As a former collegiate lacrosse player at Ithaca College, Patti Klecha-Porter remained connected to the game after college by serving as the assistant coach for the Wesleyan University’s women’s team. When that tenure ended after seven seasons, Klecha-Porter knew she needed to find another connection to the game.
“I just have a passion for this sport,” said Klecha-Porter, who initially began officiating in 1984 but committed more fully to wearing the stripes after her coaching days ended. “I love watching the beauty of the game and seeing the incredible things that the athletes can do on the field.”
A lifelong learner who spent nearly 35 years on the physical education faculty at Wesleyan, Klecha-Porter quickly committed herself to a deeper understanding of all the playing rules, especially as it pertained to rule applications. Simply knowing the rules as a coach was not good enough. As an official, she knew she had to take her knowledge to another level.
“I told myself, early on, if you are going to do this, you need to know what you’re doing correctly,” she said. “That was the beginning of understanding the game as an umpire.”
Klecha-Porter says knowledge, judgement, and application are all important components of an officials’ job on the field.
“Knowledge of the rules is a huge thing for me, so when people get me on a game, I think they know how important that is for me,” she said. “The one thing that I’m adamant about is application. Judgement is one thing, but making sure the application is correct is the real key.”
Klecha-Porter has officiated at every level of women's lacrosse and has worked championship games at the high school, collegiate and international levels. Still active, her resume includes 33 NCAA championship and semifinal games, as well as six World Cup championships and semifinals.
In recognition of her excellence, she is being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame on January 11 as a truly great official.
Those who have seen her in action through the years say that Klecha-Porter leaves no doubt that she is among the elite to wear the black and white stripes.
“I think coaches, players and fellow officials can sense that she’s enthusiastic and committed to doing her job with a high degree of professionalism,” said Gale Lackey, a Wesleyan coaching colleague and close friend for four decades.
Lackey says that Klecha-Porter has all the requisite qualities that make for a good official.
“She’s got great attention to detail and very good instincts and judgement in applying the rules,” Lackey said. “She’s an amazing official with a no nonsense approach to the game.”
Klecha-Porter has been in the game long enough to see significant changes to the rules through the years. Adapting to the changes is part of the job requirement.
“When I played, there were still no boundaries, so you just ran as wide and as far as you could until the umpire told you to bring it back,” she said. “And there was no checking at that time. Every time you checked, it was a foul. Now, I think it’s more exciting that the ball can be taken away.”
Klecha-Porter likes the direction of women’s lacrosse with some of the recent rule changes.
“We’re trying to give more space for athletes to move and be creative,” she said. “The goal is to make this a fan-friendly and exciting game. I think there’s been very positive progress made.”
Regardless of the level of play, Klecha-Porter says that the overarching principle for officials is always the same.
“We go into every game trying to make sure everything is run smoothly and we’re going to do things correctly,” she said. “Are we doing what is right for those athletes and having the right application of the rules? That’s the most important thing to me.”
Tickets for the induction ceremony at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel are available for online purchase at www.usalacrosse.com/HOF.
