Issue date
With record fleets at both national and regional events around the country, it's good to know Yachting New Zealand's umpire development programme is alive and well and doing what it can to meet the increasing demand.
About 20 ‘students’ took part in the two-day annual teams racing umpiring seminar before the New Zealand secondary schools teams racing nationals at the end of April.
Run by the man who wrote the book on teams race umpiring back in the early 1990s when it is was pioneered, veteran race official Jim Park travelled to Algies Bay (Sandspit YC) to run his well-rehearsed seminar. In recent years, a library of video footage has been compiled by Yachting New Zealand from the college regionals and national events showing the viewpoint of the umpire and giving the new recruits a feel for what to expect on the water.
Each year the NZTSA and Yachting New Zealand regional support officer network look to recruit new umpires to support the sport of college teams racing and this year again saw umpires from all over the country taking part.
Northern Region RSO Hamish Hey, himself a national umpire who was the chief umpire on the bronze fleet course, says “the combination of the seminar leading straight into the national champs, where experienced umpires can mentor and assist with further training on the water, is an invaluable experience for new umpires. It’s not just knowing the rules and calls, it’s a lot about being in the right place at the right time to see the incidents, so a good understanding of the game of teams racing and what the sailors are doing becomes essential.”
Affectionately known as JUMPS, the junior umpires were mentored all week by chief umpire Rob Heries and his team, and chief judge Jim Park completed on-water assessments.
Most of the senior umpires are former students or parents of current and former students who keep coming back years after other reasons to be at the event have passed.
“The nationals is one of those events that gets into your blood,” says Hey. “The energy, teamwork and fun had by the sailors is infectious and is reflected in the work and camaraderie of the umpiring team. We enjoy making the racing happen for the kids and get the box seat to see some fantastic sailing.”
Hey sights the fact that three members of the New Zealand team at the 2016 Youth Sailing World Championships sailed at this year's teams nationals as evidence of the quality of sailing on show and notes that these sailors were in the third- and fifth-placed teams which, in turn, demonstrates the high standard in the gold fleet at this year’s event.
The fun had by the sailors is demonstrated by the good-natured banter they throw at fellow competitors and officials both on the changeover barge and in social media. Hey admits he has to laugh at himself sometimes and is often a target on the teams racing meme’s Facebook page.
(Hamish Hey holds a seminar for sailors and umpires.)
This year’s event also included 15 teams in the bronze fleet, where the emphasis was as much on learnings as it was on competition. The bronze fleet umpires, led on the water by Hey, took coaches and sailors on their RIBs to watch races and learn the umpiring process as well as to watch the racing up close. Hey also ran a seminar ashore for the fleet when racing was postponed when he expanded on the rules in play that allowed the various tactical options employed by teams racing sailors.
For more information on becoming a teams racing umpire, please contact Hamish Hey (Northern Region RSO) on hamish@yachtingnz.org.nz or Danika Mowlem on danika@yachtingnz.org.nz.
