Mid Canterbury netball umpires Ashlein and Heath Lyttle are geared up for a busy season. Photo Adam BurnsIt can be a formidable task officiating competitive sport.

No just the physical demands, but the mental ones also.

But for Mid Canterbury netball umpires Heath and Ashlein Lyttle, at least they can swap notes.

The pair are again set to don the whistle ahead of a busy Mid Canterbury netball season.

The fact they are a father-and-daughter combination in premier grade netball is not the only factor which make the Lyttles unique.

Ashlein is undaunted as a teenager adjudicating players much older than herself, while father Heath is one of a handful of men involved in a sport dominated by the opposite gender.

Initially this was an element Heath had to learn to acclimatise to after being roped in by coach and umpire Wendy Hopwood about four years ago.

“One of the biggest challenges was being a male in a female-dominated sport which was hard to adjust to at the start.

“It takes time to adjust to that sort of stuff.

“There’s only three of us men who are umpires.

“It’s just normal now.”

But it was already on the radar and Heath thought it would be a good way to keep fit in the winter.

Heath also officiates local softball during the summer.

Although both codes are pointedly different, there are general elements that he has transferred over to the courtside from the diamond.

“The mental side, how you take things in.

“Having to learn the rules becomes second nature and keeping up with all the rule changes.”

Although the softballing rulebook was constantly being overhauled compared to netball, he said.

Ashlein has been umpiring for nearly two years and said it was a natural move given she was on the side of the court most weeks with both parents involved.

“We were here most of the time, so thought I may as well get in and do something while I’m here,” she said.

Although she is officiating in a mixture of grades, Ashlein – like her father – made her own mental adjustments when officiating the big guns at premier level.

“Getting up to premier – they’re a lot older.

“It can be intimidating but you just got to block it all out.”

With both her father and some of the more experienced local officials, there was plenty of support on hand for the Ashburton College pupil.

Despite its challenges though, there remains a significant allure in being involved in bigger games and advancing the craft.

“I guess for any sport, when you’re officiating, your one goal is to be at the top at the end and trying to get near that is always an aim,” Heath said.

“Getting those really close, challenging games and thriving off the tightness of the game.”

Ashlein, who is also a Mid Canterbury age group rep as a player, admits her biggest long term priority remains with ball in hand.

However she is encouraged that she has another string to the bow to fall back on.

“There is definitely a second option that I can go to,” she said.

Her father said she has youth on her side and that she had the potential to go far given she has started at an early age.

“The earlier that you do it the better,” he said.

“It’s a long road and it takes a number of years to get to the top.”

He urged anyone who was considering getting involved to not hesitate.

Last year Heath completed his New Zealand theory exam and was hoping to be nominated to complete a practical test, which is assessed by Netball New Zealand panel examiners in 2020.

The duo even officiated the same fixture last season, although Heath said it was “just like any other game”.

“It’s just second nature to me, if you’ve got a job to do, you just go out there and do it.

“It’s kind of special as well, you don’t often get to do something like that.”

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 7 March 2020