Dorothy Jamison, right, poses with her mom, Viginia Jamison, during a recent visit to the Keweenaw. They were both recently recognized by the United States Figure Skating Association for 40 years of service as judges. (Submitted Photo)

CALUMET — When she is not on the sidelines of a Lake Linden-Hubbell or Calumet high school sporting event, longtime athletic trainer Dorothy Jamison can often be found front and center at a national figure skating event.

In May, she, along with her mom, Virginia Jamison, were honored for their 40 years of service as judges by the United States Figure Skating Association headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A few weeks later each of them received a lapel pin to commemorate their dedication

“I just thought it was something I was going to do, but looking back you think, ‘Wow, 40 years — that’s a long time,'” she said. “Now I’ll have to do it for 10 more years because at 50 years you get a plaque.”

Jamison, a native of Philadelphia, Penn., comes from a figure-skating family of two brothers and herself.

“The skating club was right across the street from my school,” Jamison said. “Dad wasn’t much of a skater so he went into judging. When I was finishing high school, my mother and I decided we would both go into judging, and my brothers went into ice shows.”

After attending judging school, Jamison got her first appointment in 1981 at age 19. It was at a low-level competition and she’s moved up the competitive ladder ever since. She is one of hundreds of judges across the nation and one of just six in the Upper Peninsula.

“I’m a judge for national single and pair events,” she said. “Different disciplines require different judging schools.”

She is also a referee who oversees the panel of judges as well a technical panel person and a judge of ice dance. In short, she does it all, and her talent has taken her to just about every state in the nation. In a typical year, she will judge seven to 10 major events.

“However, we are not paid unlike referees and umpires,” she said. “But, all of our expenses are covered.”

Jamison has judged everything from little kids whose ice-skating careers end at age 12 to those who go on to win Olympic gold. In 2007 she was part of the judging panel of the national championships that almost gave figure skater Evan Lysacek a perfect score. He would go on to win the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

“I have the best seat in the house,” she said, “and it takes every muscle in my body not to clap and remain a judge as the topters in the world pass by and perform amazing tricks.”

She added that Olympic figure-skating judging is another level of expertise, and she was not at the right place at the right time for such a selection.

“Olympic appointments are few and far between,” she said, “and there are far better qualified judges holding those slots.”

According to her, the key to good judging is knowing the sport which comes easy for her.

“I love figure skating and have being doing it since I was 10,” she said.

Jamison has called the Copper Country home since 1989. Her mother was born in Calumet and she has only fond memories of spending summers here at her grandfather’s cabin on Lake Gratiot. Thus to relocate here was not a hard decision.

She is excited about the progress being made on the local figure skating scene — in particular the growth of the Calumet Figure Skating Club and the Copper Country Skating Academy in Houghton.

“Among our ‘superstars’ is Jane Summersett who was a national-champion ice dancer in the 2000s. She was from Baraga and is today a dentist here in town (Houghton),” Jamison said. “Also there is a sophomore at Calumet High School, Brooke Pomroy, who has just passed her senior moves and is moving up the competitive model. So, now that we are taking (skating) tests it moves us a step forward from just a recreational club.”

Over the past four decades, Jamison and her mom have been on the same judging panel many times but have not always seen eye to eye.

“(Mom) sees things differently,” said Jamison with a smile. “And that’s okay.”