UNITY – The U17 C softball provincial championships held in Macklin on July 5,6 and 7 was not only the end to the softball season, but also an umpiring career.
Trevor Green grew up in Dinsmore, where he learned to play ball as a young kid by joining the minor league. With his first-hand knowledge of the game, Green started umpiring in 2012 after seeing how hard it was to find umpires to call games. Green watched both of his children play on the diamonds when they were in the minor leagues and knew how difficult it was to find officials and how heartbreaking it was for the kids to hear their game had to be cancelled.
“My son, Chase was umpiring at the time, and he was the only one doing it, so I decided to sign up to help not only him, but the teams that wanted to play,” said Green.
Green learned how to umpire both softball and baseball and continued to sign up for the yearly training. He was able to meet lots of other locals who were interested in the sport and wanted to help with the shortage of umps that plagued the local diamonds.
Green became a well-known official over the years, so much so that he was chosen to umpire many big games, including Softball Canada’s National Championships held in Saskatoon in August 2023.
“I have a lot of great memories being an official, including the time Chase and I officiated a game together. But the chance to umpire at Nationals in Saskatoon and working with that calibre of umpires was really great,” said Green.
Green had umpired in a variety of communities over the years but always toted how great it was to work close at home on grounds he knew were well taken care of.
“Unity and Macklin always put on such good tournaments. Seeing all the volunteers is incredible, the diamonds are great, it’s something to be proud of,” he boasted.
With the end of his umpiring era now ending, he will miss the interactions with the players, saying they are always great to be around. He will also miss seeing the new generation of umps coming up each year, however he said he will not miss the heat that goes with many of the tournaments he attended.
“I’m going to spend more time camping, fishing and more quality time with my wife,” he added.
When asked on how he would do things differently in the world of umpiring, he wishes the pay could be better.
“I think you would get more umpires, but it’s tough for these modern ball associations because they are not rolling in cash. So, they try to keep it affordable for the kids to play, but then you’re lacking on the officiating side,” said Green.
Green suggests to anyone who wants to start officiating to go get your course.
“There is a yearly training, usually in March or April. Unity Minor Ball tries to make sure both softball and baseball are covered in the training, making it easier to have officials. Most training is done in a day and more ball associations are reimbursing their umpires the cost of training,” Green said.
“They are not going to say no to you. It is a fun time when you get out there.”
Green did say while he was umpiring, he had a lot to learn on the diamond.
“I wasn’t as comfortable as I am now, so I would get nervous and sometimes miss a call. Everybody understood that nobody was giving out scholarships that day. It’s a matter of getting comfortable,” he added.
Green has a message for all current or upcoming ball players and coaches:
“Stay on the diamonds and give them a reason to be there. Have fun because that is what it is all about.”
