And the fun continues.......

Game day 2 and 3

2011-10-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry that there have been no updates. My camera has chosen to stop working....so there is a lack of pictures.

My game went well and the entire crew worked great together. There was a lot of Spanglish going on but we all understood each other well. Also, since my last post I have had a 4th official for the Nicaragua vs. El Salvador game, which also went well. Today we were up early for a very chilly pool recovery session. It was cold but it felt great on the muscles.

Tomorrow is another game day and I will be 4th for the Carribean crew on the El Salvador vs. Honduras game. Looking forward to another great day.

Rest day and tomorrow's appointments

2011-10-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well day one of games are done and everyone cooperated except the weather. It has been beautiful during the day here in Guatemala City, but it pours around 4:30pm every day....and of course, the second game of the day is played at 4:30. Yesterday, there was quite the storm and the game was suspended for about 30 minutes while the field drained, and the thunder and lightning passed.

Today, we were up early for a recovery session, a meeting and then we spent the afternoon in Antigua a beautiful part of Guatemala, doing a little sightseeing and some shopping.

Lucila and I in front of the market...ready to get our shopping and negotiating done!

When it rains, get a coffee (especially in Guatemala).....

The next games are tomorrow, and I will be refereeing Guatemala vs. Nicaragua with a great crew, Veronica (USA), Milagros (Dominican Republic) and Lucila (MEX). Looking forward to getting on the pitch....keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't storm, because I have the second game :)

Day One

2011-09-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

I have arrived safe and sound in Guatemala City. The trip was smooth, all of my flights were on time and I even met up with my roommate for the next 11 days in Houston. Veronica (US assistant referee) is the LUCKY one that is stuck with me ;)

Day one was full of meetings and a field inspection. We also managed to fit a training session in there. Games start tomorrow with Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua and Guatemala vs. Honduras playing. Veronica and I are off, but we will be in the stadium cheering on the referee teams.

I will try to remember my camera so I can take some pictures to upload.

Vamos a Guatemala

2011-09-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

And we're off again! UNCAF Olympic qualifying mini-tournament. Looking forward to seeing some new teams and working with some great colleagues once again....just need to get my packing done. I will try my best to keep you up to date!

Semifinal!!

2011-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

What an experience....that was soccer at its finest!!!! It was a pleasure to be involved with two teams that played great football and put on a show for the fans. A sold out stadium of 45434 spectators witnessed Japan beat Sweden 3-1...to make their first appearance in a World Cup final.

Here we are lined up for the anthems and handshakes, with the FIFA banner and Fairplay banner behind us.

Today was anti-discrimination day, so just prior to the coin toss we all take a picture behind the 'Say no to racism' banner. In addition, the captains read the anti-discrimination pledge before the anthems.

One last handshake and a chance to get the team focused before kick off.

Congratulations to Kirsi and her crew who officiated the other semifinal between USA and France......another great performance.

This truly was a fun game to be a part of......I am now looking forward to cheering on my colleagues that will work the final two games at this championship. Without their support and teamwork, this last 5 weeks would not have been possible. I am proud to have represented Canada and my family in the final stages of this tournament! Enjoy the last two games.....I know I will!

The past week or so.....

2011-07-12T10:12:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but between traveling, refereeing, the odd nap, training and meetings I was delinquent on downloading my pictures. Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to the last week or so.

We had a special training that involved numerous fun games and trivia/riddles......it is a great morning and lots of fun. My team - Sonia's Angels - won a close battle.

The dream team - Sonia's Angels - in our pre-game photo....bring it on!!!

Getting just the right angle to try and hit out target!!!

These were our targets.....minus the teammates :)

Group action shot! Kari, me, Marlene and Yvonne....I think its pretty good!

It may have been HOT for my first game, but the sun definitely wasn't shining on my first trip to Wolfsburg...so here we are with our depressed its cloudy and rainy faces.

Last night we had an official dinner and it was the second release of referees. Its always sad to say goodbye to your colleagues that have been supportive over the last month. Good food, great company and some pretty good music.

Back to business now, we had match preparation this morning and my team is ready to go for the semifinal tomorrow.

Semifinals

2011-07-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while and I promise to find some time to do that tomorrow and upload some pictures. I was involved in one of the biggest upsets in women's football a couple nights ago....and I just found out today that I will be refereeing the SEMIFINAL between Japan and Sweden on Wednesday!!! I will work the game with my great crew of Rita, Mayte, Therese and Marisa (5th official).

