Table tennis guru Val Scarr has a simple philosophy when it comes to umpiring at the top international level.
"It's all about getting that first point right, once that happens everything else seems to fall into place," says the 66-year-old Mauriceville farmer's wife who will continue a remarkable umpiring careerwhen she becomes the only official from the Oceania region to control matches at the 2012 London Olympics.
Scarr should certainly know what she is talking about. This might be her first Olympics but her umpiring CV includes world championships in Croatia in 2007, Moscow in 2010 and Germany in 2012.
Throw in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the world para championships in Taiwan and South Korea and it's not hard to see why she has become something of a legend in her sport.
One of only two Kiwis to hold a blue badge in umpiring - the highest possible distinction - Scarr will be one of 18 umpires ruling the table-tennis roost in London and, while specific appointments have yet to be made, she expects to be controlling a mix of singles, doubles and combined doubles matches as well as the team event.
Scarr admits a programme of that intensity can be testing, mentally and physically, but she says you can't afford to waste energy thinking about the pressures associated with it.
"You have to treat the Olympics like any other event, yes, you are likely to make the odd mistake but you can't let that affect the focus, you have to put it behind you straightaway. You just have to accept that nobody is perfect, that providing you do your best everything will be OK."
Scarr recalls when table tennis had a strong following in Wairarapa but, unfortunately, that is now no longer the case and she regularly commutes to Palmerston North to play and umpire.
It was there, in fact, that another of this country's top officials, Mike McAvinue, persuaded her to advance her umpiring to the point where she could officiate at international level. That was less than a decade ago, so the progress made in such a relatively short space of time has been mind boggling, not less to Scarr herself.
"I've basically been able to travel the world and stay involved in the sport I love so much at the same time, it's been amazing."
