Cudworth, Saskatchewan's Cianna Murray has an idea about what to expect at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
"I worked in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. I do know what it's going to look like in terms of we'll call it a workload. We will skate only one game a day. We might have a standby day where we're a backup official in case anybody gets hurt. We'll have a few days off mixed within the tournament. We usually don't have group meetings every single day," Murray said on the SportsCage.
"They might be every three to four days, where we meet as an officiating team with all of the officials and our coaches and do video review, discussions, anything that might come up.”
This time around she can experience the Olympics without worrying about a pandemic. Murray explained how she can treat the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.
“What's going to be the biggest difference this time is we are not going to have to live in a COVID bubble,” Murray said.
“It will be that true Olympic experience where we are free to go take in the other sports, go to the athletes' village, really take in that whole experience. I think that's going to make this one even 10 times more special than the last one."
During the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China, athletes, coaches and staff went through strict coronavirus testing.
Murray isn't the only Saskatchewan referee going to the Olympics, as three others were also selected: Yorkton's Tarrington Wyonzek, Moose Jaw's Michelle McKenna, and Drake's Alex Clarke.
Preparation for this event, according to Murray, is extensive, and she shared when she will be able to focus.
"There's still lots of stuff to put in place here back at home. I am a school teacher, so lots of planning and prep is going into the month that I'm going to be away," Murray said.
"Definitely once that plane takes off and I'm actually in the air, that's when I'm able to lock in, focus, and really take it all in and enjoy the moment. I'm looking forward to that moment, and it's going to come quickly."
Regarding how Murray got into hockey, she credits her brothers.
"I started officiating the same way I got into hockey. I grew up with two brothers, I am the middle child, so I have an older brother and a younger brother. I always told my parents that whatever they got to do, I had to do it too; I never wanted to feel left out," Murray recalled.
"They gave me every opportunity that the boys got, and when my older brother Craig wanted to try out officiating, I told my parents, 'I have to go to the rec clinic as well.' I signed up for it, I really did fall in love with it, and stuck with it when I was in high school and throughout university, and the career really took off from there."
Overall, Murray shares how many leagues she currently referees.
"I currently work in about six different leagues. Each league has its own set of rules, its own supplement that goes along with it, and its unique rulebook. So it is a lot of studying the rules.
"Hockey has the basic rules that are in every league, but you really need to know, 'What league am I working tonight? What rule differences does it have?' You need to be on top of those because we're expected to know the rules," Murray pointed out.
"Something that I find works really well is that for each league I work, I have a little cheat sheet that I review the day before, maybe the morning of. Even when I'm an hour before the game, sitting in the locker room with my crew, we're going to be talking about, for this league, these are the specific rules to make sure that no mistakes are made."
Murray is no stranger in experiencing challenges because of people treating her differently as a female referee.
"There's definitely been times when maybe somebody who hasn't seen me work before doesn't really know what to expect when I do come out there as a five-foot-three female in a men's game where I have to look up to everybody," Murray said.
"It doesn't take long for them to realize she's out here for that reason. She's more than capable of working at this level. That perception does change pretty quickly."
When it comes to being a role model, Murray hopes to showcase to girls who look up to her that it is possible to achieve your goals.
"When I started my career, I had no idea of all the places I would be able to travel to and the things that I could achieve. But it wasn't really an easy path to get there," Murray said.
"In the last five years, I've made it my personal goal to pave the way or to make it easier for that next female who says, 'Hey, I want to go referee in the midget AAA leagues or in the SJHL.' To make it more visible, be that role model for those little girls to look up to and say, 'She can do it. So I'm going to do it. It is possible.'"