Just a quick update, we have an official dinner tonight so off to make myself beautiful....well not sure I have enough time, but I'll do what I can. More updates tomorrow!!!

Quarterfinals!!!

2011-07-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here we go for the knockout round!!! I will be 4th official on the Japan vs. Germany game in Wolfsburg on Saturday with Quetzali, Rita, Mayte, and Veronica (as 5th official). Looking forward to another trip to a great stadium and the opportunity to work with another great CONCACAF crew!!! Better get off and pack as we leave tomorrow by train. Wish us luck....for all wanting to watch, the game is at 20h45 Germany time, so 14h45 EST or 11h45 PST!

Games!!!!

2011-07-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

And we're back from Augsburg. What a great game to be involved in, Japan vs. England. The third round games are always exciting and very important. The fans were great and I hope the game was fun to watch for everyone. It is such a wonderful experience to be involved in another match!!!!

Monday was a long day of travel to the game as we left Wolfsburg, where we worked the Brazil vs. Norway match, and went the length of Germany to Augsberg. Wolfsburg is the home of the VW factory and the whole town is basically centered around it. It is quite the juxtaposition, a fancy Ritz-Carleton hotel that looks out on the factory and power plant. We had a little time to look through the car museums in the morning.

This is where you can ride an elevator to pick up your car. All these cars are waiting for their new owners. We didn't have a chance to go up on the tour....maybe next time.

Blinged out beetle!!!!

Cool view of one of the displays (history of the bug) with the mirrored ceilings.

Then after a brief stopover to pick up some clothes in Frankfurt, we were off to Augsburg for the Japan vs. England match. We were lucky enough to be reunited with ex-FIFA referee Jen Bennett, who was our match assessor. It truly is a wonderful experience to work another World Cup match :)Here we are before the match, Jen, Marlene, me, Kari, Yvonne. Great work team.

A couple pictures from the match:
- picture 1
- picture 2 (yes, that is a blurry me!)

No time to post....

2011-07-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

I just arrived back in Frankfurt....and I'm right back out again for the England vs. Japan match tomorrow. Wish us well....and I'll update when I get back.

Sooo.......

2011-07-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

What do World Cup referees do when they are not refereeing??? Yes, we do have stuff to do! We basically start our day with a 2.5hr training session which includes technical work and physical work on the pitch. The type of physical training is dependent on where you are on the schedule.....here is a quick summary:

-2 (2 days before the match): Agility and coordination
-1: match preparation
0: match day
+1: active recovery (ie. easy biking or pool recovery)
+2: strength (in the gym...pumping iron)
+3: high intensity (doesn't need an explanation)

Throw in some speed and speed endurance depending on when your games are.....and you've got our training plan. We then come back to the hotel, for a shower and lunch. In the afternoon, we either have a debriefing of the previous 4 matches or a meeting. In the debriefing we look at clips and situations that will help us in our next matches. We also watch ALL matches, whether on TV or in the stadium. The afternoon is usually also travel time for those traveling to a venue for a match.We do have a some free time, to walk around the city and enjoy a little bit of Frankfurt.

Tomorrow I travel by train to Wolfsburg for my 4th official on Sunday.....the flags are checked, the substitution boards are ready and I'm packed and ready to go.

Last night we were lucky enough to go to the stadium and watch the Germany vs. Nigeria game. What a great atmosphere with 48000 spectators.

Here I am on my way to our VIP seating in front of the "Beautiful Side of 2011" sign.....very appropriate I think ;)

The big screen showing all the fans!

Jenny, me and Kari ready to watch the match....look at all the spectators :)

Game day

2011-06-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

Woohoo.....game day!! So excited that it is finally started. We traveled to Cologne by train the day before the match. Lucky I learned to read the train tickets last year in Germany otherwise we would have been on the wrong train, as the platform changed at the last minute and the wrong platform was on our ticket. The train is such a nice way to travel.

Here I am relaxing in the train.

Waiting on the wrong platform for our train to Cologne!

Our team on the pitch before the game (Yvonne, Me, Therese, Cindy). It was VERY hot.....about 38 degrees on the pitch.

Some of the wonderful signs around the pitch. Great crowd of 22000 supporting the teams. It is such a great experience to be involved in a World Cup match, it is so different then all other games. We are very satisfied with our match. Now back to Frankfurt for some recovery, massage and then onto the next game.

