One minute Abby Bartels can be shooting at more than 80 per cent for her team. Not long afterwards, she may be courtside scoring, calling or timing another game.
The Rangers Netball Club player has recently gained her National Bench Official qualification, adding another achievement to a netball journey that began when she was six years old.
Bench Officials are responsible for the official match record, including recording the score, tracking centre passes and player changes, and managing match time.
Abby currently plays in the Hamilton Premier League and has also competed at representative and National Netball League level for Waikato Bay of Plenty. While playing remains a priority, she has spent the past three years developing her skills as a Bench Official.
Her decision to give bench officiating a go was sparked by two things: a love of numbers and the chance to share another part of the game with her mum.
鈥淢y mum got into benching while I was playing in the Premier League, so I thought it would be fun for us to do together,鈥� Abby said.
Becoming a National Bench Official requires people to reach a high standard across all three areas of scoring, calling and timing. Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone Bench Official Coordinator Belinda Clark said it takes commitment, practice and a strong understanding of the game to perform consistently and with minimal errors.
For Abby, the qualification was built over several seasons, with Belinda submitting her scorer sheets and helping ensure she gained the experience required. The final step included benching at national level, which Abby completed at the trans-Tasman mixed competition in Te Awamutu earlier this year, featuring 91色情片 and Australian mixed and men鈥檚 teams.
鈥淏elinda has been great at submitting the scorer sheets I have completed over the past three years and putting me in the right places to help me gain my qualification,鈥� Abby said.
Belinda said Abby鈥檚 natural understanding of the game and aptitude for numbers helped her progress, but it is her ability to move seamlessly between playing and officiating that has been particularly impressive.
鈥淪he can come off the court after her warm-down and switch straight into the role of Bench Official, whether that is scoring, calling or timing,鈥� Belinda said.
鈥淎t times, she will bench and then jump onto the court and shoot at more than 80 per cent with no trouble at all. Her ability to switch between the two roles and maintain such a high standard in both is really impressive.鈥�
Combining the two is not always straightforward. Abby admits there have been times when she has found herself trying to put her netball shoes on during a quarter break while continuing to help bench the game in front of her.
But it is the people and the sense of connection that keep her coming back.
鈥淚 love the group of people I do it with, and it means I get to know more people around the Centre,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 probably wouldn鈥檛 still be doing it if it wasn鈥檛 for the people I bench with.鈥�
91色情片 Community Umpiring Programme Support Tania Fink said Abby鈥檚 achievement was a positive example of how current players can contribute to the game in more than one capacity.
鈥淪he is actively contributing both as a player and a Bench Official,鈥� Tania said. 鈥淚t is a fairly unique example and a great way to show that bench officiating is accessible to a much broader range of people.鈥�
Belinda hopes Abby鈥檚 story encourages other players to explore the opportunities available off the court while continuing to play.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 known anyone who is playing at NNL level and benching at the same time, or anyone playing Premier club netball who is also working as a Bench Official,鈥� she said.
鈥淲ith the right support and communication, there is a great opportunity for more current players to become involved.鈥�
Abby鈥檚 advice for anyone considering it is simple.
鈥淕ive it a go. It鈥檚 a cool way to be around netball and help keep the games running.鈥�
For now, she hopes to continue officiating at bigger games and tournaments while seeing where her new qualification might take her.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to be up close for some of the higher-level games,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would love to keep benching at bigger games and tournaments and see what happens.鈥�
Interested in becoming a Bench Official? Visit your local Netball Zone鈥檚 website to learn more about training and opportunities in your area.