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hnpccWell now that I've been at work 12 hours and the bloody autoclave's still at 102oC...
I played netball last night. Up until this season I was really enjoying netball. This season is getting to me a bit. It's the rule changes. There have been something like 40 rule changes in the space of 2 years. As a result no one knows what's going on, not the umpires, the players or the people who've never picked up a ball before. There is no consistency in umpiring - what is interpreted by one umpire as obstruction is now intimidation for another umpire or perfectly OK for a third. This came to a real head for me two weeks ago when the person defending me stood right up against me - when I had the ball. The only constant thing that I had retained was "you have to be a metre from the person with the ball". So, after the game, I went and asked about this.
Umpire #1 said it was OK because the person was behind me. The fact that she was between me and the goal - and where exactly am I going to here? - was irrelevant. Because I was facing the other way it didn't matter that she wasn't three feet. I'm taking this next time as carte blanche to ram my elbows in the players side while I'm turning around if she does it again. Undoubtedly that will be contact on me, as she's OK.
Umpire #2 said everyone should be at least 3 feet from the other players at all times, regardless of whether or not they have the ball. This is unworkable. How can you go for the ball if you have to keep 1 metre between you and everyone else on the court?
I don't know. The problems were really summed up by the new definitiions of obstruction, which included the title phrase. You work it out. I can't. Waving your hands (even in an arty manner) is intimidation. Saying "hi-keeba!" is intimidation. According to an umpire last night, moving backwards so that you are 3 feet before putting your arms up is intimidation. You can intimidate with your body (kind of in an obstructive manner). But - Obstruction is Not a Choreographed Art Form.
Argh.
Last night's game really sucked, too. None of the three of us shooting (not at the same time, duh!) could get our act together and hit anything, especially the ring. We were one player short. The other team was taller than us. They had a really annoying set of supporters (it's not often I want to turn around and go "oh shut the fuck up will ya!" but I did last night. Still, they were better than that mother from LMH. Now there was a woman all of Gelf wanted to slap. Especially with her "Break their centre pass, girls!" at every single bloody centre. Still, we managed to injure her daughter (purely by accident, but hey, take what you can)). We became 2 players short at different points during the game, when our GS was knocked hard enough that she blacked out and had to go off for 15 mins (when I got to be GS) and when our GK left (I got to be GK). I also, in the interim, was WA - for all the good I did playing against a 6'4" player. *sigh*
I like playing netball. I just wish there was more consistency. And that I was fitter and taller and could jump so that when they put oversized guys to play on me it won't matter so much.
But hey, I guess I can always work out what is a permissable choregraphed art form and use it...
I played netball last night. Up until this season I was really enjoying netball. This season is getting to me a bit. It's the rule changes. There have been something like 40 rule changes in the space of 2 years. As a result no one knows what's going on, not the umpires, the players or the people who've never picked up a ball before. There is no consistency in umpiring - what is interpreted by one umpire as obstruction is now intimidation for another umpire or perfectly OK for a third. This came to a real head for me two weeks ago when the person defending me stood right up against me - when I had the ball. The only constant thing that I had retained was "you have to be a metre from the person with the ball". So, after the game, I went and asked about this.
Umpire #1 said it was OK because the person was behind me. The fact that she was between me and the goal - and where exactly am I going to here? - was irrelevant. Because I was facing the other way it didn't matter that she wasn't three feet. I'm taking this next time as carte blanche to ram my elbows in the players side while I'm turning around if she does it again. Undoubtedly that will be contact on me, as she's OK.
Umpire #2 said everyone should be at least 3 feet from the other players at all times, regardless of whether or not they have the ball. This is unworkable. How can you go for the ball if you have to keep 1 metre between you and everyone else on the court?
I don't know. The problems were really summed up by the new definitiions of obstruction, which included the title phrase. You work it out. I can't. Waving your hands (even in an arty manner) is intimidation. Saying "hi-keeba!" is intimidation. According to an umpire last night, moving backwards so that you are 3 feet before putting your arms up is intimidation. You can intimidate with your body (kind of in an obstructive manner). But - Obstruction is Not a Choreographed Art Form.
Argh.
Last night's game really sucked, too. None of the three of us shooting (not at the same time, duh!) could get our act together and hit anything, especially the ring. We were one player short. The other team was taller than us. They had a really annoying set of supporters (it's not often I want to turn around and go "oh shut the fuck up will ya!" but I did last night. Still, they were better than that mother from LMH. Now there was a woman all of Gelf wanted to slap. Especially with her "Break their centre pass, girls!" at every single bloody centre. Still, we managed to injure her daughter (purely by accident, but hey, take what you can)). We became 2 players short at different points during the game, when our GS was knocked hard enough that she blacked out and had to go off for 15 mins (when I got to be GS) and when our GK left (I got to be GK). I also, in the interim, was WA - for all the good I did playing against a 6'4" player. *sigh*
I like playing netball. I just wish there was more consistency. And that I was fitter and taller and could jump so that when they put oversized guys to play on me it won't matter so much.
But hey, I guess I can always work out what is a permissable choregraphed art form and use it...
