Minka Woolley during the Olympic semi final between Argentina and Netherlands, and inset

Minka tops Aussie Charts 

Australian umpire Minka Woolley recently won Hockey Australia’s Women’s Official of the Year Award.

She lives in Devonport, Tasmania, with her husband Nigel and two children Ayrton 17, and Torren 12. A physical education teacher at a senior secondary college, Minka has umpired 30 internationals, including the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2002 and 2003 Champions Trophy tournaments. 

Q: What's the best advice you've been given? 

A: A difficult question - my son tells me he gives me my best advice, with the latest being “Get over it''. I doubt whether this is the best I've ever had but with a 17-year-old in the house, it is probably the one I have to practice the most at the moment. 

Q: What’s the most exciting international match you’ve umpired? 

A: Even though the Athens Olympic semi final was my greatest umpiring achievement to date, the most exciting one would probably have to be the Argentina v China Pool match, also in Athens last year. Neither team had lost a match and the winner of that Pool would avoid having to play the Dutch who were top of the other Pool. Given the way the Dutch were playing during the rounds, this was a position worth aiming for. 

I umpired this match with Renee Cohen from the Netherlands and it was just one of those games that flowed. We hardly had to get involved at all (always a good sign) with the players just wanting to get on with the game. Both teams were brilliant to umpire. China went to an early 2-0 lead and then Argentina came back to equalise just before the half time break. The second half was just as exciting with history of course showing that China eventually ran out winners. Renee and I were on a real high after that game. 

Probably the most interesting game I’ve umpired was the final of the KT Cup in Seoul in 2002. The match was between China and Korea and Sarah Garnett (NZ) and I spent most of the game doing absolutely nothing as both teams transferred the ball repeatedly around the back (for up to five minutes at a time) with the opposition not moving forward to do anything about it. 

Every now and again there was a little bit of midfield play then it was back to the transfers around the back, left to right to left and so on. We could do nothing about it but it was the most unusual set of tactics we had ever seen. China eventually won after they scored off a penalty corner after the final whistle. Thankfully I haven’t seen that sort of play repeated. 

Q: What did you learn most from your parents? 

A: I learned that women can be anything they want to be. My parents always encouraged striving regardless of whether it was sport, school or work. They certainly did not treat me any differently to my two brothers in this respect. I also learnt about the importance of commitment and loyalty. 

Q: How do you handle disappointment? 

Another difficult question. A friend says I do it 'with rational discipline on the outside”, while Nigel (husband) says “I either take it out on him or shop'. I’m not sure whether these answers are correct, but if shopping is how I handle disappointment, then I must be disappointed lots of the time because shopping is definitely a favourite pastime! 

Q: Who is the person you most admire? 

A: On the hockey front, I really admired Alyson Annan when she was playing for Australia. I think she changed the face of women's hockey with her speed, footwork and brilliant skills leading the game into a new era. When she got the ball you knew something exciting was going to happen. Argentina's Luciana Aymar has a different style but creates similar magic. 

I think Annan was the first player of the modern era to make people realise that women's hockey was really worth watching. She, along with other members of the Hockeyroos of her time certainly had this effect in Australia. 

On the home front, my father is my inspiration. Since he has retired and become a grandparent I have really been able to appreciate who he is and what he has done and is still doing. He turns 80 this year and I often think we don’t really know our parents until we become parents ourselves. 

Q: Is there anything you regret? 

A: I don’t have many regrets, but not making more of my hockey playing ability when I was younger is probably one of them. State teams came pretty easily to me at an early age and even though I made Australian junior teams, I did not commit myself enough when I joined the senior ranks. 

Q: What is your most embarrassing moment? 

A: I don’t think I want you to print this but… when I was pregnant with my son, I went into labour seven weeks early. I arrived at the hospital in an ambulance with about 20 minutes to spare. If that wasn’t bad enough, just before I was about to deliver him, the doctor rang a bell so that all the trainees could see the procedure for delivering a premature baby. I didn’t realise that this would mean about 20 young doctors would end up viewing me at close quarters as I delivered my son. I only hoped that one of the medical students was not someone that I had taught over the years. After that I don’t think anything could ever worry me! 

Q: What is the trait that you most admire in people? 

A: Loyalty. I have always believed in committing to a sport or particular club and find it difficult when I see people jumping from one club or sport to another. I believe people who can stick with something or someone even when the going gets tough are the best sort of people to have around you. 

Q: What are you proudest of? 

A: Hockey wise it would have to have been umpiring in Athens. It was a long held dream that I never thought would ever be possible particularly at my age. Even now it’s hard to believe that it ever happened. When I was 34, I was told that I was probably too old to go any further in umpiring. 

For a few years this appeared to be the case but a lucky break and some great support saw me get some good tournaments all of which I treated as a real bonus. I will never forget being told in Auckland at the Olympic Qualifier last year that I was going to Athens. It was a very special time and to have been part of that Olympic spirit is something that will stay with me forever. 

I was also thrilled and honoured when I was placed on the World/Olympic umpiring panel last year and when I was recently named Hockey Australia's Women’s Official of the Year. 

Q: What is your favourite song? 

A: I don’t really have any particular favourites - I like lots of different styles of music but not rap and head banging stuff! Carly Simon's “You're so Vain” was big when I was at high school (now that is going back!) Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” was big when I was at university and Cher's “Turn Back Time” was a song I blasted out one morning just before my team won their hockey grand final in 1997. We hadn’t won a final for seven years at that stage so the tune seemed appropriate. More recently I have been enjoying listening to Missy Higgins. 

Q: How would your friends describe you? 

A: I’m not sure, but I think they would probably say I was a positive, outgoing sort of person, exuberant at times, ferociously loyal to my family, and find it hard to forgive sometimes. Being a Libran, they would say I don’t like conflict, am a romantic and find it hard to make decisions on unimportant issues.

They would definitely say I love shopping, especially for shoes - eight pairs in Athens would be a good example of that.  They would probably also say I am a bit of a fitness fanatic at times but this is not really true. I have to train hard so that I can enjoy other favourite pastimes like eating and drinking. People who really know me well would say they don’t know me well because I value my privacy. 

Q: What would you like to achieve? 

A: Other than a very good lottery win, I would like to continue to be happy and healthy and live to an old age. I can hear some people saying I am already 'old'. I would also like to umpire at the World Cup next year. I would also like to do lots more world travel in the future hopefully with my family. 

Q: Name your desert island essentials? 

A: A motorised rubber dingy so I could get off the island - I've been watching the TV show ‘Survivor' and except for the fact that you get to lose a lot of weight on a deserted island, I can’t say I would enjoy the other bits. If I couldn’t have the dingy I would like to have some decent company. 

Q: What do you do to relax? 

A: I love the summer, hot sun, a glass of wine, a good book and pleasant company. If given a choice I would always choose a holiday in the sun… where there was some decent shopping.