Looks like it is about time I started up this blog again! Two weeks from tonight I will be on a plane on my way to Budapest (don't feel bad if you had to look at a map to see where Budapest is!) for the u18 Women's World Championships! For my new readers, I started this blog back in 2009 when I got my first IIHF assignment in China as a way to stay in touch with my family and friends back at home. Everyone seemed to really enjoy reading about my experiences, but the one person who got the most out of it was my Grandma Casanave. Sadly, she passed away two years ago (read about our relationship here) but I have decided to continue this blog whenever I travel to a tournament in her memory.
I can't believe that this season is almost over and I'm getting ready for my 5th World Championship tournament. This season has been a little different for me than those in the past. Other years my season has started with exciting news when I found out I was assigned a championship. This year it started out with a disappointment when I found out I wasn't selected to go to the Olympic Games in Sochi. That is the pinnacle for all female officials and it is my ultimate goal to get there. Big congratulations goes out to all of the girls that were selected. The 3 Americans selected did a fantastic job representing us and had the experience of a lifetime. That said, as an American female, once you work the Olympics you are "retired" from IIHF events so in a way it might have been a blessing in disguise that I wasn't selected, because now I have the opportunity to try to stay on this roller coaster for a few more years!
Not long after I heard about Sochi, I found out I was selected to work both the 4 Nations Cup in Lake Placid and the u18 World Championships in Budapest. That disappointment turned to excitement - I was psyched to be selected to work both of these tournaments. 4 Nations is a tournament held every year between USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland. I worked this tournament the last time it was in the United States in 2008 so I was thrilled to get to experience it again. To have the opportunity to work 4 teams that were headed to the Olympics in 2 months was absolutely awesome. I can talk more about that tournament experience in a separate blog post in the coming weeks. U18's is the top level World Championship tournament this year so I'm really looking forward to experiencing some great hockey and seeing the future of our sport.
The next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy for me but I'll do my best to write a few posts about my preparations and share the information I know about the tournament. Goodnight!
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