Vonda Hofferd has ensured a level playing field on the ice at both the Brier and Scotties.
In addition to the Canadian men's and women's national curling championships, she can now put the European championships on her resum.
Hofferd, a certified Level 3 official who calls the Prince George Golf and Curling Club home, will be at the European championships that begin this weekend in Champery and Monthey, Switzerland.
The bonspiel, Nov. 22-27, features 36 men's and 26 women's rinks from across the European continent.
"The magnitude of athletes who'll be there is mind-boggling," said Hofferd. "I still keep pinching myself that I have an opportunity like this."
It's her first job working a World Curling Federation-sanctioned event, an assignment that all came about last spring.
"Last year I volunteered in Dumfries [Scotland] at the world senior and mixed doubles championships," said Hofferd. "I ran into the World Curling Federation chief official and said I was interested in officiating [at one of its events]. They sent me an email and the first opportunity I had was the world juniors in Eastonia, but that conflicted with the Canada Winter Games, so I had to say no."
Hofferd is the sport leader for curling at the 2015 Canada Winter Games that Prince George is hosting in February.
The WCF advised Hofferd it would see what other event was available and came back asking her if she'd be interested in the Europeans.
Of course she said yes.
"It's my first international-level overseeing officials at this level," said Hofferd. "It's my first event working for the World Curling Federation. I was pretty surprised and so blown away.
"I'll be assisting the chief umpire overseeing the games and the game umpires as well. If the chief umpire is unable to perform his duties, I would step in."
Hofferd will arrive at the facility in Monthey on Thursday and check the field of play prior to curlers delivering their first rocks when the bonspiel begins on Saturday.
Her officiating crew is all from Europe, including the chief umpire and the other four game umpires.
The European tournament features the likes of the Pants (Thomas Ulsrud's men's team from Norway and the current world champions), defending European champion Switzerland skipped by Sven Michel, and the 2013 European champion Niklas Edin from Sweden with his new team.
On the women's side, there's 2014 Olympic bronze medallist Eve Muirhead and her crew from Scotland, as well as Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland.
Hofferd, who serves as Curl B.C.'s officiating coordinator, will be based in nearby Monthey, overseeing the B Division of 14 men's and 10 women's teams.
Those rinks include Israel, Eastonia, Croatia, Spain and Turkey, to name a few.
Long days are in store from 8 a.m. to midnight as curlers compete on six sheets of ice.
The top eight crews in both men's and women's events will advance to the world stage at the 2015 Women's World Championship in Sapporo, Japan, and the Ford World Men's Curling Championship in Halifax.
Hofferd has been a curling official since the mid-90s and has held her Level 3 certificate since 2003. She's the only person in the northern region who holds Level 3. She oversees a region that stretches from 100 Mile House to Prince Rupert.
Working toward her Level 4, she has an ultimate goal of achieving her Level 5 where she'll be qualified to work at the Olympic level.
"I've been very fortunate to have mentors at Level 5 and people who have taught me," she said.
