It was a special day for the Olsson family, as Peyton and mum Nerolie were also awarded their B badge accreditation.
The accolade for Peyton is a major milestone on a journey still in its early stages but progressing quickly.
“I was not expecting it at all because a lot of the girls that were there that also got badged on that day were juniors, and I come from a very small town in relation to the other girls that umpire so it's not like I should be that well known,” she said.
“So it was a very big surprise to me when I got it, and I didn't just get it because I was the only junior that got badged that day.“
Another umpire badged on the day was Peyton’s close friend Georgia McGowan, adding another surreal moment to a day that will live long in the memory.
“Georgia was the one who originally taught me how to umpire, so she was my first coach, as well as my auntie Naomi,” Peyton said.
“It was very special to me that both my mum and Georgia both got badged with me on the same day.”
Along with Georgia, it’s clear that Peyton’s family has been a major influence on her umpiring career thus far.
“My auntie used to umpire basically everything and from that Mum started umpiring, and that's when I started umpiring their trainings just at Echuca United every Thursday, their senior trainings,” she said.
“That's when I grew the love for umpiring and eventually getting out onto the EDNA courts and umpiring over there, and getting my first game in Murray League for Echuca United.”
Peyton has dreams of one day umpiring at SSN level or even on the world stage, but her next focus is being selected for the under-17s National Netball Championships and later into the high-performance squad.
The B badge can help umpires progress quicker into officiating lower-end Victorian Netball League matches, and while the practical implications are vast, mum Nerolie spoke of how such recognition can also have psychological benefits.
“Super proud moment to have her awarded that rising star, it really has boosted her confidence a lot too,” she said.
“We've got each other to lean on, to learn from, and I guess to just help keep progressing.”
Elsewhere on the day, the under-15 North Central Region side, coached by EDNA’s Betty McCoomb and featuring two players from the Echuca Football Netball Club in Milla Ryan and Luella Williams, performed strongly.
McCoomb’s team finished seventh out of 18 teams, posting a record of nine wins, six losses and two draws, vastly improving on a 4-13 record at last year’s State Titles.
There was also Echuca representation in the North Central Region’s under-17 male outfit, with 13-year-olds Seth Oliver and Jaxson Foley playing against many opponents that were much older than them.
It was a tough day out for the team, who lost all six of its matches, though Oliver and Foley likely gained a lot out of the experience as two bottom-age players.
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