A Woman Among Men
Bianca Walter is a woman calling the shots in a man's world.
A female referee at a World Championship isn’t something that you see every day, but referee Bianca Walter is no ordinary girl. Bianca is making history at the 2003 IIHF In-Line Hockey World Championship as the first-ever female referee to officiate In-Line hockey games at this level. “When I got the call, I couldn’t believe it,” Bianca said. “It’s something that I had always hoped would happen, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
Bianca has been officiating both ice and In-Line hockey since 1995. While she has never played either sport competitively, she knew she would never be happy watching the sport from the stands. “I knew when I was watching the hockey games growing up that I wanted to be more than just a spectator,” Bianca said. “I wanted to be on the same rink as all of the players I was watching.”
Not only is Bianca on the rink with those players, she is now the one calling the shots. “There’s so many emotions involved with the game,” Bianca says. “It’s always a challenge to try to keep both teams from exploding and the whole game going downhill, but it’s my job and I love the challenge.”
Bianca has just officiated a fiesty game between Argentina and Japan which had 28 total penalties whistled between the two teams, but she takes it all in stride. “This was a tough game,” she explains. “I think there was a point where it could have gotten pretty bad, but both teams did a good job of making it through the game.”
It’s hard enough for any referee to keep players emotions in check when they’re playing at a World Championship, but add the female part into the equation and Bianca has her hands full each time she steps on the rink.
“I think at the beginning of the game a few players think ‘oh great, a girl referee, does she know what she’s doing?’” Bianca said. “But a few minutes into the game they forget about me and pay attention to the game.”
While Bianca has only been involved in officiating for eight years, she has moved up the ranks quickly, a testament to her work ethic. “It takes a lot of work to be an official. You have to learn how to skate and always practice and you also have to know all of the rules and keep up with any changes. It’s a lot of work.”
Someday she would like to see other females following in her footsteps and on the rink at a world championship. “It would really be great if more girls would make it,” Bianca said. “I think down the road there will be more and then I’ll have a little company here.”
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