Football umpire Don Wight has stuck to the same match-day routine for every one of his 1199 games to date and this weekend will be no different.
The Hazelwood North resident will run out to officiate his 1200th game this weekend in the seniors clash between Yallourn/Yallourn North and Boolarra but insists it will be business as usual.
“I’m not here for the accolades,” he said.
“I guess it’s a significant achievement and a lot of weekends but it really only is a number.”
Despite having run onto the field for more than 42 years, Wight said one thing he was yet to master was the ability to shake pre-game nerves.
“I’m always nervous before every game and have always packed my gear in a routine fashion starting from the feet up,” he said.
“I clean my whistle out and put water in the piece so it sounds good.
“I’m nervous of the unexpected … you don’t know how the game is going to go and one game is never the same as the next.”
While criticism is part and parcel of the umpiring caper, Wight takes it all in his stride.
“Every decision there’s a 50 per cent chance of getting it right … it just depends what side you’re on,” he said.
“I’ve always been abused but I just give them a smart answer back or embarrass them.
“And if it comes from the crowd I just say ‘thanks for coming in and paying to be here. It goes towards my funds’.”
For all the sledges and slurs the stalwart maintains the lessons learnt from umpiring are reward enough.
“What you get from umpiring is a testament of fitness, passion and commitment to society to perform at your best,” he said.
“I’ve embraced the moment and, as a consequence, been given the opportunity to umpire.
“I have gained many friends and [that is] very valuable in life.”
One of those friends is Malcolm Mayer, who umpired alongside Wight in a crowning moment in his career – his first senior grand final – the 1991 North Gippsland decider.
In a poetic twist, Mayer will again run out alongside Wight in game 1200 this weekend.
“In my 42 years with Latrobe Valley Umpires Association my first aim is to wake up the next day and take it from there,” he said.
“I’ve embraced the moment and, as a consequence, been given the opportunity to umpire.”
