Seattle Metro Softball Umpires Association
A place for people involved in the Seattle Metro Softball Umpires Association
Lou McCaffery behind the plate
We know you wait with eager anticipation every month to review the ASA Rules and Clarifications!
Check out March’s installment for the most up-to-date information.
This month includes great information on goal setting, appeal plays and some great information on uniforms! You don’t want to miss out, give it a read today.
Enjoy!
Are you ready for a party?! We’re looking forward to seeing 300 of our friends in blue this weekend in Kent. This is truly going to be a once-in-a-lifetime clinic experience.
Here’s the 2012 Regional Clinic Agenda. Note that everything gets started at 8:00 am on Saturday (registration starts at 7:00) and the party doesn’t end until 1:30 on Sunday. As if the party can ever end in ASA.
Still time to register, just email Erin and let her know you’ll be there. Or bring a friend.
Address to both Kent Meridian High School and the Host Hotel, Best Western on the Greens, can be found in this flyer.
Let’s get this party started!
All high school and middle school games are governed by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Rules. Although there aren’t many significant changes to the rules or mechanics this year, Gerald St.Clair went through some of the more significant changes for the members at the February 6 meeting.
If you missed that meeting, or want to refresh what you learned there, check out this slideshow that includes all of Gerald’s slides.
If we can help you with more or better training tools, please let us know.
John Wright at the World Cup - Come meet the guy in charge of International umpires at the Feb Clinic
In case you haven’t heard – over 250 Blues from all over the Northwest are signed up for the Region 15 ASA Clinic February 11-12.
Newest information is that Bob Stanton – Director of Umpires for the International Softball Federation will be joining the top of the top clinicians and Phil Gutierrez, President-Elect of ASA Softball will show up to see how we do things here in Seattle.
If you haven’t registered, email Erin today and give her your shirt size. This is truly going to be an amazing event – The top umpire supervisors from the United States, Canada, and the World will be here. You don’t want to miss it.
Calling all Slow Pitch Umpires!
If you are a slow pitch umpire who wants to get the call for those top games or just wants to learn from the very best slow pitch umpires in the country, seriously consider going to the ASA 2012 Slow Pitch Camp this May.
The Nebraska ASA team has a fantastic camp planned. Check out this flyer 2012 SlowPitchCampInfo for the most detailed information. Highlights include: working at the University of Nebraska; Exposure to Craig Cress, ASA Director of Umpires and Kevin Ryan, ASA Supervisor of Umpires; Training and feedback that includes a video of your plate game; working a regional qualifying tournament; meeting Blues from all over the country.
In addition, the Nebraska ASA team has set up a “payment plan” option so you can pay a little each month to cover the cost of the Camp ($400 for the camp $60/night for 3 nights in a hotel).
Grab a slow pitch buddy, think of road-tripping together or coordinating your flights, and register to learn from the best Slow Pitch Umpires in the country.
Tom Henderson Receives his ASA Elite
Congratulations to Tom Henderson and Troy Fields for earning their ASA fast pitch Elite Umpire Award.
The ASA Elite Umpire Award is the highest recognition for ASA umpires and is the first step towards earning International Softball Federation (ISF) certification. To become an ASA Elite Umpire each umpire must be selected to work two major tournaments (Men’s, Women’s, or 18 Gold) and earn an ASA “Excellent” evaluation in each of those tournaments.
Troy Fields Receives his ASA Elite
Only a very small number of all umpires ever earn their ASA Elite Award.
We’re proud to have two new ASA Elite Umpires here with SMSUA. Give them a handshake or a hug next time you see them.
Whether you’ve been umpiring for 30 years or 30 minutes, SMSUA offers top-notch training. We promise to work with all of our umpires to prepare them to reach the highest level they want to work.
We have lots of umpires who are happy working the recreational and young ages. And we have some umpires who have worked the highest levels (college world series, Olympics, and International).
Whatever your umpiring goals, our training program will help you meet them.
If you are just joining the umpire family, click here to learn about our free training for new umpires.
We look forward to seeing you on the field soon!
Your SMSUA Board is pleased to announce the birth of the new website. In the short off-season, several Board members worked to re-design the website to add more information members were asking for, make it more user friendly, and create a “member’s only” section.
A very warm and deserved “THANK YOU” to Erin Peterson who spearheaded the project and made so much happen with very limited funds.
We hope you find this tool benefits you. If you want something you don’t see, please email us and tell us what you want. We can’t guarantee we’ll get to everything right away, but we’re here to make this a “go-to” tool that members value. So let us know.
To log in as a member, go here and follow the instructions.
If you have difficulty accessing anything, please email Erin.
We’re excited to offer this. Let us know what you think.
The standard uniform for most of the games we umpire is pretty easy to remember: a powder-blue shirt, black belt, gray pants and black shoes. When you’re doing a plate game you’ll also need a blue or gray ball bag. If it’s cold, you can wear the navy blue jacket.
Here are some common questions about uniforms:
Do I have to wear a t-shirt under my uniform? What color should it be?
You do not have to wear a t-shirt under your uniform. If you do wear a t-shirt, wear white under the powder blue shirt and navy under the navy shirt.
Can I wear the long-sleeve uniform even if my partner is wearing short sleeves?
Yes.
If my partner is wearing a jacket do I have to wear a jacket?
No.
If my partner is wearing a navy blue shirt can I wear my powder blue shirt?
No. You must be dressed in the same color uniform. Powder blue is the default uniform, so if you can’t decide, go with powder.
Can I wear a white t-shirt under my navy blue shirt?
No. You must wear a navy blue t-shirt under the navy blue uniform.
Can I wear my shin guards over my pants?
No. That just looks silly.
Can I umpire in shorts?
Yes you can umpire in shorts – for SLOW PITCH only. Shorts must be navy or heather gray.
Does it matter what color ball bag I wear?
No. You can wear a navy or gray ball bag.
Will I have to buy navy pants?
The standard uniform for SMSUA is gray pants so we will not require you to buy navy. Some umpire organizations use navy pants as the standard uniform and if you travel to those organizations you may need to purchase navy pants.
Over 150 blues will descend on Kent Meridian High School February 11 and 12 to learn from the very best umpire minds in the world.
Umpires are coming from Canada and Oregon and Idaho and Montana. ASA Supervisor of Umpires, Kevin Ryan, is coming from North Carolina. Softball Canada’s National Director of Umpires, Brian Van Os, is coming from, well, Canada. Our own Malcolm Boyles and Wild Bill will be there. Will you?
There’s still time to sign up and reserve your spot. Learn from the best, meet umpires from all over the region, hang out and have some fun in and around the hospitality room. Check out all the info in the flyer then contact Erin Peterson to sign up. Be the Blue you want to be this year and make the commitment to attend the clinic.
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