Here are a couple links to pictures from the game:
- picture 1
- picture 2
- picture 3
- picture 4

I just received my next appointment, 4th official for the Brazil vs. Norway on July 3rd in Wolfsburg. I will be working with team USA (Kari, Marlene and Veronica).....should be GREAT!!!

Hello Leverkusen

2011-06-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

A short train ride away from Frankfurt, we will on our way to Leverkusen in a couple days. I have been appointed to the Columbia vs. Sweden match on Tuesday along with Yvonne, Cindy and Therese. I am looking forward to getting the WWC 2011 kicked off! But of course a few more days of training and preparation.

To get you in the mood....if you're not already....here is a cool advertisement for the World Cup in the centre of Frankfurt.

And now it REALLY begins :)

2011-06-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

Big day......fitness test. The last hurdle before the true tests (the games) begin. Everyone here looked fit and were very confident going in. We had almost perfect weather, the referees had a little rain, but it was nothing that we couldn't handle.

For those of you who have followed my blogs before, know that my good friend Bibi from Germany and I always take a before and after picture (we have quite a collection as we have had MANY tournaments together). We were not going to stop a good thing....so as expected.....here they are!!!!

Before......

And after.......always sweaty....but now "officially" referees at the World Cup!!!!

Our whole group did great!!!! Here is everyone....50 World Cup officials ready for the Women's World Cup!!!!! The whole team is in this one, including our support staff. They have followed out training, made sure any injuries were taken care of, and supported us for 4 years. To see how happy they were when we all passed, shows it takes the entire team to have such great success!!!!

The World Cup referee team!!!! Youpie!!!
Yvonne, MOI and Cindy.....CONCACAF celebrating our success!

And here is the whole CONCACAF crew including Sonia celebrating our success.

The official FIFA welcome dinner was the day after the fitness test. We went to an amazing restaurant after having been received by the mayor of Frankfurt. A nice way to celebrate the referees and everyone who makes our job possible.

Another picture of Cindy, myself and Yvonne in the town hall getting ready to celebrate before the games begin.

Busy few days

2011-06-20T07:36:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy few days as things are starting to get going and we are getting settled into the routine. I thought I'd post a few shots of my 'home away from home' for the next few weeks. The hotel is very nice, the staff is very helpful and the guests don't stare too much when a group of 51 ladies all dressed alike take over the elevators.

Here is my room....everything should have its place.

The bathroom is quite large with a lovely walk in shower to enjoy after a hard day of training.

And here is the view from my room! A view of the Frankfurt skyline. The weather has been very unpredictable. It has been sunny and warm and then all of a sudden it will be grey and rainy. Let's hope it gets a little bit better as the tournament gets underway.

As promised, here is a picture of our training ground all set up for our agility and coordination training session. In the background you can see the boys warming up to help us out in our technical training sessions.

Today, the referees had to do a 'moving headshot' which will be shown in the stadium during our matches. Here is the CONCACAF pro, Kari Seitz, hitting her second spot right on. This was difficult as all 19 referees were in the room laughing and you had to hold this last pose for 12 seconds. (NOTE.....the shot is only from the waist up so we didn't have to wear our referee socks or shoes).

Tomorrow is an important day as it is the fitness test. Everyone here is really prepared and ready to go, so it should be GREAT!!!

And we're HERE!!

2011-06-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Its a pretty easy flight from Ottawa to Frankfurt....especially in business class. I arrived bright and early, so I had the whole day ahead of me. It is now a couple days later and all the referees have arrived and we are in the swing of things.

Training, meetings and our medical tests were the first things on the agenda and so far so good. I'm going to be alive for a little longer, so that's a little weight off my shoulders ;)

Yolanda, me, Lada and Hege are ready to rock the high intensity!!!

Our training facility if fabulous, with a grass field in prestine condition and a turf field for when we need a little more room. Yesterday we did an relatively easy training to get the travel out of our legs, and let's not forget the technical part as well. Today was a high intensity training followed by technical in preparation for our fitness test in a couple days.

Doing some power jumps with resistance (although no one seems to be getting very high in this picture....I'll blame the photographer!!)

Kirsi was the first through the hoops.....good thing we had the music to keep us on beat!

Sorry, I haven't taken many pictures yet, but I'll try and be a little more vigilant so I can put something a little more exciting up next time.

