Four pieces of wisdom from the court: an umpire’s perspective
Like many sports, there’s a lot to be said about what playing netball can teach kids (and adults!) about life. But there are lessons to be learned from the sidelines too.
My first encounter with netball was in year 3, through the school’s weekly Friday afternoon sports program. I don’t remember much from that period of time, except for the odd memory of being called up for obstruction because I was too close to the player I was defending. Still, I must’ve enjoyed the game, because I ended up playing for another 10 years, and eventually when I was in high school, I signed up to umpire as well.
Fast forward a few years (nine, to be exact) and I’m still an umpire in my spare time outside of work and study. What started as a casual weekly commitment to earn some pocket money turned out to be a humbling experience that taught me a thing or two about backing myself, and more. Below are four guiding principles I’ve distilled that have inspired my outlook on life, and I believe will serve anyone well, even if you’ve never stepped foot on a court.
1. Don’t dwell on past decisions
In any given game, an umpire has to make at least 22,800 decisions. Whether or not you’re convinced by the maths, the point is, umpires have a lot to look after on the court. Between 14 players and a three-second-pass rule, decisions are made, for the most part, based on instinct before anything else. As an umpire, my whistle is in my mouth before my brain has even registered who a penalty should go to. Unsurprisingly, the speed that everything happens can occasionally lead to an umpire doubting their own call, especially when that one player won’t stop yelling “that was a contact ref, WTF!”
I find myself rethinking calls I make at least a handful of times every game. Did I miss something? Should I have advantaged that call? Was Goal Defence too close? But every time, I’m reminded — either by a fellow umpire or myself — that nothing useful ever comes out of second-guessing a decision you’ve already made and can’t take back. The same can be said about a decision that’s been made that you disagree with. If it really bothers you, your efforts are better directed at considering “what can I change” or “how can I prevent this from happening next time?”
2. Assume people are trying their best
Having said that, sometimes we do get things wrong. As an umpire, I’ve missed obvious infringements. I’ve penalised the wrong team. I’ve been there and done that and I know when I’ve made a mistake, but that does not mean I’m suddenly free game for verbal abuse. The same way players have good games and bad games, so do umpires. It’s called human error and, believe it or not, it’s something you can forgive.
Choose to assume that people are generally trying their best. Admittedly, this is hard to do, especially when we feel wronged or want a different outcome in that moment. It’s entirely possible that someone in a particular situation does not have good intentions… they might be looking to take advantage of you, or a number of other things. But it’s worth remembering that that’s a reflection of the other person, and should not be tied to our ability to practise generosity and kindness.
3. Scan the court
One piece of feedback often given to junior umpires looking to progress onto more senior games is to practise “scanning the court”. Scanning involves looking ahead of the player with the ball and anticipating where the next pass might go, so the umpire can assess that area of play in advance and prepare to make a call if needed. Scanning is a proactive measure, and it requires discipline on the umpire’s part to take our eyes off the ball because, like any other spectator, we want to watch ball go in hoop.
This piece of advice happens to be rather appropriate for life too, especially when things don’t seem to be going your way. Keep looking ahead, because good things happen when preparation meets opportunity. Stay alert and scan the court every now and then — you never know where your next pass might land.
4. “Here if you need…”
This last reflection is less about the umpire and more about the unconditional support that I’ve watched players show each other, time and time again. If you’ve ever watched an all-girls high school netball game, you’ll hear a Centre or Wing Attack hastily assert to their shooting counterparts, “here if you need!” What they mean by this is, I’m here if you need to pass the ball back to move to a better position to take the shot. When you’re on the court, this offer hardly seems like something worthy of special praise. It definitely won’t be the tiebreaker for deciding MVP of the match.
But off-court? I think we ought to take a page from netball players. Life is full of stressors and misfortune, and sometimes the only thing, but also the most useful thing, you can do for someone going through a rough patch is to let them know you’re there for them. Emphasis on let them know. I’m guilty of keeping my good intentions to myself and assuming the other person will simply know that I care and that I want to help if they’re struggling. And apparently so do many others, which is why organisations such as R U OK? exist to educate and empower people to meaningfully connect with the people around them. With that in mind, I’m going to try and say “here if you need” more often, and I encourage everyone to do the same. The world will be a better place for it, that’s for sure.
