Kathy McLymond of Williamson, NY was one of the national USA Track & Field (USATF) Officials to officiate at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She belongs to the Western New York Niagara Association of USATF and was assigned in late June, 2024 to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon where the Olympic Track & Field Trials are staged. She is a USATF National Technical Official and Master Official in several track & field events with her specialty the High Jump event 

Kathy is a five-time selection for this ultimate, world class athletic competition.  As part of a nine-person crew overseeing both the Men’s and Women’s High Jump for the ten days of qualifying and final jumps at the Olympic Trials, she and the others on the crew rotate assignments each day.  The assignments vary from ‘flight coordinator’ (responsible for calling each competitor to jump in turn), timer (each jumper has a specific time limit), recorder (recording jumps), flag person (indicates fair or foul jump) and the precision setup & inspection of the equipment.  It is the official’s responsibility using precise measuring equipment and lasers to accurately (within centimeters) set up the equipment at the venue to ensure it meets rigorous specifications, location and is safe for the competitors.

Her start in officiating was at the high school level in 1991 at many local track competitions and she continues today at the high school level.  In addition, she serves as the Executive Director of the Wayne-Finger Lakes Track and Field Officials and the Assignor for Wayne-Finger Lakes high school track and field meets.  In 2012, she was elected as the Certification Chair for the Niagara Association of USATF and continues today with the responsibility of ensuring that the sixty officials in the group are properly certified and trained.

Kathy’s participation as an official in track and field is year-round with assignments for winter indoor track and spring outdoor track at the high school level, NCAA Division I, II and III college track competitions and championships across the country, and cross-country running events in the Fall at the high school and college level.  She also serves as one of the five Referees at the Mid America Conference (MAC) Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field championships at colleges such as University of Buffalo, Kent, Akron, Toledo, Ohio University and several colleges in Michigan and Illinois.

At the USATF National convention in 2017, she was selected as the recipient of the Horace Crow Award, an honor bestowed annually to the top national USATF Field Event Official in the United States.  In 2022 she was presented with the Andy Bakjian Award given for ‘outstanding service and dedication to the of track and field’.  In December of 2023 at the annual convention, Kathy was inducted into the USATF Officials Hall of Fame which is the highest award for an official.

These are incredible achievements over a 32-year career officiating in the sport of track and field.