Stickin' to it - Tough Call

It's official - Marcia Edmundson ('94) is the first and only female member of the Richmond Ice Hockey Officials Association.

It hasn't been easy to officiate in the traditionally all-male sport, she admits. "I'm stickin' to my calls though," says the 5-foot, 3-inch Edmundson, who doesn't let anyone skate over her.

A customer relations representative for CapitolOne Bank in Richmond, Edmundson says she has always loved ice skating, but it wasn't until two years ago that she began carrying a hockey stick to the ice rink. She taught herself the game and has played in a women's league. She grew up in a "sports town," cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s. "I loved watching football and ice hockey," she says. "When we moved to Virginia, I had access to a lot more ice time, and it just seemed natural to want to play ice hockey. I love the grace and speed of the game, the adrenaline and the excitement. It's a beautiful sport."

A member of the association since 1997, Edmundson officiates for both adult and children's leagues and is also vice president of the Richmond Renegades Booster Club. "I enjoy working with the children's ice hockey league the most, and one day I'd love to coach a team," she adds. She finds it more relaxing to referee children's games because it can be quite a challenge for her to break up fights when officiating men's teams. She's heard everything from, "You're a girl. What do you know?" to "I've been playing hockey since before you were born."

Edmundson ignores the insults, because she's confident in her hockey knowledge and ability. "Ever since the U.S. women's hockey team won the Gold Medal in the 1998 Olympics, the sport has offered more opportunities for women," she says. "More and more young women are exchanging their figure skates and leotards for hockey skates and sticks."

And, like Edmundson, they're worrying less about fancy costumes and triple axels and more about hat tricks and triple overtime.