This year, we had a record high turnout of 43 people for the umpire clinic. Thanks to all the attendees for being involved and asking great questions during the clinic. The attendees are well on their way to becoming carded/better umpires.
Category: News
Handle Situations – Excellent article
This is an excellent read from Referee Magazine. The article is for new and experienced umpires alike. It covers everything from how to look the part to avoid confrontation, to how to properly handle situations on the diamond.
Are you missing out on the clinic this weekend?
We have arranged a 2 1/2 hour mini-clinic for brand new umpires or people who want to learn more about umpiring.. The clinic will be very beneficial to anyone in softball [Coaches, Players, Parents, etc.].
We hope this will help those who were interested, and couldn't make it this weekend. There should be other opportunities for another weekday clinic, which is being considered.
When:
Friday - April 22, 2016 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Where:
Thorncliffe Community Hall
5600 Centre St N
Calgary, AB T2K 0T3
Canada
5600 Centre St N
Calgary, AB T2K 0T3
Canada
Cost:
Free
Please RSVP to make sure we have enough room for you.. [More Info]
Share this link with your friends if you want to invite them. http://cmsua-mini-clinic.eventbrite.ca/
Announcing new 2016 CMSUA Assignor
We are pleased to announced that Mark Taylor will be the CMSUA Assignor effective immediately.
This role is a key position in the organization as it acts as first point of contact for many umpires, coaches, and CMSA League representatives.
A reminder that it is very important the umpires do their part in the Assigning process. Please read this quick summary of the important matters.
Thinking about umpiring, but not sure about it??
Umpiring can be a very fulfilling responsibility. Giving back to the game and making new friends.
We have a shortage of properly qualified umpires across Calgary. We need new umpires to keep up high-quality officiating for YOUR games.
Male and Female umpires are needed at all levels.
We've asked many umpires "Why do you do it"? The common answers are:
- Fun & exciting
- Conflict resolution skills used
- Camaraderie
- Competition
- Love of the game
- Investing back to the game
- Conditioning (mental and physical)
- Travel, brotherhood
- Personal development.
We suspect many people are unsure whether they could umpire. We want to give these people an opportunity to talk to some of the umpires before committing to taking a clinic. Or just to ask questions if you are already signed up.
We are doing a live Q&A session to answer your questions. Anything goes.
- What if I am unsure of whether I would be a good umpire?
- What does it take to be a good umpire?
- Why does CMSUA have a good umpiring program? Will you be supportive of me?
- What happens after I take a clinic and have to do my first game? Will I be alone?
- What if a coach gets in my face or doesn't like me? How do I handle this?
- How often do I need to umpire? Will you work around my already busy schedule?
- How hard is the clinic exam? What do I need to do to pass?
- What if I am busy on the weekend of the clinic? Can I still become carded?
We hope this opportunity will help those who need questions answered before they consider umpiring.
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 5th - 7:30pm [Prior Date: Fill out form if interested in a future date]
Location: Via Phone call or Google Hangout
[Details will be shared once RSVP received and date set]
Please complete the below form to RSVP. If you know of anyone else who would benefit from this, please send this info to them.
Umpire Gear – Mask vs Helmet
The Helmet
Extra protection. Having the entire head covered does provide better protection from a foul ball and a wayward swing, be it an aggressive backswing or the batter losing his grip. I don’t think any mask or helmet provides complete protection, but having something on the side of my head sure makes me feel safer.
The helmet also protects the top of your head. A lot of fields these days have overhanging backstops and foul balls behind you will ricochet down in a hurry. Getting gonged on the head when wearing a traditional mask doesn’t feel good at all.
Field of vision. The bars on the helmet are farther away from your face, which tends to open up the field of vision, making it easier to see, with fewer blind spots. Maybe it is psychological, but I definitely believe that I see the pitch more clearly with the helmet than I did with the mask.
Not wearing a hat. Others who wear helmets agree that not wearing a hat is nice. Not only does it mean I don’t have to buy a new hat every half-season because of the sweat stains, but it’s a lot cooler (temperature-wise) to have the helmet with its airflow as opposed to the mask and a wool hat that lets no air in whatsoever.
Weight distribution. The weight of a hockey-style mask is distributed evenly, so that makes it easier to wear for longer periods of time.
The Mask
Less stigma. There aren’t any nicknames associated with being a traditionalist. But every umpire who wears the bucket has been called Darth Vader or made fun of in other ways — usually by other umpires.
Improved technology. Mask technology has improved greatly over the past few years. Stronger metal is being used to make the masks and the ability for that mask to absorb a direct hit is definitely greater than in previous years. And the advantage of weighing a lot less than a helmet makes a mask the call made by a lot of umpires.
