Marion Johnson-Hurley is moving on to the next phase of her career as a world-class umpire accredited by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA).
It’s not that she won’t be carrying the whistle anymore, for Johnson-Hurley will be roaming the sidelines at the World Netball Championships in Singapore from July 3 to July 10.
The former national player and coach is now moving on to become a tester/trainer.
At the recently held 12th Caribbean Netball Association Jean Pierre Under-16 Tournament in St Kitts, Johnson-Hurley was taken through the process by senior tester/trainer Deborah Lynch-Theobalds.
In many ways, that is fitting. Lynch-Theobalds was Barbados’ first internationally accredited netball umpire.
“That is the next step from being an international umpire; you become a tester/trainer. Basically you are looking at the umpires, assessing them and trying to move them from one level to the next,” Johnson-Hurley told MIDWEEK SPORT moments after returning home last Saturday.
There were 11 umpires being evaluated, including first-time trainees Moeth Gaymes from St Vincent and Joel Brown from Trinidad and Tobago.
“They were really good. I think that males are going to be taking over the umpiring from what I am seeing,” was her assessment.
“When we gave them the feedback, they were able to come back and be strong. That is what you are looking for. When you are learning, it is about opening up, trying to understand what is happening and moving to the next level. They did that well.”
Jamaica already has three umpires with IFNA’s International Umpires Award (IUA) badge and another on the verge of breaking through. The Caribbean also has Wayne Benty from St Lucia in addition to Browne and Gaymes.
Johnson-Hurley said the requirements of the fitness tests were scaring women away from umpiring at the highest level.
“The fitness, the beep test especially, is really taxing and you have to be a person who is really into fitness. They want umpires, they want to see you running at a pace that is faster than the players I should say. Once you are able to get yourself in good position, the decisions are better and that is what is important.
“We do a lot of calls from behind, so we see the reaction, moreso than the action. The fellows are able to get themselves in that position so they make the better calls.”
Johnson-Hurley said she had set high personal standards and was committed to fitness.
“I am a very disciplined person,” the coach of Phoenix Gems said.
“I get up in the morning and train.
When I go to my games, I am running, no matter what level. I try to put myself in a position where I want to give my best at all times.
That is something we as female umpires don’t understand. Sometimes we come and umpire according to the level of the game. Being a disciplinarian with fitness and still keeping myself involved in other sports, that is how I am able to maintain by fitness.”
She urged all prospective female umpires to be committed to fitness first.
“Come with the mindset that you have to be fit and once you can focus on that part, all of the other things will fall into place. We can help you with positioning and telling you what you can do, but if you are not fit to be able to do them, that is when you are going to have problems.”
