During the week of March 22nd to 26th, 2021, Field Hockey Canada celebrated Umpires and Officials Week. During their celebration, Umpires and Officials from Ontario were recognized as part of their Recognition of Excellence. 

"Field Hockey Canada is proud to have a large group of umpires and officials that span across the nation. We recognize that their excellence from the club, to provincial, to regional, to national and even international level, surrounds us every day and greatly contributes to our programming. We asked our community to nominate individuals in their area for this excellence!"

FHO would like to highlight those from Ontario who were nominated by the field hockey community and recognized by FHC as part of this week.

"Akash Tanotra's love for field hockey has modeled him into a very dedicated umpire. He has umpired a significant amount of high school games in the NCSAA, several Nighthawks annual tournaments as well as, University games. Akash continues to be a role model to young athletes by providing guidance and tips during his time at the field."

"Asem has been a critical official and umpire in the Ottawa and surrounding field hockey communities for a decade. Asem has coached 100s of high school games in the NCSAA in the last 10 years. He has umpired various levels within the High School league from Tier 3 all the way to the OFSAA division. Asem has also successfully run the technical table and umpired in several Nighthawks annual tournaments and international games. Asem is dedicated, promotes fairness, and has been a mentor to younger members wishing to follow in his footsteps."

"Bronwyn is a long-standing member of the program and is an active member to build the umpires in the region. She has coached and trained many and is active in the club and high school leagues."

"Denise has always shown dedication and passion for the sport. She is committed to training upcoming umpires and recognizes talent and helps develop younger officials."

"Geoff is a local high school and Club umpire (and coach). He passionately and tirelessly recruits new umpires and promotes their development and recognition in the Halton Region, and has done so over the past 15+ years. He was the force behind the creation of the local Halton Field Hockey Umpires Association which drives consistency and professionalism in our umpiring community."

"Janine has been the driving force with getting umpires certified. She has been running clinic and organizing assessments for many years with the club. Personally if she had not been around to do things, we would not have the strong umpiring base in South Western Ontario, and the strong teams in the Waterloo Region.”

"Jeremy has umpired at all levels for many years; he is the mainstay of umpiring in the Toronto East high school league and he umpires almost whenever and wherever he gets a call - OUA, local leagues and tournaments, visiting teams and national team Practicesctices - outdoor and indoor except for the latter that is indoor only. The picture isn't recent but it is good!

"Umpired from 1994 - 2009. Umpired at many National, Provincial, University and OFSSA (high school) tournaments and leagues. Facilitated and umpired at the local high school league for many many years. Facilitated many Umpire Clinics (Provincial, Regional) in Ontario as well as Nova Scotia. Was a member of FHO Executive responsible for umpiring for one year. Was on the FHC Technical Committee 2007 – 2019. Umpired at FHC National tournaments from 1994-2004. Locations included, Oakville, Toronto, Brandon, Halifax, London ON, Vancouver, Charlottetown, Saskatoon. Umpired at CIS in Halifax., OUA, OSSA and Summer Games. Once she stopped umpire she then was a Technical Director at OUA, OFSSA, Summer Games and a CIS in Toronto."

"Keith has been a backbone to field hockey in the Halton region for many years. He also has helped out the Waterloo region by coming up to umpire in the high school tournaments they have run. We will miss him as he is heading into retirement. Thanks for the work you have done over the years Keith!

"Marek Chopra has been one of the most dedicated and influential official/umpire in the Ottawa and surrounding field hockey communities. Marek has umpired a significant amount of high school games in the NCSAA, and several Nighthawks annual tournaments. He has also been a great leader for the younger umpires by providing them with tips and guidance about decision making and developing their confidence. Marek continues to be a mentor to young athletes and strives to promote fairness in the sport of field hockey."

"Marta is a fantastic and fair official. She is reliable and often offers her time to clubs in need to cover matches. She has been a fantastic mentor for aspiring umpires and athletes, and is often seen helping U10s learn the game as they hold a stick for the first time!"

"Rohan Chopra has been one of the most hard working and dedicated official/umpire in the Ottawa and surrounding field hockey communities. Rohan started playing field hockey at a young age and quickly became one of the most talented players in Ontario. He has umpired a significant amount of high school games in the NCSAA, he went on to umpire at the official OFSAA tournament as well as, several Nighthawks annual tournaments. He has also been the Umpire Coordinator for the NCSAA where he helped facilitate the distribution of umpires, and provided insight and knowledge about the sport of field hockey to new/experienced umpired. Rohan continues to be a mentor to athletes of all ages by leading by example both on and off the field."

"Ruth has been involved with the sport of field hockey, for most of her life. Starting as a player and then very quickly picked up the whistle to umpire. Since then, Ruth has been giving back to the sport: participating on various field hockey boards, running a club, organizing high school umpires for the KW region, volunteering at the Pan Am Games, organizing a Field Hockey OFSSA event, more recently, instrumental in encouraging, developing and assessing umpires in the KW area and beyond. She is still giving her time and energy facilitating umpire clinics, coaching and assessing new umpires (since 2007). Thank you Ruth!

"Vanessa is committed to the game and is now moving into the role of teacher and educator."

Photo Credit: Field Hockey Canada and Community Nominators 

Quotes from Community Nominators as posted by Field Hockey Canada