Polosak inspiring next generation of female umpires

She's a trailblazer in umpiring circles. She has officiated international cricket around the world. And now Claire Polosak finds herself as a role model for the next generation.

"It is never something that I expected (to have young girls look up to me)," Polosak told cricket.com.au.

Holly Searle is one of these youngsters. An 18-year-old aspiring umpire from New South Wales, Searle is currently undertaking an umpiring course and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Polosak.

"It gives me shivers, hearing that," Polosak said. "I guess it's the old adage of 'you can't be what you can't see', and that applies in many walks of life, but no less than in officiating.

"It isn't something that I'm thinking about when I'm umpiring, you just focus on getting the next decision right, but it is really special to hear that there are people looking up to me.

"I think it highlights the importance of making sure that we make it easier for the next generation coming through."

It isn't hard to see why Searle has looked at Polosak as her inspiration, given the resume. She has nearly 200 games of international experience, she was the first female umpire in a Men's ODI, the first female umpire to officiate in a men's Test match as the fourth umpire and was one of the first two female umpires (alongside Eloise Sheridan) to stand in a Sheffield Shield game.

They are achievements that Polosak holds dear to her heart.

"For the decades of hard work and perseverance, it is special to see that pay off. It can't be taken away from me," she said.

"It was never something I set out to do when I started umpiring, I just wanted to work hard and keep improving. It shows that if you keep preserving at something, anything is possible.

"It shows the next generation of umpires, whether you are male or female, that hard work does pay off eventually."

Polosak's career began more than 20 years ago in Goulburn, New South Wales, as she looked for a way to stay connected with the game without having to play.

"Growing up there wasn't any girls cricket, and I was too scared to play with the boys," Polosak said.

"I followed cricket from afar for a few years before a friend told me about an umpiring course at the SCG when I would have been about 15 years old. 

"My dad would finish work, drive me the two-and-a-half-hour journey to the SCG to do this course and then drive me back. It took me a couple of times to pass the assessment – it probably didn't help that I'd never played cricket, but I did end up passing."

With umpiring in the mid-2000s heavily male-dominated, Polosak was one of the few female umpires going around, but she said that the support of those within the NSW umpiring system helped her progress.

"It's really important to have a strong network of people, and I was lucky enough to have that through the NSW Cricket Umpires' and Scorers' Association and Cricket NSW," Polosak said.

"When I first started, I looked up to people like Simon Taufel, who was at the height of his umpiring career. I worked pretty closely with people like Darren Goodger, Ben Treloar and Sam Nogajski, plus I also had a mentor in Bill Hendricks, who was important in my career.

"I've been very lucky with the support I've had, and it has made a big difference."

As Polosak rose through the ranks, women's cricket rose alongside her, turning from a semi-professional industry into one for full-time athletes.

"I think when the WBBL came around and women's cricketers were put on full-time contracts, you really started to see the skill level improve," Polosak said.

"That's no real secret. You have more time to train, which means you're only going to get better.

"I think that's been really exciting to see the skill level of the players increase and the depth of the players across the country increase. The WBBL is one of the best competitions in the world for women's cricket, and just seeing that go from strength to strength is really exciting."

In the last 20 years, Polosak has risen through the ranks of Australian cricket to become one of the leading female umpires in the world. 

She has officiated at fifteen Women's World Cups (both ODI and T20) and is a member of the ICC Emerging Umpires Group, as well as sitting on the ICC International Panel of Umpires.

Despite all of her years of experience, Polosak is determined to keep improving at her craft.

"One of the things I love about umpiring is that there's no endgame," Polosak said.

"What I mean by that is the only real end goal is to want to be better and improve yourself for the next game.

"I just love the fact that every game that I'm umpiring, I'm learning. My goal is to umpire as well as I can, take every opportunity that I get and do the best that I can with it."

With her career progressing on-field, it has also progressed off-field. Alongside fellow umpire and close friend Eloise Sheridan, Polosak is beginning an umpiring network for female umpires to continue their growth.

"We're looking to launch a Women & Girls Umpiring Network around in country in November," Polosak said.

"We've already got over 50 expressions of interest, and it is exciting because we're looking to add another layer of support for female umpires across Australia. 

"I'm a big believer in that a rising tide raises all boats, so if we can create a community that helps everyone learn from each other, the whole umpiring community can only get better.

"If anyone is interested and wants to be involved, they can contact their local state association."

It is initiatives like these that showcase Polosak's passion for umpiring as she continues to push for more people to get involved

"Umpiring is critical for the growth of the game," she said. "We want everyone to play and love the game, and umpiring is one way to be involved. You learn these transferrable skills from umpiring, such as decision making, conflict management and communication.

"It is honestly just so much fun and when you have those days where you can feel yourself getting better, there is nothing like it. 

"To anyone who is interested in getting involved, just go and give it a crack."