A great article courtesy of USA Field Hockey.
Umpiring: A Family Affair
The Plappert trio of Diane, Elly,
and Hannah has made umpiring a family affair, an opportunity to bond, spend
quality time together and make some extra cash.
The trio worked their first field hockey tournament together in Orlando,
Florida over the summer and is already looking forward to the next time they
take the pitch together with a whistle in hand.
Diane, mother of Elly and Hannah,
coached field hockey at the youth level and commenced her umpiring career in
2004 after her daughters began playing the sport year round. Elly started reffing girl’s lacrosse and
found it was a nice way to make extra cash while doing something she
enjoyed. She joined her mother and
sister on the field hockey pitch in the summer of 2012.
“My mom, sister and I are all very
close. We do a lot together and this is
just one more thing that brings us together,” said Elly.
“I love working with my girls, it’s
terrific and has been a great experience for all of us. They are quick to tell me when I make a
mistake. But, they are also quick to ask
me a question – especially when it comes to managing the coaches and/or
parental behavior on the sidelines. We
do a good job of balancing ‘ref talk’ with ‘girl talk,’” says Diane.
Diane loves the physical and mental
challenges of umpiring and says she has met wonderful people throughout her
umpiring career that share the same desire as she does to grow and develop as
an umpire. So when Diane’s daughters
became old enough and needed a part-time job, she encouraged umpiring.
“I absolutely encouraged my
daughters to start umpiring. Players
make great umpires. They get right into
the flow of the game and see the foul and the consequence and they know whether
or not to blow their whistle to facilitate fair play. My girls needed to work and they started out
reffing girls’ lacrosse. The money is
good and there are many spring and summer tournaments throughout the Mid-Atlantic
area. When USA Field Hockey encouraged
players and young umpires to attend the Disney Junior Field Hockey Showcase to
learn and develop, we jumped at the opportunity.”
For Elly, the extra cash is nice but
umpiring is a way for her to stay involved in the game even after her playing
career is over. “It’s nice to be able to
continue to be involved in the game,” said Elly. “I hope that umpiring can keep me active and
involved with field hockey after I am no longer a player. I can’t imagine my life without practices and
games and it is reassuring that I can continue to umpire and stay connected to
the game while my life leads me in a more career oriented direction.”
So, what’s it like having your
family as colleagues on the field and at tournaments?
“It’s a lot of fun,” says Elly. “Personally I think my mom is a great
umpire. She makes her calls with
confidence and is serious when she needs to be, but is always looking to make
the game a fun experience for everyone involved. My sister is a very confident and
professional umpire. I think we all work
well together because we are open with each other. My mom is always looking for feedback on her
game and we are all very receptive to any pointers that the others can give and
we give them willingly.”
The Plappert’s are hoping to be back
in action on the field together soon.
“We hope to continue working
tournaments together,” said Diane. “We
love the travel and the opportunity to share new experiences. We hope to get to Festival in November,
although both girls play for their colleges and it makes for a very busy
fall. There are many opportunities for
indoor hockey in December and January when the girls will be home for semester
break, so we plan on working the Indoor Qualifiers. We will definitely come back to Disney in the
summer!”
USA Field Hockey is actively seeking
new umpires. If you are interested,
visit usafieldhockey.com for more information on getting involved or contact
USA Field Hockey’s Umpiring Director Steve Horgan at
shorgan@usafieldhockey.com.