The Umpires

I've had some players and coaches inquiring about the umpire situation. There has also been some comments and messages sent asking about the umpires. So I figured I would take some time to explain how the SCK umpire system works.

The first thing of note is, most of our umpires are volunteers, excluding one. We are always trying to recruit umpires but few are willing to step up because frankly, its a tough, tough job. Straight up, its a pain in the ass! Its like deciding to have half the league look at you with those evil eyes and thoughts of disgust every single Wed. However the few that have stepped up should be applauded not scorned as they sometimes are.

Kickball is very similar to baseball or softball but its not the exact same thing. I know many players look at a play and think to themselves, "well in softball that's not how it goes." Which is the reason why we ask everyone to read the rulebook. It makes everything alot easier for the players, coaches, and umpires. Everyone should be on the same page.

During the off-season the umpires go through a small training camp. We also have rules meetings to make sure we are all consistence in our rulings and calls. Big leagues like WAKA use a system of asking each individual team to provide an umpire for a specific game. This usually results in a player who isn't the best person for the job, being assigned to umpire a game. Other leagues pay an "official" umpire to officiate games at $20 bucks per game or $10 per team.

This option was presented to the coaches last season and they decided against it. Which I feel was the right decision.

I don't feel there is a huge difference between paid umpires or volunteer umpires. It all comes down to how well you know the game. Most of our umpires have been playing for three seasons. With each game they are getting better but they are human. People make mistakes. They can't see everything. Who can? Yet they continue to go out there and try to get better. Sometimes I feel that players and coaches are insinuating that the umpires are being biased. Honestly, I shouldn't say this, but that is one thing that infuriates me. The reason being is, I know each umpire personally and I trust their judgement. The whole reason we don't randomly select umpires is we need to be sure it is someone who is honest and has their heart into doing a good job.

The other question I get is this, "Why do umpires officiate on the same field they play on?" The answer to this is simple, man power. Initially the plan was umpires WOULDN'T officiate on their own field but it turned out to be impossible to schedule with only a handful of umpires. Now our biggest focus is making sure we even have enough umpires for each game. Trust me when I say these scenarios are thought out but sometimes we just can't make it happen.

Again please trust that these umpires, even though they might miss calls, are trying to get these games done fairly. And for the person who was commenting that Shocker or Balls & Dolls umpires are making calls to benefit the other team, you just don't get it. YOU might be the sort of devious person capable of doing that but believe me, they are not! If you think there is some sort of umpire conspiracy preventing teams from winning....well....thats just sad.