Pan American Games 4 Technical Staff Named for 2023
The umpires will be Maggie Giddens and Benjamin Peters, while the umpire manager will be Steve Horgan, and the technical official will be Lurah Hess which to be named for pan Am games 2023
Giddens has officiated in every season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, including men’s matches this year. She is one of the most prolific umpires in the USA. Her most recent appointments were the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She has officiated 142 international outdoor matches and was the video umpire for 18.
Also a familiar face at the collegiate level, Giddens was a member of the final game of the 2022 NCAA Division I Hockey Championship.
He was also recently appointed to officiate at the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup, scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 5 to 16. After rising in FIH ranks, Peters recently joined the International Elite Panel for Umpires. He has officiated in 69 international outdoor contests and was a video umpire in seven. His most recent international appointment was in December 2022 to the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Peters’ list of competitions includes Youth Olympic Festivals, FIH Hockey World Leagues, Junior Pan American Championships, CAC Games Qualifier, South American Games, Pan American Games, Pan American Cups, and numerous test series.
Since 1983, Horgan has worked virtually every level of the game, including the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. A member of the Pro League Panel for umpire managers, he most recently managed the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships in St. Michael, Barbados. He has also been involved in every season of the FIH Hockey Pro League.
Hess has been involved in international hockey activities for over a decade. She played a crucial part in 2017, featuring as a technical official at both the Pan American Cups for men and women. Most recently, she was appointed as Technical Delegate for the 2022 Pan American Cup, Technical Official for FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022 in Spain and Netherlands, and Match Manager for the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-23. In total, she has officiated 58 international outdoor matches as judge, 35 matches as Technical Delegate and 67 matches as Technical Official.
“It’s exciting to be a part of a Pan American Games event as the athletes are competing at their highest levels to achieve their dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games. I’m grateful for the support from USA Field Hockey over my past 20+ years of umpiring and technical officiating at various sanctioned events which has provided technical officials with a solid foundation of practical experience. The National Club Championship, National Futures, and the old Women’s National Championship and summer leagues were all key events to building my umpiring foundation and hockey network. We are fortunate in the USA to have so many hockey opportunities and people who are passionate about the sport.”
“Officiating at a tournament where Olympic qualification is on the line for the participating teams is both a highlight for the officials involved and clear recognition of the high regard in which they are held given the importance of the event,” said Sean Rapaport, USA Field Hockey’s Director of Umpiring. “We are fortunate to have four fantastic officials representing USA Field Hockey on and along the side of the pitch. We congratulate and wish Ben, Lurah, Maggie and Steve the best of luck.”