Germany here we come!!!

2011-06-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

It's almost time!! Just a few more days to go before I leave for Germany. I am really looking forward to this FANTASTIC tournament. So many years of hard work, training and preparing to make sure that I am ready for this. In a couple days I will be meeting up with the great group of officials that will be 17th team in Germany.

I will keep my blog up to date so that anyone who is interested can follow my experiences at the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Relaxing

2011-03-06T08:11:00.001-08:00

We are working very hard here in Portugal, we have written many tests, both video and laws of the game, fitness testing, heart rate monitoring and technical training but we still find some time to relax.

Here I am at the cocktail evening with Dagmar, Marisa, Yolanda and Hege.

Next up, dolphin watching in a speed boat. Here I am with Sarah before we push off.

The other boat getting their speed up!

Although we didn't see any dolphins, we did spot this shark....he was pretty big and we were able to get very close to him.

That is the end to the relaxing as I have a match tomorrow. I am refereeing Sweden vs. China tomorrow at the stadium right next to the hotel. It should be a great game, and I'm excited to work with my great team, Rita (Mex), Cindy (T & T) and Finau (Fiji). Looking forward to refereeing a game after two weeks of training and testing.

Checking my equipment. The communication system....are all the parts there???

I also need to make sure that the batteries are charged and that I have a few spares. The sub board is also charging and I'm checking the batteries of the electronic flags.......lots of planning goes in to make sure that everything is ready to go!!!

Football and then the Fitness Test!!!

2011-03-01T03:06:00.001-08:00

One of our few opportunities to relax. We went and watched Porto vs. Olhanense! Great atmosphere and good friends. Unfortunately the home team lost, but the home supporters provided some entertainment in the stands.

Onto more serious matters.....the fitness test. Pick up your number and your Polar heart rate monitor so that they can track your heart rate while running. Come on team......we CAN DO IT!!!

For those who know me......here is the requisite 'before' picture with my good friend Bibi from Germany.......

And the 'after' our successful fitness test...........we added our other good friend Sasa for the after :)

All of the referees passed....here we all are celebrating!!! One more positive step on our paths in 2011.

Portugal - Algarve Cup 2011

2011-02-26T07:51:00.001-08:00

Well here we go!!!! We are back in the beautiful Algarve for the referee selection camp for the Women's World Cup. 62 officials are here to train, be tested and referee, all with hopes to be part of the referee crews for Germany this summer. It is so great to see old friends again...and share this experience with them. Good luck to everyone!!!

Here is our home for the next 17 days. A change from the last few years. It is beautiful and we are being very well taken care of.

My personal space. I'm trying to keep it organized. Notice the Laws of the Game book next to my bed!!!

The master schedule. This is where we find out what time we eat, when we have meetings, what test we will write that day and even what to wear. We visit it many time a day!!!

On the bus to training. It is sunny and warm here :)

That was a good training. The assistant referees did the offside test, where the were filmed calling offside situations and the referees ran a high intensity session. Believe it or not, I'm glad I'm a referee :)

The last few days

2010-11-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, I had taken a few days off of taking pictures, but I'm back up and running so here we go!

I've had a few days off of games, so here I am at the stadium ready to watch the games and cheer on the referees. When Mexico is playing the stadium is full and really electric!

We are starting to get pretty brave with the stadium food. Here I am eating a bolis, basically a frozen treat in a plastic bag that you bite open. Its cold on the hands but 'DELICIOUS'!!!!

During the Canada vs. Mexico game, this little guy was so excited he stood and jumped up and down the whole time. A true Mexican team supporter!

Today we took a trip to Chichén Itzà to see the archeological ruins of the Mayan temples. It was a great day and we arrived early enough that it wasn't too crowded and we could get some great pictures.

Veronica, Kari and I at the 'Juego de Pelota'. This is wear the nobles played a sport that was played with there elbows, shoulders, hips and chest and where every 52 years one of the winning team members was sacrificed. Not much of an incentive to win. Plus the field is 174 x 60ft (poor referee that had to run that!!!)

Part of the group (those that could keep up) Queztali, Veronica, Kari, Me, Sandy, Andres, FLor, Jaqueline and Ivonne in front of the main structure.

Me in front to "El Castillo o Templo de Kukulcan' aka the Temple of the Feather-snake!!

