Caughey-sondjo made her mark at the top level
TRURO, N.S. – New members will be enshrined into the Colchester County Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
They include Dennis Peterson, Justin Palardy, Denise Caughey-sondjo and the 2002 Truro Bearcats senior baseball team. The induction ceremony will be Friday, Nov. 1 at the Marigold Cultural Centre, 605 Prince St., Truro. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. ceremony start. An open reception will follow.
Tickets can be purchased online through Ticket Pro, or at the Marigold Cultural Centre box office. For further infor- mation, contact Sara Mc- Kenna at 902-957-0084.
Each week leading up to the ceremony, the Truro
News will highlight inductees.
DENISE CAUGHEY-SONDJO
Every weekend since Denise Caugheysondjo was 15 years old, she was dedicated to hockey, either playing or officiating. She played a high level of hockey as a strong skater on defense in midget AA, and became the first female to play on the CEC boys hockey team.
Denise started officiating women’s hockey in 1998 while living in Colchester County. She worked her way up the officiating ladder, working minor hockey and high school games. Her talents were recognized when she was invited to officiate at the women’s national championships from 2002 to 2004. She gained her first international assignment in 2005, when she participated in the IIHF world women’s championship (Division 2).
Since then, the assignments grew bigger.
She has officiated the IIHF world women’s hockey championship in the top tier. In 2013, she got the call for the bronze-medal game.
Her dedication, hard work and knowledge of the game led her to a muchdeserved opportunity to work the 2014 Sochi Olympics with the International Hockey Federation. Denise was one of three Canadian officials at the Sochi Olympics, and worked four preliminary round games. Unfortunately for Denise, but great for Canada, she was not eligible to officiate the gold-medal game since Canada was a competitor. Instead, Denise officiated the bronze-medal game between Switzerland and Sweden – a highlight of her officiating career.