Meghan McLennan

Residence: Vancouver, BC

How did you first get into umpiring?

I started playing hockey when I was 12. Umpiring followed a couple of years later when I figured out that I could earn a little bit of money doing it. Money is a great motivator for a teenager.

Other field hockey background:

I played hockey locally and regionally throughout high school and umpired the entire time. My first big tournament as an umpire was the BC Games in Victoria. After high school, I drifted away from hockey but rediscovered it during a university student exchange to Australia. When you live in a country where you know no one, sport is a great way to meet people. In Australia, my team needed someone to pick up our umpiring assignments so I volunteered (again, the little bit of play money was welcome). When I came back to BC, I started playing and umpiring again locally.

Favourite umpiring memory:

There are two umpiring memories that stick out for me…

Getting my first appointment letter to an international tournament
Pan Am Games in Toronto

Advice for aspiring umpires?

Trust your gut. It is frequently right. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You will have bad games. Figure out what you can learn from the experience and then put it behind you. You don’t have to be a player to represent your country at the Olympics. Keep it simple… and have fun.

Notable umpiring appointments:

2013 Pan American Cup (Mendoza, Argentina)

2014 Central America and Caribbean Games (Veracruz, Mexico)

2015 Pan American Games (Toronto, Canada)

2018 Central American & Caribbean Games (Barranquilla, Colombia)