Gyman Gets The Call To Officiate At Nationals

It wasn’t just players that represented Moose Jaw and Saskatchewan at last week’s Canadian Minor By ox Lacrosse Championships in Halifax last week.

There was a single official from Moose Jaw representing Saskatchewan at the event.

For Moose Jaw’s Jacob Gyman it was the experience to officiate higher level games with the opportunity to improve his officiating skills.

“It’s an awesome experience to officiate at a national level, you meet so many people involved in the lacrosse community from all over Canada, you build relationships with officials from other provinces, and you get to officiate the highest level of minor lacrosse,” Gyman said.

Photo credit Acara Wyonzek Photography

The 22 year old Gyman has been officiating for four years.

“I started officiating as a way to get more involved with the game and help to develop the game in Moose Jaw.”

The Halifax trip took him beyond what he’s done in the past.

“I have officiated at the national level before, when Saskatchewan hosted nationals previously I was brought on as a local official. Though that was different as it was earlier in my officiating career I did not end up doing any advanced games. Being selected as the only Saskatchewan official to head to Halifax meant a lot to me and definitely helped my confidence as it showed that SLA trusts me to represent our province.”

Photo credit Acara Wyonzek Photography

The Halifax trip was a major learning experience.

“I learnt so much from my time in Halifax. Our Officials in charge were great and had tons of experience officiating high level lacrosse. And I was grateful they were able to share that experience with me,” he said.

It’s lessons that will make for better officiating and better games.

“They taught me a lot to help me out positionally, helping me cover more of the floor for a smoother game and keeping the players safe.”

Gyman said he was honoured to attend.

“I was honoured to be selected to do the U17 co-ed gold medal game. Which is the highest achievement in this tournament for an official. It felt great being the only referee from Saskatchewan and achieving this, showcasing the high level of referees we have here,” he said.