Kathy McLymond of Williamson, NY, along with several others from the Western New York USA Track & Field Niagara Association recently attended the 2022 Annual USATF National Convention held in Orlando, FL. The Annual Convention is a well-attended event at which track and field officials, coaches, athletes and administration personnel from across the United States gather once a year for clinics, or-ganization meetings and awards ceremonies. Many individuals in attendance serve as officials/referees at NCAA and USATF Championships throughout the United States where college athletes and Olympic caliber athletes compete during the year.

 At the awards ceremony, Kathy was selected from 10 nominees from over 4,000 nationally certified USATF officials and presented the annual “Andy Bakjian Award”.  This award is “Given to an Official that has given outstanding service throughout a career of dedication to the managing of athletic sports and helping to take officiating to a higher level.” The next highest award for an official would be induction into the USATF Hall of Fame. 

This is the second top award she has earned recently.  In 2017, at that years’ national convention, she was chosen from 10 nominees from around the United States and presented the “Horace Crow Award” as the “Outstanding Field Event Official” in the United States.

 Her resume continues to grow each year.  Since 2017, she has officiated at the IAAF NCCWMA Masters, 2021 at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR for the fourth time and is the only track and field official from the Rochester area to officiate at the Olympic Trials four consecutive Olympiads in the years 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021.  Then in 2020 and 2021 at the USATF Open National Championships and two NCAA National Championships across the United States.  Plus she serves as one of the five referees at the Mid-America Conference (MAC) Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field championships at colleges such as Akron, Ball State, Kent State, Miami of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio University and colleges in Michigan and Illinois.

 Unfortunately, the Olympics may be out of reach for her because in the sport of track and field, the Olympic Committee only assigns officials from the host country. The next Olympic Games with the possibility for her to be chosen would in the year 2028.

 Kathy’s start in officiating was at the high school level in 1991 at local high school competitions and she continues today at all levels.  Her participation as a certified official is year around with assignments for fall cross country, winter indoor track and spring outdoor track at both the high school and college level.  Her resume also includes NCAA Division I, II and III college track competitions and championships across the country, international competitions, Special Olympics and multiple cross country running events. 

 In addition to her many contributions on the field, off the field she has served as both the President and Vice President of the Wayne-Finger Lakes Track and Field Officials.  Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for the group and continues as the meet assignor for the group’s 35 officials across 26 schools as she has since 2001.  In 2011, she was elected Certification Chair for the Niagara Association of USATF and continues in that office today with the responsibility for ensuring that the 45 offi-cials in the association are properly certified and trained. 

 Kathy McLymond of Williamson, NY certainly has a nationally recognized, respected and stellar career that shows no signs of ending anytime.