Former Unity resident, Haley (Howdle) Wieler, was back in town and not just for a family visit. She was part of the officiating crew at the Saturday night Unity Miners' game.
Wieler was on the ice with another former resident, Troy Winterhalt, and local veteran official, Fred Winterhalt. Wieler was happy to be part of the stripes team on home ice for this event.
Wieler played ringette in Unity during her time there and said her husband, who had witnessed a female officiating an AAA game, came home to tell her about it. That peaked her interest in starting this aspect of hockey.
She attended a Saskatchewan Hockey Association officiating clinic in October of 2003 and hasn't looked back since. Wieler and her husband reside in Regina, where she works a day job as a personal trainer. She explains how she often follows her clients out the door at the end of the day to head to the rink for officiating duty and she loves it.
It was easy to feel Wieler's enthusiasm and see her excitement, as she described highlights from her officiating career. One of her proudest moments was becoming the first female to officiate in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, as she is currently in her first season, adding "how cool is that?"
She was also chosen as junior B linesmen of the year twice, a special honour as it is chosen by the coaches in this league. When she was called to get this news she was at first apprehensive as she somehow felt that she was getting cut from officiating in this league, but was pleasantly surprised to have this good news instead. Wieler explained how female officials are always under the microscope, but she has never been deterred by some of the negative behaviour directed towards officials because she said 'it's all part of the job."
Her dream is to officiate at the Olympics one day, but she knows this is no easy task as there is really nothing you can do to prepare or train for to hold this distinction, but rather something you have to be chosen for.
Her eyes shone as she shared a list of more accomplishments including: 2005 - Women's U18 National Championship, 2006 - IIHF Canada versus USA Olympic exhibition game in Winnipeg working alongside referee Stephanie Normand and lines Kim Robichaud, who went to the Olympics in 2006, 2007 - Women's Worlds pre-tournament game in Winnipeg, 2008 - Women's U18 World championship and Women's World Division IV championship in Romania, 2009 - Women's Worlds Division 1 Championship in Austria as well as the first time elected as Jr. B league linesman of the year; 2009 - Women's Canada Cup, 2010 - second time voted as Jr. B linesman of the year, 2011 - Officiated at the Women's Worlds U18 in Stockholm, Sweden as well as earning the distinction in Oct. 2011 as the first female linesman to officiate in the SJHL.
In April she will travel to Great Britain to officiate the Women's World Division I championships.
Weiler's parents, Herb and JoAnne Howdle, were on hand to watch their daughter officiate the senior game in Unity. When she was asked if she had any of her dad's hockey skills she said "Well, people tell me I skate like him."
Wieler's accomplishments show just another success story from the rink in Unity, but a success from a different aspect of the game.
