Pam Newton has been calling the shots as a field hockey official for over 30 years – and loving every minute of it.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

JAY – For over three decades, Pam Newton has patrolled the sidelines at high school field hockey games.

The longtime official has heard it all when it comes to the rules of field hockey. There’s never a dull moment when players, coaches and fans step up and dispute calls. Despite being second-guessed as an official, there’s one thing that’s guaranteed: Newton will be following each play intensely as she watches out for the players’ welfare.

“(Former Mexico/Mountain Valley coach) Sue Clark told me years ago that field hockey is my passion,” Newton said. “She is right; I love this game. I love being with the other officials and watching the players grow. Having an out going personality helps, but I’ve found that being an actor helps as well. The woman officiating the game is not necessarily the one others see. Some days my game face is stern.”

Newton didn’t really consider becoming a referee during her playing days at Dixfield High School. It was until a few years later when attending a game that she recognized an official who called the shots during her games. Newton expressed an interest in refereeing, so she was told to contact Barbara Yeaton and the rest is history.

In those days, the game was painfully slow. Every high stick was whistled, no matter if an opposing player was nearby or not. The obstructions were called much differently, including a dropped shoulder, If a player was circling the ball in the midfield with no one else around, it was considered a foul.

But new rules have been instituted to speed up the game.

“The rule changes are still being refined,” Newton said. “The (National) Federation is trying to bring the rules in line with NCAA and International rules. They also are changed when the Federation receives input from officials and coaches.”

Newton said the no-offsides infraction has allowed the referees from stopping play. When a foul occurs, referees can refrain from blowing the whistle to see if the other team has an opportunity to gain an advantage.

The referees no longer call incidental advancing, which was always confusing to the fans. This had resulted when the ball glanced off a foot or is redirected, in such a manner that no advantage is gained. Lifted balls are now judged solely on intent and danger.

“There are always more changes to be addressed,” Newton said. “Many of us would like to see more consequences applied to the carding of coaches. Presently, a green or yellow card mean very little, however, a red card results in suspension from the game. We feel that a yellow card needs to be dealt with more severely that it now is.”

This season, Newton has also been handling the assigning duties for the central region. An illness forced former assignor Gail Santerre to step away, but there were many factors involved in having Newton take over the assigning duties.

“First and foremost was what would be in the best interest of field hockey,” Santerre said. “Yes, Pam is very devoted and concerned about field hockey and the players, that is very important. Second, availability is a major factor. The schools and athletic directors have a lot to do, so the assignor has to be available to address the issues. Pam was willing to make that commitment. She gave up her work at school during the season. Pam knows the officials so that she can assign the appropriate officials for the games.”

Newton had a fairly good idea of what the job entailed, but she could never have envisioned the amount of hours it would require. She had to inform the Jay school system that she wouldn’t be able to be a substitute teacher this fall.

“It was overwhelming,” Newton said. “I assigned over 400 games, using 30 officials. There was many days when the math just didn’t add up, and I had to be creative. I didn’t keep track of the number of hours it took to set up the schedule — countless. During the first two weeks, I spent six to eight hours a day on it. I really have to admire the job Gail did because it always worked out.”

Newton has remained busy six or seven days a week. If it hadn’t rained Sept. 23, She would have worked 27-straight days. Pam Hennessy, northern assignor, and Newton are the two senior seasoned field hockey officials in the state.

“In ’72, I never would have imagined that I’d still be doing this in 2003,” Newton said. “I honestly don’t know how long I can do this. The players get younger each year, plus the travel time adds two hours to days and that is also tiring. I’m still having fun and that’s been my philosophy of life. So long as it continues to be fun, I’ll stay with it.”