Manawatu mum Jamie Worthington has overcome multiple roadblocks to follow her passion, with a resilient spirit defining a pivotal comeback moment following her selection to umpire at the Netball New Zealand (NNZ) U18 Championships in July.
With netball a constant in her life, Worthington (née Manuel) found her niche in umpiring, which began in earnest 13 years ago, but the journey has been far from plain sailing.
"The appointment itself is exciting, but what makes it so special is everything that sits behind it," Worthington said.
"The pregnancies, surgeries, injuries, rehabilitation, setbacks and self-doubt all make this opportunity feel even more meaningful.
"For me, it's confirmation that the hard work has been worth it and that there is still a pathway forward. It feels like I'm back on the radar and moving in the right direction again, which is incredibly motivating."
Starting out in umpiring at a young age while still at school, mainly to earn a bit of extra money, Worthington did not view it as a serious pathway at that stage. That changed when she moved to Christchurch to study for a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) at the University of Canterbury.
She gained her NZC Award in 2014 and attended her first NNZ tournament the same year, the U17 Championships, as well as the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, umpiring the third-fourth playoff in both.
In 2015, and in a huge personal milestone, Worthington gained her NZB Award while umpiring the final at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships. That same year she was selected for the NNZ Watchlist Squad and remained part of the programme until 2022. During that time, she officiated at New Zealand age-group and school tournaments, tertiary championships, New Zealand and Central Pulse training games, and fixtures in the second-tier national league.
There was no slowing down for Worthington when her children were born. After the arrival of her son in 2018, she continued umpiring Premier One netball until she was 34 weeks pregnant. Following the birth of her daughter in 2020, she was back umpiring just six weeks later.
"While becoming a mother certainly changed how I approached the sport, I never stopped wanting to be involved," she said.
"Umpiring remained something that was important to me and something I wanted to continue pursuing alongside raising my family.
"Even during pregnancies and the early stages of motherhood, I always saw umpiring as part of my future. I've never really left the game. I continued umpiring right up until late in both pregnancies and returned as soon as I was physically able. Netball has always been a huge part of my life, and I couldn't imagine not being involved in some capacity."
It is something of an understatement to describe Worthington as a busy person. She juggles motherhood and family responsibilities with fulltime work and sporting aspirations, while also recovering from two C-sections and trying to maintain her fitness and stay involved in the game.
"I don't really know any different," is the simple response from the woman who wears multiple hats.
"I'm a fulltime teacher, a mum of two, a wife, a player, a coach and an umpire, so life is always busy."
A significant ankle injury in 2022, which required reconstructive surgery the following year, put her out of action for some time.
"The recovery process was long and, at times, frustrating," Worthington said.
"In 2024, I made a conscious decision to focus on simply getting back on court and enjoying umpiring again, rather than putting pressure on myself to chase tournament appointments."
Feeling ready to return to national tournaments in 2025, Worthington's plans were again derailed when she suffered a torn calf muscle.
"I knew then that if I wanted to give umpiring another genuine crack, I needed to put the work into becoming the best version of myself physically and mentally," she said.
"I shifted my focus to rebuilding my fitness, improving my overall health, dropping some weight and creating sustainable habits that would allow me to perform at a higher level. It wasn't about a specific appointment or tournament anymore, it was about proving to myself that I could do the hard work and give myself every opportunity to succeed.
"At the same time, I set myself a goal of umpiring the final at the Lower North Island Secondary Schools Championships. I had previously won three finals as a player and two as an assistant coach, so I wanted to be able to say I had also umpired one. Achieving that goal reignited my passion and reminded me how much I still wanted to achieve in the sport."
A conversation with former international umpire and Netball Central Zone CEO Ann Hay proved a turning point for Worthington, who set her focus on working her way back through the pathway, starting with the upcoming NNZ U18 Championships.
Being reselected into the Netball Central Zone Advanced Squad for 2026 was a huge confidence boost.
"Looking back now, that period was probably one of the most important parts of my journey," she said.
"The work I put into myself off the court gave me the confidence to believe I could compete at a higher level again and helped set me up for the opportunities that have followed this year. Throughout all of this, I've been incredibly fortunate to have the support of my coach, Angela Armstrong-Lush, who has backed me through every stage of the journey."
While the rebuild has been long and challenging, being appointed to the U18 Championships is an important step for Worthington, and strong performances there will help continue her upward momentum.
"Originally, my motivation was about giving back to a sport that had given me so much," she said.
"Now, as a mother, umpiring has become something slightly different. It's a space that is just for me. It's something I genuinely enjoy, something I'm good at and something that continues to challenge me.
"I still play Premier One netball and coach both Premier One and secondary school netball through MANUKURA, but umpiring is the pathway that I believe could potentially take me all the way to the top."
Driven and highly motivated, the ultimate goal for Worthington remains to achieve an International Umpire Award (IUA) and officiate at a Commonwealth Games and a Netball World Cup.
"I know there is still a long way to go, but that's what excites me," she said.
"I've learned through injuries, motherhood and setbacks that progress isn't always linear. If umpiring can take me around the world and allow me to contribute to the sport at the highest level, that would be incredibly special."