The Cenote Segrado, a well where the human sacrifices took place. It is the sacred entrance to the underworld.

Kari and I at the Columnata part of the Templo de los Guerreros.

Game day Pictures

2010-10-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Walking the pitch. It was in great shape!!! It is the home of Atlante, the Mexican 1st division men's team.

Kick off....three of my foursome in the line up before the game (Milagros, Shane, and Moi).

Training and Game Day

2010-10-29T11:11:00.001-07:00

We are training everyday that we are not refereeing and we were very lucky to have some young players help us out for our technical sessions. They were great and really helped us practice some important technical things. Thanks ladies!!! Here is the group of officials and the players.

Time to check the two stadiums that are going to be used for the tournament. One of the stadiums is a converted baseball stadium. Kari, Veronica, me and Lucy at the first stadium. Man it was HOT in those pants!!!

Game day. USA vs. Haiti!! It went really well and my team worked hard throughout the game. The USA ended up winning 5-0. Canada's pool plays next so I will be watching and cheering for the referees at the stadium. I won't lie, I did get a little sun and pool recovery before lunch today...I deserved it after refereeing the game (at least that's what I'm telling myself). Good luck to the next group of officials. I will upload some some games pictures when I can get them downloaded, for some reason I can't get them to link to the blog!

CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying - Cancun, Mexco

2010-10-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

No rest for the referees. Its finally arrived, qualifying for next years Women's World Cup. I am currently in Cancun for the final qualifying tournament. We began with an Elite Referee course for 3 days. We did classroom sessions, technical work, video analysis and asked lots of questions. It was great!

Here we are doing a video analysis test. This is almost more stressful than the games themselves!

Here is the whole group that participated in the Elite Referees Course. In the front row are all the instructors (Sandy and Rudolfo) along with all the CONCACAF organizers and support staff.

Here is a view of the hotel pools and ocean as taken from my room :) Don't be jealous, I haven't been in the pool yet, nor have I had a chance to take a dip in the ocean. At this rate, I'll be going home as pale as ever!

Another view of the ocean. Kari, Veronica and I did go for a run along the beach, that is the closest that I've been to this beautiful water.

The infinity pool!!! I hope be able to get in you VERY soon!

Games start tomorrow. I have been appointed as referee to the USA vs. Haiti match and will be working with Cindy (TRI), Milagros (DR), Shane (TRI). Looking forward to kicking off this very important event. I hope that every referee and team has a great tournament!

Final Game!

2010-08-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

What a great experience!!! A full stadium of excited fans and two teams that came to play great football! The atmosphere was electric with 24000 German supporters screaming and singing and a good group of Nigerian fans with their drums and trumpets. The match was really tight with the hosts finally coming out on top 2-0. Our referee team worked hard and stayed focused the entire match and are extremely happy with our performance.

Here are a sampling of some of the pictures that I have. I am currently experiencing a unplanned delay in Frankfurt and thought I would use the time to give you a taste of my experience.

Here we are walking out on the pitch.

The coin toss with the two captains.

With our boss Sonia after receiving our medals.

The German team celebrating their win!!!

I will put a few more pictures up once I get home and can load the last ones that are on my camera. Thanks to everyone who wrote me an email to wish me good luck....it was great to know that there were people back home supporting me :)

Semifinals and Final Appointments!

2010-07-31T02:28:00.001-07:00

So Thursday was semifinal day and we were lucky enough to get the Bochum to watch one of the semis at the stadium and then hurried home to watch the second on TV. The first game was GER vs. KOR, and Germany made all the fans happy by winning the game. Despite the heavy rain, 18000 fans still were there to cheer on the home team.

Here is a picture of one of the many enthusiastic German fans. He had music for all occasions and was quite a supporter of the referees as we arrived to watch.

A picture of the teams and referee crew before the GER vs. KOR match. The crew for this game was Silvia (PER), Alyson and Sarah (AUS) and Sasa (ENG). Great job ladies!!!

We enjoyed a boat cruise on the Rheine on Friday. It was a beautiful day and here we are posing on the boat. We are missing some who were sitting on the lower deck in the sun.

Appointments for the final two games were announced this morning, and I am so excited to say that our trio has been given the opportunity to work together again in the GOLD MEDAL MATCH!! My good friend Bibi has been appointed to the bronze medal match as well. I am honored and really looking forward to the opportunity to work another game with Rita, Marlene and Eun Ah. The final match will feature the hosts Germany against Nigeria. It should be a great match!

