No Ref No Game: Olivia (Judo)

By Sam Cortes, Communications Coordinator

Olivia Krynski started officiating judo several years ago when she had to take a break from fighting due to injury.

“I still wanted to stay in the competition, I still wanted to be a part of it. So, I decided to start refereeing,” said Olivia.

Turns out, it’s something she really enjoys and has taught her a lot about the value of community in sport.

You’re Never Alone Out There

Like many things in life, it takes time to get the hang of refereeing.

Olivia took the challenge head on, taking advantage of all the practice she could, and reminding herself that it’s okay to face obstacles along the way.

“It’s okay to be bad at it at the beginning, because everyone’s bad at everything in the beginning. But with the refereeing, it’s really helpful because you’ll always have people there,” said Olivia. “You’re never the only one there in charge of the fight.”

To prepare for officiating matches, she refereed athletes informally sparring who were training for upcoming competitions.

“That really helped a lot,” said Olivia.

Her mentors would also ask the parents and spectators at the club how her volume was, and if they could hear the calls she was making.

All this was a collective effort to help set her up for success.

The First Match

When it was her time to officiate her first match, she was understandably nervous.

But having other officials assist from the sidelines and communicating to her through a headpiece gave her the support to keep at it.

“Especially refereeing adults, it’s a lot to go up when you’re around 14-15-[years-old] and make the shots and overrule adults that are in their 20s and 30s. So that part is really scary. But having the other referees there telling me what to do, supporting what calls I made, and helping me walk through it really helped and was a big confidence-booster.”

Gaining more experience, she continued to learn, improve, and realize the rewards of playing such an important role in sport.

Olivia Krynski (back row, far right) at a judo match. (Photo credit: Albert Krynski)

Contributing to the Growth of Judo in Manitoba

COVID-19 has had an impact on all sports in Manitoba and around the world. In order to return to play and keep competition thriving in the future, sport needs officials like Olivia now more than ever.

“I just think it’s really great to give back to the sport,” said Olivia.

“I always wanted to do more other than just compete. And with refereeing, you’re not only helping better yourself, especially when you work with younger kids, you’re helping them and helping to build sportsmanship. And you’re learning a lot about judo, the rules, [and] a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about before.”

Would she encourage others to become an official?

“Very much so. You learn a lot. Even as a competitor, it really helps with how you deal with things on the mat and you know way more of the rules, and you know what the referee is seeing.”