Big shoutout to our very own Richard Baggs who led the Vantage U18 Boys National Tournament last week in Napier. Baggsy has been commended by Hockey New Zealand for playing an outstanding role in the tournament’s success and has taken big strides in his own personal development as a Technical Official.

Congratulations Baggsy on all your success and hard work, and thanks for answering a couple of questions for us to share with our community:

• How was your experience at the tournament?
Busy! There are often a lot of things happening around the games that require attention. I tried to get out to watch as many games as I could and to talk with managers, spectators and the rest of the officiating group. It’s a good way to get a feel for what’s happening and satisfying when you get good feedback.

• What were you most proud of?
Being part of an officiating group that committed to learning and supporting each other and then living that out during the week. I believe that was the biggest contributor to the smooth running of the tournament.

• Biggest learning to carry forward in your career?
Kaahore taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takatini. We cannot succeed without the support of those around us.