Several USA Umpires & Technical Staff Headed to International Events this Summer
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Field Hockey is excited to announce the seven USA representatives that have been appointed as umpires and technical staff to upcoming international events this summer.
USA will be represented by five individuals at the upcoming 2024 Junior Pan American Championships (JPAC), set to take place at Tamanawis Park in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada from July 2 to 12, 2024. Allie Mikelson and Brian Tyson have been appointed as umpires, Aaron Dudek and Samantha Flood as technical officials, and Rene Zelkin as the technical delegate.
It was also announced this past February that Benjamin Peters will be representing as an umpire at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Gniezo, Poland from May 31 to June 9, while Lurah Hess has been appointed to the esteemed role of technical delegate at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup, set to be held in Spain from June 3 to 9. (Read more)
Extremely accomplished in the realm of international technical officiating, Zelkin will again take on the important role of technical delegate, this time at the 2024 JPAC. She recently served as a technical official at the 2024 FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Muscat, Oman in January, after being the technical delegate for the 2023 Hockey5s Pan American Cup in Kingston, Jamaica last year. She got her start in 2013 and has been a judge or technical official at prominent events including the Ergo Hockey Junior World Cup, Indoor Pan American Cup, FIH Hockey World League Round 1 and 2, Pan American Games, Pan American Cup, Champions Trophy, Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup, FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Women’s Series Finals, and various test series. Zelkin served as a judge at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and technical official at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
It is always an honor to be appointed to an international event and to represent USA Field Hockey, especially the Junior Pan American Championships. This event showcases the future of hockey with the players, umpires and technical officials. As the [technical delegate], I have the opportunity to grow and elevate the next generation of officials while ensuring the tournament is held to the highest standard.
Mikelson and Tyson have been continuing down the international pathway in tandem, having attended the 2023 JPAC together and most recently umpired at the 2024 Indoor Pan American Championship (IPAC) in Calgary, Alberta.
Mikelson had her first international appointment in 2022 when she was selected to represent USA at the Central American and Caribbean Qualifiers in Bermuda and has since umpired several international events. In addition to the 2023 JPAC and 2024 IPAC, she was also appointed to the inaugural 2023 Hockey5s Pan American Cup. Domestically, she is heavily involved in the college circuit, and was selected to officiate the 2023 Ivy League tournament as well as the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Tournament. She was also appointed as the reserve official in the 2023 NCAA Division I National Championship game. This past year, Mikelson was honored as the 2023 USA Field Hockey National Umpire of the Year.
I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to be back umpiring another Junior Pan Am Championship. It is a fun tournament showcasing upcoming talent and another opportunity to learn and grow from a great group of umpires and mentors.
Having made his international debut at JPAC last summer, Tyson will return with more experience under his belt. He has since been an umpire and video umpire on several test matches in Charlotte, N.C., and officiated both the men and women at the 2024 IPAC. Like Mikelson, Tyson has heavy involvement officiating for the NCAA, and was appointed to the NCAA Division III Championship umpire team last fall.
I am looking forward to the 2024 Junior Pan American Championships. It is a great opportunity to take lessons learned from Barbados and apply them in this edition of the JPAC in Surrey. A huge thank you to my mentors and USA Field Hockey for helping me get to this point, it would not be possible without their help and leadership.
It will be a breakout event for Flood, who has been appointed as a technical official at the 2024 JPAC. Flood has been building her resume through the past several years, serving as a judge for several test matches in 2019 in Lancaster, Pa. and as a judge and technical official at the Big Apple Indoor Tournament in 2020, 2022, and 2023. Domestically, Flood has been involved in Junior Premier Hockey as both a technical official and technical delegate since 2017 and 2021, respectively.
I am excited and grateful to have this opportunity to go to Junior Pan American Championships as a technical official. I'd also like to thank those who have mentored me and continue to support me in this journey.
Another seasoned veteran, Dudek will round out the USA JPAC team as a technical official. Involved in the international scene for over ten years, he most recently was a technical official at the 2024 IPAC this past March. Alongside Mikelson and Tyson, Dudek attended his first JPAC last summer in Barbados. He has represented USA at many events of the past decade as a technical official or judge, including the Pan American Cup, FIH Hockey Pro League and Indoor Pan American Cup.
I am honored to be able to represent USA Field Hockey as a Technical Official again at the Junior Pan American Championships. It is always a great experience to see the players and umpires on their international journey.
