleyball.ca) dedicated to identifying and eliminating barriers to female referee development.
Above all, I found myself marvelling at how both Susan and I have managed to remain involved in sport in a non-conventional manner. No, we’re not jumping up and down, running and diving like we used to (Susan played college volleyball at the University of Lethbridge), but we’re on the sidelines, we’re in the trenches, and we’re motivating athletes to follow their dreams.
The moral of the story is that few of us are lucky enough to spend a lifetime doing the sport we love and make a living at it, but all of us can find a way to stay involved in sport. Coach, ref, volunteer, run the scoreboard, and schlep bottles for the next team fundraiser. Whatever your work and home capacity allows – find a way to give your extra time to sport.
In other news, Medicine Hat College is hosting back to back Alberta Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in women’s volleyball Feb. 27-29 and women’s basketball March 5-7. The FAME (Females in Action Moving and Empowering) committee will be running the Get Benched program at every one of the championship games. For more information, contact me.
Terra Petryshyn is the recreation program coordinator for the City of Medicine Hat and a member of the Females in Action Moving and Empowering Committee. She can be reached at terpet@medicinehat.ca.
