Referee of the Month: Tyson Fedor
The CDSRA Referee of the Month features referees of different ages, levels, and backgrounds to reflect the diversity in our referee community and our association. Our January 2025 Referee of the Month is Tyson Fedor.
Questions & Answers:
Q: Current Referee Level & Highest level attained:
A: Provincial.
Q: When did you begin, and what motivated you to start refereeing?
A: I started as a teenager, refereeing for a couple seasons. I moved away from Alberta, for several years and when I came back I got back into officiating in 2021. When I was young, I wanted to earn a few extra dollars while in school, but now I referee because of my passion for the game. I enjoy playing, but equally I enjoy refereeing. I hope I can help raise the bar of officiating every day by learning from so many within the community, who have much more knowledge of the game and laws than I do.
Q: What has been your most enjoyable game/memory of your referee career?
A: I have had the opportunity to referee hundreds of games, many with stories to tell and many enjoyable moments. It's difficult to choose just one, but I would say my first ACAC game at SAIT, working with a great crew or a gold medal game at Tier 1 youth provincials.
Tyson officiating a Canada West Final Four match.
Q: What do you love most about refereeing?
A: There's a lot of competitive players and teams in our city and province. I love the chance to speak with them, coaches and other officials about the game and building strong bonds within the community.
Q: When did you first become a CDSRA member and what encouraged you to join?
A: I believe it was 2022. I was encouraged to join by other officials.
Q: What advice would you give to somebody just starting out refereeing?
A: Don't be afraid to make mistakes. More importantly, don't let it define how your refereeing trajectory can go. You learn from mistakes and it makes you a better official, if you continue to pursue it. Any young officials I speak with at the field, I always try and get them comfortable with how loud their whistle can be. Many new referees can be nervous at first starting, but I try to help them with eliminating those nerves.
Q: What do you do outside of refereeing and what are some of your interests?
A: I'm a big sports guy. I love to play the game, and get refereed by several CDSRA members. I also enjoy playing hockey and in the summer can always find me on the golf course. I love spending time with family and friends.