Parkes woman Kim Robinson said geography may be her biggest challenge when it comes to officiating at athletics events.
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But she hasn’t let that stop her from officiating at her biggest event of her sporting career – the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The Parkes East Public School teacher was determined to make the cut when first applying for a place on the team, hearing news of her selection in August.
Robinson was one of 180 officials selected from 300 applications, nominated by Athletics Australia and decided upon by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC).
It was a very pleasing result since one of the requirements for selection was to attend certain athletic events.
“As soon as I realised it was a possibility, that became a goal,” Robinson said.
“Being out here has been challenging and I also have a family so I could only go to events when I could.
“I was very excited and very nervous [when selected]. I felt privileged, knowing how many people applied.
“There was a large pool of talented people.”
She’s also not the only teacher – Robinson noticed a lot of the officials selected were teachers, mostly from high schools.
Robinson has been officiating at every national athletics titles since 2014, attending last year’s in Sydney, and has completed online training courses for her development.
As part of her selection she will attend an information seminar in Sydney and will meet the NSW team, and officiate at the Australian athletics selection trials for the Commonwealth Games from February 14-18 on the Gold Coast.
These trials will act, what Robinson described, as a “test event” for officials ahead of the Games.
“Whatever we do at nationals, we’ll do at the Commonwealth Games,” she said.
She will also receive her Commonwealth Games uniform at nationals.
Come April 5, day one of the Games, Robinson will be a technical field judge, officiating the javelin or hammer throw, and judging the bar in high jump.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the team and sharing the experience and atmosphere – that I think will be really cool,” she said.
Robinson has a big passion for the sport.
“It’s just something I really enjoy,” she said.
“It’s so cool to watch the athletes...making sure they perform to their best ability.
“Here we have incredibly talented athletes with a specialised skill, when they get it right it’s just so cool.
“They train their butts off...we’re there to help them do well and that’s our job.”
It’s not the first time Robinson will be helping out at an international event, having volunteered at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at 21 years old.
But it will be her first international competition as an official.
“I’m a little athletics kid, I grew up in Gatton in Queensland,” Robinson said.
She became an official at school level in 2010.
By 2014, she was convening the PSSA (Primary Schools Sports Association) Lachlan District Athletics, which covers 12 schools.
At the time she wanted teachers to be more skilled at organising and judging school athletics carnivals, so she invited two officials from Sydney to come to Parkes to train her colleagues.
The officials – Barry Pecar and John Morris – were retired principals who worked for the Department of Education training officials. They were also both Commonwealth Games officials and one, an Olympic official.
It was here that these men alerted Robinson of a pathway to officiating if she was interested.
“My enthusiasm matched theirs,” she laughed.
She’s now one of the Western managers for PSSA Athletics until the end of 2018.
Athletics Australia said they would like to acknowledge the importance of skilled and talented officials who volunteer their time for their athletes.
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