Two officials out of the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside – Peter Pidgeon, and Cliff Poirier, are this season’s finalists for Official of the Year, with the winner being chosen at the ADL/Sport PEI curling awards on Wednesday at the Fox.
CCA photo. Peter Pidgeon (front left), was the recipient of a Fair Play coaching award, as selected by the officials at the 2011 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors in Calgary
Peter Pidgeon has recently returned to umpiring after being a noteworthy coach for several years. He attained his Level 2 officiating certification two seasons ago and has been a great asset to the umpiring community on PEI since that time.
He is willing to travel to any of the clubs on the Island to help out. This is much appreciated as it can be difficult to find people who can do so.
He always arrives early so he can ensure that things are ready for the day. He makes sure he follows the routines which have been established so that all teams know what to expect from the coin toss, to the practice, to the playing of the game.
He took a timer training course to familiarize himself with the new “Thinking Time” concept used this year for the first time.
He proved that he could handle situations where not just knowledge was required, but where patience and tact were also needed. Peter remained calm and didn’t get upset when faced with problems. He was not afraid to ask for help if and when it was required.
Pidgeon also worked at events in other capacities. He was at the Players’ Championship in Summerside doing statistics. He worked the National Seniors in Summerside this year as an on-ice observer, and did a great job.
Peter has shown great dedication and commitment to the umpiring community on PEI.
PEICurling.com photo: Cliff Poirier measures draw to the button results at the 2013 PEI Tankard
Besides officiating at many provincial championships on PEI, Cliff Poirier also officiated at the national and world level this season – at the Canadian Seniors held at the Silver Fox, and at the World Seniors in Fredericton New Brunswick. He is also on the Curl PEI Board of Directors as the representative from the Fox, and also did much work on the transition to the new “Thinking Time” timing method, and on recruiting and developing new officials.
Poirier is known for using excellent judgement in his decision-making during games, and is very welcoming towards all players, coaches, and spectators during events. He is an outstanding asset to the sport of curling on PEI.