Blowing the whistle on top youth sports official
Onslow College student Samantha Hunt, 16, might not have blown her whistle enough when she umpired her first Hockey game at age 13, but that did not deter her from becoming one of the country?s top College umpires. ?I remember that first match, I had just come out of playing and I was so nervous. ?I didn?t blow the whistle enough, because you know the rules when you play, but they are hard to put into practice as an umpire,? says Miss Hunt. Sam was awarded the Official of the Year award across all sports codes at the recent Wellington College Sports Awards, which has finished off a brilliant year of hockey umpiring for her.? She is a Churton Park resident and is currently sitting NCEA exams, following the results of which she will decide her future path. She has represented Wellington in age group hockey for a number of years and has reached the crossroad of playing or umpiring.? ?I have the goal of wanting to be an international hockey umpire, but I?m putting off the decision until next year. ?The achievement of [umpiring] is being able to mentor people and see them out there really enjoying themselves,? she says. The introduction of the ?Auto-pass? rule has altered the flow of the game and makes it much faster, and more difficult to keep up with the play, she says. NZ Hockey national mentor Amanda Goad says Miss Hunt is an enthusiastic and extremely passionate hockey representative. ?Samantha is a fair and energetic umpire and has contributed well to all hockey matches that she has been appointed to. ?She always arrives promptly, creates a good relationship with the players and manages each game allowing a safe and exciting game to develop,? says Mrs Goad. Miss Hunt makes time to coach and mentor a group of beginner umpires on a Saturday morning.? This has resulted in the highest number of umpires Wellington hockey has had at age group tournaments for many years. A major achievement was being appointed to umpire the final at the NZ Hockey Federation Cup (top secondary school girls national tournament). She also umpired the recent New Zealand Maori versus Queensland match, and is a member of the Wellington Provincial U16 Girls Team. In a case of sibling rivalry, Miss Hunt?s brother Daniel Hunt was also appointed by NZ Hockey to umpire at?Rankin Cup (top secondary school?boys national tournament) where he umpired the final.? ?
