Whistling Her Way to the World Cup
International hockey umpire Karen Bennett
IT’S 2014 AND THE INTERNATIONAL STADIUM AT
The Hague in the Netherlands is at capacity, brimming with cheering and chanting supporters from around the world. Twenty-two players take to the field, feeding off the highoctane energy and the support of each other. Two umpires also enter the fray, isolated and at opposing ends of the field, yet with the weight of the Hockey World Cup tournament on their shoulders. Call the games well and they’ll go unnoticed, make a mistake and they’ll be villainised, the hopes and dreams of nations crushed.
It was into this broiling cauldron of high-performance hockey that Canterbury’s Karen Bennett stepped, whistle in hand and one of just 18 umpires from around the world selected to adjudicate at this elite level. It was a long way from the quiet, leafy suburbs of Ashburton where Karen grew up.
A keen hockey player herself, Karen laughs that hockey ‘was in our DNA’, spending her childhood playing for Ashburton’s Wakanui Club. A respected defender, she achieved Mid Canterbury senior representative honours and also played for Avon Hockey Club in Christchurch’s premier league.
However, it was as an adjudicator of hockey that Karen excelled, a role she accidentally fell into but one that took her to the highest level of hockey around the world. Supported by her local hockey club, Karen was umpiring senior club hockey by the time she was just 18 years old, but it was in her third year at university that the world of umpiring opened up to her. Invited to attend the Under 15 national girls’ tournament, she laughs now at her laidback attitude. ‘Cool, I’ve never been to Napier.’ Believing she was heading off for a holiday in the sun with a few games of hockey thrown in, she was astounded to find herself umpiring up to three games a day. At the end of the tournament, she was awarded the final to officiate and realised ‘this could be a thing’.
Much like playing hockey, umpiring hockey requires a strong skill set. Karen admits the responsibility ‘can be demanding to enable the game to take place and at times the only decisions noted are the bad ones or the wrong ones. You need to remember why you’re there. For me, it’s because I love the game!’ Karen has a mantra that she umpires by, a selfless one that allows hockey to shine and sums up her gracious and humble attitude. ‘Make sure the players are safe, the game is fair and the skills of hockey are protected.’ Tellingly, she adds, ‘The key is not to be the star of the show.’
Known as KB in hockey circles, Karen’s rise to the top of international hockey was meteoric, with her first exposure to international hockey coming in 2010 when she was just 23 years old. Following the national frameworks and pathways that shadow New Zealand’s national tournaments, Karen had been accredited as an elite umpire and was given the opportunity to umpire a domestic test match against Ireland in Wellington, as well as a Four Nations Cup tournament in Beijing. It was a bitter-sweet exposure. She’d had a taste
of international umpiring but Karen wasn’t awarded her international badge, needing more experience before she’d be deemed a fully-fledged international umpire. Happily, this came just two years later. Even today Karen is starstruck, enthusing, ‘Peter von Reth gave me my badge!’ A rock star in the world of umpiring, he’s a highly awarded and respected international hockey officiator. For Karen, it was the icing on the cake. ‘I felt really empowered by getting that ticket. I was surfing this wave of opportunity.’
It was heady and exciting times, not just for Karen, but for female umpires throughout New Zealand as hockey’s governing body was actively looking to develop women into top umpiring roles. In Karen’s early days, Corinne Pritchard MNZM was at the forefront, leading the charge and encouraging umpires to be recognised as part of the hockey culture as much as the players. While there were only a couple of international female umpires in New Zealand when Karen started, there were nine by the time Karen announced her retirement from hockey in April of this year.
Like any international athlete, the rewards of umpiring elite hockey are high. However, just like international athletes, the rewards don’t come without sacrifice and dedication. With little funding available to umpires, the road to the top was
challenging at times. Every four months Karen had to submit her Body Mass Index (a body fat measure) and a maximal aerobic endurance fitness test to the International Hockey Federation. She also completed regular speed testing, with a sprint requirement of 45 metres within an impressive seven seconds, umpired domestically and attended international online umpiring forums. There was a personal development plan that covered technical knowledge, game management and mental preparation as well as the life coach Karen employed to support her to develop strategies to deal with the pressure. More than merely officiating a match, a crucial poor umpiring decision could be catastrophic for international teams, with potential for cuts in funding, the loss of jobs for coaches and withdrawn sponsorship.
It wasn’t just Karen making sacrifices to be an international umpire, but also her wife, Gail Turney. Karen’s enduring soundboard and cheerleader, Gail has been by Karen’s side for over 14 years. Gail laughs that ‘at times I felt like a hockey widow’ but it was Gail who told Karen, ‘You’re good enough; get going’, providing Karen with the home support and encouragement that allowed her to achieve her dreams. Karen admits that ‘being away from family is hard’ so it was incredibly special for Karen that Gail and her son, Edward, were there to support her for her last international match. It was in June 2019 between Germany and the USA, a game that ‘went superbly. I was at a point in my career that I was at peace with my ability to manage the game.’ Poignantly, Karen didn’t expect this to be her last game. Six months later the world was in a state of upheaval with the emergence of COVID-19. More happily, Karen and Gail’s household was also in a state of upheaval with the arrival of their daughter Margot Lucy who was born in May 2020. A gorgeous little cherub of squishy thighs and endearing smiles, it’s easy to see why Karen is smitten with her beautiful daughter. ‘I can’t wait to wake up every day and see her,’ she gushes.
Karen may have retired from umpiring, but hockey still runs through her veins. Settled in Akaroa with Gail and Margot, Karen has established a junior hockey programme for local children. It began with 10 children but she now has up to 60 regulars! The lack of turf is no problem. Karen laughs that the grounds at Akaroa Area School are beautifully manicured and after this year’s drought they run hard and flat just like an artificial pitch! While her personal focus is now on grass roots hockey, Karen recently topped off a stellar international career with recognition from Hockey New Zealand and a silver award for services to hockey.
Karen may no longer get the ‘best seat in the house’ to watch playmaker and eight-time World Player of the Year Argentina’s Luciana Aymar, or the chance to stand alongside fellow Ashburton girl and former Black Stick Stacey Carr on the world stage, but she is content. After eight years and 59 international games, Karen is retiring gracefully. ‘My whistle’s hung up.’
While her personal focus is now on grass roots hockey, Karen recently topped off a stellar international career with recognition from Hockey New Zealand and a silver award for services to hockey.