Page 10 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 80

10 Issue #80 July 2019 www.sportsenergynews.com

Ontario Lacrosse Association Honours Thom Racine

By Casey Leger and game caller. The award was
presented at the Turtle Dome on
lthough he’s probably Akwesasne.

Abest known for his love
of hockey (think Bishop Cup), “I’m very proud to receive
this award,” says Racine, who is
retired Cornwall police officer
going into his eighteenth year as
Thom Racine has a deep and
abiding love for Canada’s an active off-floor official at the
official summer sport, lacrosse. Turtle Dome. He’s seen a lot in
“Hockey ends in April, roughly,” those years. He’s called games at
the junior A and B levels, as well
says Racine, “and lacrosse starts
as senior and major series games.
in early May and can sometimes
run into August with a little luck. Although he’s got many fond
It keeps me busy.” memories of working lacrosse

games, two in particular stand out
Racine was recently recognized
by the Ontario Lacrosse for Racine. The first is watching
Seth Oakes play the game. “He
Association for his dedication
and commitment to lacrosse in was a very determined and talented
Ontario by presenting him with player,” he says. The second is
the Gerry Ravary Award. The being at the 2011 President’s
fact that the winner of this award Cup final on Akwesasne, where
two local teams battled it out for
is selected by the sport’s referees
makes it particularly important the championship: according to
to Racine, who has been an ‘off- Wikipedia, the St. Regis Braves
floor official’ for seventeen years. downed the Snake River Muskies
He is a timekeeper, announcer, by three goals, 11-8. Akwesasne Indians Captain Nonkon Thompson make presentation to
Thom Racine Photo credit: Lana King

Steve Ostler presents “Good Call Ref”

Sam Dussault
“Without officials, there’s no game. That goes for any

sport out there.” So says 24-year-old Cornwall native
hockey referee and former fastball umpire Sam Dussault.
Truer words were never spoken.
Sam, who now lives in Saskatchewan, is currently taking a

year off from officiating. “I’ve done my fair share games High-performance
for three different associations,” he says. “I started with energy savings meets
the ODMHA (Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association). stop-and-stare style
From there I transferred to the OMHA (Ontario Minor
Hockey Association), and my most recent years have been
with the SHA (Saskatchewan Hockey Association).”

Sam got into officiating because he was interested in it and because his father was also

an official. “I’ve been officiating since spring 2007,” says Sam. He wasn’t just a ref,
though. He also played and worked with kids as a goalie coach. In terms of officiating,

he says he enjoyed the older groups. The hardest part of the job, he feels, is dealing with
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