Here are the officials for the final two matches after completing our final training and match preparation. Marina (GER), Yolanda (Spain), Rita (MEX), Mercy (GHA), Eun Ah (KOR), me, Marlene (USA), Bibi (GER). GO TEAM!!!!!

We will be leaving today to Bielefeld for the games tomorrow. If you are interested, the final will be shown on CBC.ca at 9am ET in Canada.

Semifinal Round!!!!

2010-07-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't updated the blog in a few days, that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy. The group stage is over and the quarterfinals are now done. I was involved in a really exciting quarterfinal, Germany vs. DPR Korea as 4th official. The crew was Silvia (Peru) and Mayte and Rita (MEX). The team worked really well together and those of you who are referees know that teamwork is so important.

Unfortunately, with the quarterfinals done we have to say goodbye to some of our referee colleagues. It is strange to be a small group after spending the better part of a month with a group of 40 wonderful women. We hope to see our friends again soon!

I am not involved in any of the semifinal games so I will be cheering the referee teams on for these two extremely important games.

Here is a little bit of some of the stuff I have been doing over the last week or so.

Nathalie (ENG) working hard on her running technique during one of the training sessions.

Here I am posing with the Japanese trio before our release dinner. Don’t they look great all dressed up (Etsuko, Shiho, me and Saori)?!

We got to go to a real fashion show. There is a fashion week going on and we were special guests at a catwalk show. We even got a backstage tour. Here is one of the models getting her make up done for the second show. It takes 90 minutes for them to get their make up done!!!

2010-07-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

So game #3 is complete and again I am happy with the work of our team. It was an important match to decide first and second place in the group and the game ended 3-2 in favor of Sweden. The game was played in Augsburg, a beautiful city and the farthest venue from our home base. We traveled with the crew for the first game and had a GREAT time!!!!!

We flew to Munich and drove to Augsburg, which is about an hour away. Look how well trained the Swedish assistant referees are, they took care of all our bags!!! Thanks Anna and Helen!

Here is my crew taking 5 minutes to tour the oldest street in Augsburg. Karolina, Marlene, me and Veronica.

Veronica, me and Marlene enjoying the atmosphere of the Germany vs. France game. The stadium was full and the atmosphere was electric.

Warming up in the hot sun before our match.

And marching off the field after 90 or so minutes of hard work doing something we love to do!

Today, we enjoyed another beautiful recovery cycle around Dusseldorf and then took in the 2 games being played in Bochum. Today was the last games of the group stage and now we move onto the quarter-finals. Lots of work left to be done!!

Next game!

2010-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am traveling again today to Augsburg for my third match. I will be refereeing SWE vs. PRK tomorrow in the last group stage matches. I will be working with the same crew as my last game, Marlene, Veronica and Karolina. This is another great opportunity and I am looking forward it.

Germany vs. Columbia - 2nd Game!

2010-07-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

My second game is done and it went well. The team worked great together and it was a very entertaining game to be a part of. All of us worked hard and we are very proud of our work. The game was full of decisions and constant action that kept us on our toes. The match finished 3-1 in favor of Germany.

The team with our liaison prior to the match, Marlene, referee liaison, me and Veronica.

A picture of the pitch during the match before ours. The stadium filled up for the home team match and the fans provided a great atmosphere during the game.

A beautiful day for a bike ride! We did our recovery session on the bikes. The weather has been great and it is a wonderful way to see the city.

We had the morning off before our recovery, so as all good referees do, we made sure that our nails look good. Here we are getting ready for our manicure.

Today, the next 4 matches are being played which we will watch on TV and then we have a couple rest days before the next games. A great opportunity to see some of the sights and make sure we are fully recovered for the next round of games. In a tournament of this length, it is very important to stay healthy and make sure that you properly recover as you never know when you will be called into action.

Next game!

2010-07-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

No rest for me! I have been assigned to another match on Friday the 16th in Bochum. The venue is only around 30 minutes from Dusseldorf, so its considered our home venue. I will be refereeing Germany vs. Columbia. This match, I am working with my two American colleagues, Veronica and Marlene and Karolina from Poland. The match should have a great atmosphere, with the home team playing. I am really looking forward to another great game!

Game day!