Handles indirect shots better. Neither the mask nor the helmet is going to keep you from seeing stars on a direct shot, be it a fastball or a foul ball. But the mask is designed to be worn loosely enough so that it will spin off your head when it gets drilled. That will deflect some of the energy from the hit and provide protection for you. A hockey-style mask has nowhere to go.
Avoiding sweat. An umpire working the plate will definitely sweat, but by wearing a hat, you don’t get sweat in your eyes, like you can with a helmet.
Weight. Especially with today’s lightweight masks, a mask is a lot lighter on the head than a helmet.
If you have any sort of neck issues, the mask may be the way to go. Although the weight will be frontloaded, it’s still lighter overall than a helmet.
And if you are working a lot of games, whether in a season or just in a stretch, the lighter weight makes a tremendous difference.
Cost. The best hockey-style masks are still more than $225 at many retailers.
Since baseball umpires already spend the most on equipment, any savings is a good savings.
Easier to handle when off. Ask any helmet wearer and he will tell you the most difficult thing is where to hold the helmet when you aren’t wearing it.
The mask is much easier to get off when running down the first-base line or for being in position to make any call. It’s also lighter when you have to make that emphatic safe call.
And between hitters or between innings, the mask is easier to carry than the helmet. When you have to make substitutitons or record an offensive or defensive conference, the mask fits up under your arm, where a helmet wearer always has to monkey with it to get it adjusted correctly.
Whatever decision you make — mask or hockey-style helmet — don’t be averse to trying something different. You might like the new equipment better.
(This article was published in the 07/12 issue of .)
Indicator Club Nominations
Congratulations are in order to Jim Portman and John Payne of ASUA who have been nominated to the prestigious 2016 Indicators Club. The award will be presented at the 2016 Blues Convention in Richmond,...
The post Indicator Club Nominations appeared first on Alberta Softball Umpires Association.
MENTOR – Why important?
PURPOSE The Softball Officials Program is consistently losing young or new, entry-level umpires in increasing numbers each year. Young people become disenchanted with the treatment they receive and their position in the game during...
The post MENTOR – Why important? appeared first on Alberta Softball Umpires Association.
Why are there two separate umpire associations?
I would love to work games with the younger kids and umpires periodically. I suspect the season is winding down, it may in fact be all done.
But I was surprised to find out that Calgary Minor is a separate entity from Calgary Women's Fast pitch (Calgary Softball Umpires Association).
This may explain why I am only scheduled for games for Industrial and/or at Shouldice.
How does this work and why are we split into two groups?
This is a great question, thanks for asking it. There are no secrets to be kept here. Although there are two organizations, both work closely with each other and some umpires do games for both Associations
CMSUA: Mandate is to cover games primarily for Calgary Minor Softball Association - Only Fastball
CSUA: Covers all non-minor ball, including Slow-Pitch and Fastball
The reason CSUA and CMSUA exist separately is to make sure that there is proper coverage of umpires for the leagues they are responsible for.
Slow-Pitch is a relatively new sport compared to Fastball. Years ago, Fastball was huge (Men's more than Women's), and there wasn’t enough diamonds for all the teams. Eventually all these players who loved Fastball realized they were too old for the sport, but still wanted to play ball. This brought into place an alternate set of rules called "Slow-Pitch" which focused more on the casual adult player.
Slow-Pitch grew significantly over time, and many players from Fastball moved to Slow-Pitch. There are now more Slow-Pitch team/leagues than Fastball.
Slow-Pitch is not the best game for kids to start playing (for various reasons which I will not cover here). In order to keep the Softball sport alive, a group of umpires noticed that without a focus on Minor Softball, there would be no new players entering the sport. This is also compounded by the fact that there aren't enough overall umpires. CSUA cannot cover all ball that has been requested; there are Slow-Pitch leagues that have been turned away.
CMSUA (and Edmonton's equivalent "The Blue Crew") were founded to make sure that the sport of Slow-Pitch didn't take away from the important youth teams. The members of these organizations have chosen to have Minor Softball as their priority.
Bottom line: After each Association has covered their primary responsibilities, their Assignor's have no problem sharing umpires between each organization. If you are interested in doing more ball, contact your Assignor or Executive and ask to be put in contact with the other Association's Assignor.
Final Game – Jim Portman
For those who missed it, or who may want to watch it again, here is a high-res video of Jim Portman's final game.
On June 7, 2015, Jim decided that since he couldn't keep up anymore to the kids on the diamond, it was better if he spends time helping the sport from off the diamond.
It includes a thoughtful and great tribute to him from the players. Maybe medical technology will find a way to get him back on the diamond one day, as it is a big loss for the sport.
- Thank you to Mark Hosowich and Michel Cancelliere for providing this video.