By Derek Schlennstedt
41 years after her first time volunteering to umpire at the Australian Under 17 Championships in Melbourne, Susan Taylor from Kilsyth has been recognised in the Victorian Sport Awards for her ongoing work as a badminton officiate.
In January this year, Ms Taylor was announced as a finalist in the ‘Official of the Year’ category.
The Victorian Sport Awards, which is held on Wednesday 26 February at Marvel Stadium, recognises and honours individual and team athletes, coaches, administrators and volunteers from both metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Speaking to the Mail, Ms Taylor said she began her umpiring journey at the under 17 Australian Championships when she was only 14-years-old.
“My parents played badminton a lot and I started playing as junior,” she said.
“I was always outside the group that was making it through to squad and one of the people at our association was an umpire. They suggested some of the juniors could umpire the under 17 matches during the day.”
“I was spotted at that event by an umpire and then asked to become an umpire.”
Since then Ms Taylor has flown up the ranks of the local and international badminton sport and has achieved the highest possible rank in Badminton World Federation (BWF).
During her career as an international umpire, she has been able to travel the world doing something she loves.
Having dedicated 41 voluntary years to the job, Ms Taylor said she has met many friends along the way and travelled to a number of unique destinations.
“You have to be passionate, as it is voluntary … flights, accommodation and transport are covered but there is no wage.”
“I’ve always had a love for the sport and love for watching the top matches.”
“I’ve been to places I never would’ve gone to as a tourist or considered going as my own, and because you’re doing something like this you’re working with locals and you meet a lot of new people who become friends and colleagues.”
Only recently, Taylor’s tenure as a BWF Certificated Umpire ended when she retired from the badminton world in late 2019, choosing to do so at the location of very first international competition – Fu Zhou China Open.
Tasked with the difficult job of picking out a favourite moment from a lifetime of memories, she told the Mail that Umpiring the Men’s Doubles at the 2014 Super Series Final was a defining moment in her career.
“In 2014 I went to super series in Dubai.”
“It’s not traditionally a badminton place and was first time it was held in that country.
“It’s a very different culture and there were eight umpires and I was the only female there. It was very difficult for some of the local leaders to accept that I was there in the same role as the men.”
Ms Taylor was honoured to be a finalist in the Victorian Sports awards and urged more people to become involved with officiating, whatever sport they played.
“For anybody who is involved in sport, if they’ve never stepped to the side and had a go at officiating, whether that’s calling lines in tennis or doing the score in cricket they should do it, as it gives a new appreciation of what the officials do. “
“It’s good to participate in more than one aspect of your sport.”
