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Preamble
Petanque New
Zealand has been endeavouring to
establish an umpire regime for
some years now. On each occasion
when the issue has been visited,
the Executive has directed a
person or subcommittee to
develop a strategy and report
back to Petanque New Zealand at
which point some further
consideration will have been
made and a system for umpire
grading etc will then have been
put forward for consideration by
interested parties.
Over the
years, some great effort has
been made by individuals such as
Terry Holt and Neil Goodwin to
establish a framework and lay
down the initial regime.
Owing to the
ongoing changes to the executive
as the years roll on, all of the
ground work has not been taken
any further as there has been a
lack of continuity at the
executive level or the role of
the Umpire has not been a high
priority in comparison to other
more pressing shortcomings in
the organisational structure.
When Bryan
Wells took on the mantle of CEO
several individuals were charged
with advancing certain areas of
the game ( eg Umpiring,
tournament organisation
standards etc.) and asked to
utilise, where appropriate, the
existing groundwork that had
been undertaken.
In preference
to the previous system that
required constantly reporting
back to the next executive
meeting, the individuals were
charged with liaising with Bryan
and certain other interested
parties as to progress. At the
same time progress was to be
maintained and the
decentralization of
responsibility was to allow
progress to be made.
In
discussions with Bryan and other
interested individuals, it was
felt that the most pressing need
for umpires was at the basic
club level. The rationale behind
this need was that Petanque New
Zealand already had 3 national
grade umpires and those 3
umpires could comfortably
shepherd club umpires up to the
higher grades over time.
Although an
existing grading structure was
in place, it was deemed
unworkable and emphasis should
be placed on creating more
interest at a club level. To
that end the initial umpire
recruitment and grading system
currently in place was abandoned
and the system itemized below
was introduced as a temporary
measure as a means to get club
umpires trained and qualified in
relatively large numbers.
Club level
umpires
The role of
the club level umpire is
generally undemanding as the
usual level of competitiveness
at club level is lower than at
regional or competition level.
Petanque New Zealand is looking
for club umpires who have a
basic understanding of the rules
and a basic ability to measure a
close point. Also it is felt
important that the club umpires
should have good access to a
regional or national level
umpire as a mentor.
The test
derived for the club umpire was
to demonstrate the individual
can read and understand the
Rules book and apply
interpretations of the rules on
a club day. For club
competitions Petanque New
Zealand would like to see a club
umpire from a neighbouring club
officiate and that favour be of
a reciprocative nature.
The initial
test for the club level umpire
was derived with the assistance
of Mike Pegg, the UK
international umpire, and Andy
Gilbert and Neil Goodwin.
Although the test was an open
book style exam, each candidate
was asked to apply
interpretations of the
appropriate rules and achieve a
pass mark of 70% or greater.
Passing the
exam gives the candidate the
right to officiate at Club days
or club level tournaments with
the authority and support of
Petanque New Zealand. Club
umpires are also encouraged to
assist regional umpires at
regional level tournaments to
get a greater experience at the
higher level of play.
To retain
their club level umpire status.
The club must send a report each
year stating that events at
which the club umpire officiated
or assisted at and confirm their
umpiring was to a satisfactory
standard.
Regional
level umpires
At this early
stage in the development of
umpiring in New Zealand the
entrance standards are a little
more relaxed for entry to this
level. Notwithstanding the entry
level, the national level
umpires are charged with
overseeing regional umpires and
encouraging them to assist at
national level tournaments.
Qualification
of Regional level umpires is as
follows:
-
The
candidates must have
completed the club level
exam to a pass mark of 70%
or higher.
-
The
candidate must also have
attended a 2 day practical
training session run by the
director of umpiring or a
nominated national level
umpire.
The first
day of the session will be
devoted to an in depth
discussion of the rules and
umpiring and measuring
techniques. The second day
will comprise of the umpire
candidates operating as
umpires at a regional level
competition under the
supervision of the course
leader.
-
A
satisfactory performance at
the competition will raise
the candidate to the level
of Regional umpire
To retain
Regional level umpire status,
the candidate must officiate at
two or more regional level
competitions each year and
receive a satisfactory report
from the tournament organisers
or director.
National
level umpire
To achieve
the rank of National Umpire, the
candidate must have:
-
held the
rank of Regional Umpire for
a minimum of a twelve month
period and received at least
two satisfactory reports
from the tournament director
or organiser;
-
assisted
a national grade umpire in
at least one national level
tournament and received a
satisfactory grading from
the officiating national
grade umpire;
-
passed a
closed book exam with a pass
mark of 75%;
-
passed an
interview panel comprising
of three senior Petanque New
Zealand officials, at least
two whom will be national
grade umpires.
The above
standards will apply for at
least the next two years or
until Petanque New Zealand deems
the umpire entry qualifications
and structure becomes due for
review.
Andy Gilbert
Director of
Umpiring
If you are
interested in finding out more
about umpring, you can contact
Andy at:
P O Box 638,
Rotorua; Phone: (07) 348 2557 or
021 678 955; Email: info (at)
tw2.co.nz |
