For the first time in its 40 year history, the Wingham Silver Stick tournament is featuring games officiated entirely by women, a milestone organizers say reflects the growth of female officials across local sports.
"We’ve always had men referee," said referee assignor Al Dickson. "This year I decided that we should have some games with women officiating."
Dickson says the tournament will showcase two all-female crews, beginning with Friday night’s opening-ceremony game between Wingham and Huron-Bruce. "One of the games tonight (Friday) at the opening ceremony is going to be all ladies involved," he said. "Tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon there’ll be a four-official game with all four as women."
He says the move highlights the increasing number of women entering the officiating ranks in hockey and other sports. "There’s more and more people getting involved no matter whether they’re male or female," Dickson said. "Some of these ladies have been officiating for quite a while, and when I said we’re going to have an all-ladies crew, they didn’t turn me down."
The 40th annual Silver Stick continues through the weekend.