2010-07-14T02:29:00.001-07:00

Last night we traveled to Bielefeld, the location of our first game. We were supposed to travel by train but due to a short storm our train was cancelled, so we traveled by car. It was about a 2 hour drive (even driving at some very fast speeds). The game went very well and was a very competitive game. It finished 2-1 in favor of Sweden.

A picture of the pitch during the first game Brazil vs. DPR Korea (0-1). Although it doesn’t look like there are lots of people, there were 10100 people in the stadium.

Here we are prior to the match. Rita, me, Christina (NOR) and Mayte.

A picture of both crews with our referee liaison. He was a great host!!! Nathalie (ENG), Rita, Mayte, me, Johannes, Sasa (ENG), Christina, Karine (FRA).

The train was running for our trip home. Here we are on the platform waiting for our train.

Here comes our ride home! The train system is very efficient in Germany. It was a nice and quick way to travel.

Happy ticket lady checking to make sure we were headed the right way.

Today, we had the morning off and will do a recovery training session this afternoon. We will also watch the other matches being played today on TV at our hotel. A nice way to spend the day after a game.

Official dinner and first appointments

2010-07-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

As in all FIFA events the referees are invited to an official FIFA welcome banquet. It was a lovely evening, complete with a big screen to watch the World Cup game on. It is nice to see the referees outside of their Adidas equipment and their referee uniforms

All of the CONCACAF officials looking GREAT in our new suits. Kari (USA), Diane (GUY), Veronica (USA), Rita (MEX), Marlene (USA) Yvonne (SLV), Flor (GUA), Mayte (MEX) and me!

Our boss and fellow Canadian Sonia Denoncourt.

Here are our physical trainers Kader and Jean-Baptiste, who make sure we are fit and ready to go everyday. Don't they look handsome all dressed up??!!!

We were presented with the medal for the U20 Women's World Cup and an official Adidas watch.

Now to the real business. The appointments were announced for the first 8 games. I have been appointed to the Sweden vs. New Zealand match on July 13th in Bielefeld. I am looking forward for the games to begin. I will be working with Rita and Mayte from Mexico, a GREAT team!!!! Good luck to all the referees!

Mayte, me and Rita during one of our meetings.

Fitness test

2010-07-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

First hurdle completed!

Everyone arrived here fit and ready to go! It was VERY hot today, but everyone worked together and got through it as a team. Congratulations to everyone…on to the next step!

All of the referee bibs ready for us to put them on and run fast!

My good friend Bibiana (GER) and I in our traditional before the fitness test shot! This is one of many that we have taken over several tournaments.

And of course the required 'AFTER' shot as well!

My GREAT running group, Mercy (GHA), Me, Eun Ah (KOR) and Etsuko (JAP). It was a fantastic group to run with!!!

The referees ready to celebrate a great run and ready for the games to begin!!!

I celebrated with a delicious lunch and a wonderful massage! Tonight we have the official FIFA dinner and of course we will watch the 3rd-4th place game at the World Cup and cheer for our fellow CONCACAF trio while they do their thing in South Africa!!!

2010-07-09T04:40:00.001-07:00

This is our training ground, where we will work almost everyday that we are here.

The weather is wonderful and gets quite hot as the session goes on. Good practice for our games, some of which will be in the middle of the afternoon heat.

Tomorrow is fitness test day, so we had a light training with some speed work, some technical work and we will have some meetings this afternoon. It is an important day for everyone tomorrow!

2010-07-09T04:38:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for our morning training session.

2010-07-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

It has begun! Well at least the pre-tournament. Everyone has arrived from all over (representing about 40 countries), all to work together as a team for the next few weeks. It is so great to see old friends from past events and meet a few new faces. We are the 17th team at this event and will be a very important family for each other.

The pre-tournament consists on physical training, technical training, mental preparation and everything else you can think of that will help us perform at our best. There are LOTS of people here to help us throughout the tournament and we wouldn’t be able to get it all done without their help. We have physios, massage therapists, instructors, IT support, local organizing committee support staff, drivers…..I could go on, and I don’t think I can list them all here. They are here to make sure that we can focus on our job of refereeing and being at our best.

The time has arrived

2010-07-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well the time has arrived for me to head to Germany for the Women's U20 World Cup. I am really excited about this opportunity and have been working hard to get ready for this tournament. I will try to keep anyone who is interested up to date on my experiences in Germany.

I hope you enjoy my attempt to keep you up to date!