On the evening of February 29^th, Triathlon BC received a letter from long time member, former Board member and senior level official, Vicki Lundine, indicating her retirement from our sport. Thanks so much for the incredible investment you have made into the sport environment, provincially, nationally and internationally. We wish you our very best as you continue in your next chapter of life! What follows is a short journey through the eyes of Ms. Lundine.

 

In 1991 I was exposed to triathlons as my husband dealt with his mid-life crisis by taking up the sport. After 15 years of being a supportive spectator, in 2006, (thanks to the encouragement of Linda Nagle) I decided to take the appropriate courses and become an official, and from there, my journey as an official began.

In the first year of becoming an official, I read the following quote “Policy (rules) is a guide to action, not a prescription.” Yes, rules are very necessary to help ensure a safe and fair race but there are times when an official needs to ignore the written rule and apply some common sense in place of a particular rule (eg. Allowing all the athletes to wear arm warmers during the bike on a very cold Edmonton morning). Nobody got an advantage. It is often a challenge to know when to apply the rules in a literal sense and when to allow some flexibility.

Of course, I started my officiating at many local races around BC. I was soon encouraged to put my name forward to officiate at national events – more intense, more opportunities to learn and of course, to grow in the wider triathlon family.

I then decided to get more involved, and I ran for the Board of Directors with Triathlon BC. I got to work with many dedicated and enlightened people who could see the bigger picture. Being a teacher by profession, I was honored to be asked to teach the Provincial Level Officials Course – it was exciting to share my knowledge and stories – and yes, I have so many awesome and amazing stories from my tenure as an official.

Senior officials knew I was uncomfortable giving penalties, so at several World Championships they made me Head Referee and made me face my nightmare. This was a challenge, but I was thrilled they trusted me with this position.

Over the last several years, I have had the opportunity to be a Technical Delegate (TD) at several international races – again challenging me to help the TD produce an amazing event. Age group, Elite, Para, Relay – you name it and I have had the privilege to work up close with them all – with the Para events stealing my heart.

My favorite official position over the years has been Chief of Technology – never a dull moment, I had to be always on top of my game and I got to work with some amazing timing teams. My most unique position was Chief of Drone – great fun!

One of my greatest challenges was getting my body to adjust to 4:30am wake up times – I am not a morning person! And, my greatest reward on this journey is the new “family” I have gained. I now have friends, (athletes, officials, media and race directors) all over the world.

I have been mentored by many talented and passionate individuals and I have had the opportunity to mentor a few upcoming officials – this whole trip as an official has been such an incredible honor.

Countries I have traveled to thanks to my relationship with triathlon include Australia, New Zealand, United Emirates, Peru, Mexico, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Bermuda, USA and Canada.

I wouldn’t hesitate for one moment to recommend the officials journey to anyone looking to pursue an incredibly rewarding role in sport.

Begin your journey! Triathlon BC is offering a FREE, virtual Provincial Technical Officials Level 1 Clinic, on April 27^th.