Wendy Suttie of Ashburton has done it again, but this time she’s off to Glasgow.
For the second time the experienced bowls umpire has been accepted to officiate at the Commonwealth Games.
One of only three bowls officials from New Zealand to make the cut, Wendy said she was both pleased and surprised to be accepted again.
“Going to Birmingham was an amazing experience and now I get to go to Glasgow too.”
‘‘I’m looking forward to seeing people I know from other international competitions.
‘‘They greet me like a long lost friend,” she said.
Wendy appreciated it was a chance to witness some of the worlds best bowlers in action.
“I could never play at this level but this way I get to participate at that level.”
For the first time in Games history, both bowls and para bowls will be held indoors on portable greens, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere for players and spectators.
World Bowls are using the Commonwealth Games to showcase the adaptability of bowls, hoping to have it included in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.
‘‘There will also be music playing, which will add to the atmosphere,” she said.
‘‘Boxing and weightlifting are also in the same venue. Not normally two sports associated with bowls, so that will be fun,” she said.
Wendy said umpiring bowls was a multilevel affair; firstly as observer, then monitor if something doesn’t look right, give advice and lastly enforce the laws, only stepping in when invited by the players.
‘‘We don’t want to disrupt the games, but the rules need to be strictly followed, it can be a fine balancing act,” she said.
Wendy said umpires, and competitors, needed to use skills to absorb pressure this top level and then switch off at the day’s end.
‘‘Players are competitive on the green. But come the end of play they socialise quite happily.”
‘‘The New Zealanders and Australians are always at the centre of the social stuff,” she said.
With an international umpiring career dating back to 2013 and national officialdom that began in 2015, Wendy has an impressive list of tournaments in her curriculum vitae.
“Umpiring is a way for me to give back to the sport I love,” she said.
A member of the Hampstead Bowls Club, she admired the club’s innovative thinking and its ability to attract new members.
“I am one of the senior players, it’s so refreshing to be around so many young ones,” she said.
