Happy New Year!! Touching All Bases

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1 Happy New Year!! NCOA Softball 2015 Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 2 January 10, 2015 Touching All Bases Let s Play Ball!! The 2015 NCOA High School Softball season is just around the corner. The Instructional team will continue with a full slate of training opportunities available this year to fulfill the 18 hours of required training. Several new options will be available this year to go along with last year s successes incorporating feedback from you, the coaches and leadership. See the attached tentative schedule of events for dates, times and locations. Registration Information Online registration opened on December 19th. This year you will ONLY be able to registration online through January 31st. You can pick up your rule book starting at 5:30PM in the cafeteria before the General Meeting at Jesuit on January 27 th. Group Leadership Corner We hope your holidays were blessed. We are ramping up for softball season which is just around the corner! Your NCOA Softball Leadership Team is hard at work preparing for a great 2015 experience! We have continued to take your input to build upon our successes from last year, tweak what didn't work as well, and provide more options for your training. NEW THIS YEAR: * A Basic Skills Boot Camp February 15th jointly sponsored by NCOA and the Greater Sacramento Softball Association (GSSA). * Only ONE General Meeting - January 27 th (Tuesday) 6pm 8pm at Jesuit High School. * Regional Study Groups Facilitated Study Groups will meet regionally for the four weeks in February on different days of the week. Your choice of day and location. Sign-up at the first meeting for your first choice. * Webinar Training Online Four (4) webinar sessions will be available for your training at your convenience. * On-Field Clinics - Options increased in numbers both Vacaville and Sacramento areas, weather permitting. * Rating and Evaluations We took your feedback. The Rating Committee has been enlarged to do a comprehensive evaluation and restructure of the way we rate, the way we evaluate and how we provide feedback to

2 umpires. Partner ratings are gone. A new feedback system is being developed and we will offer more details in our Newsletter and at our first meeting. * More Training Hour Options From your feedback, we will be making more options available for you to choose how you will complete your CIF required 18 hours of training. We are initiating a Used Equipment Collection for exchange to help newer umpires get started. If you have equipment you are changing out, please join the program! More later. We look forward to working with you to provide our schools the very best umpire services possible. Frank and Carl For Your Toolbox DP/FLEX: Four things to keep in mind on the field by Pete Dufour One of the most confusing elements of administering the game for coaches and umpires is the DP/Flex option. Every good umpire needs to master this rule, and there is a lot to master! Study this in the book, understand the concept of going from 10 players down to 9, and back to 10, and earn the confidence you need to handle it on the field. Once you have read the rule several times, you might find it helpful to keep in mind these four concepts (or put them in your lineup card holder) when you take the field: 1. When the FLEX either hits or runs for the DP, the player who is the DP leaves the game. That player can re-enter the game one time, just like every other player. Confirm with the coach that they are "going down to 9 players." 2. When the FLEX moves back and forth between the DP slot and the FLEX slot, the player who is the FLEX has NOT left the game and has not been substituted for. 3. If the FLEX does not play defense, the player who was the FLEX has left the game, subject to the re-entry rule. Coaches need to report to the umpire that they are either taking the FLEX out of the game and going down to 9 players, or that they are substituting a new player for the FLEX and staying at 10 players. 4. When you have a DP/FLEX, any 9 of the 10 players in the lineup can play defense at any time. So "Yes coach, the Flex and the DP can play defense at the same time," leaving somebody in the batting order as a hitter only (also referred to as the "temporary DP"). You do not need to track this, but you do need to make sure the FLEX is one of the 9 on defense. Hopefully these four concepts, a clean lineup card and clear understanding of the re-entry rules will enable you to master the DP/FLEX rule, help you field question from coaches, and build your confidence as an official. General Meeting This year there will be only one General Meeting. It is scheduled for January 27 th, 6:00 pm, at Jesuit HS in Sacramento. Basic Skills Boot Camp - This year NCOA will co-sponsor a Basic Skills Boot Camp with GSSA. If you are a first, second, or thirdyear official, you can attend this training session to brush up on basic mechanics.

3 Online Webinars This year webinars will replace most of the in-class training sessions, offering flexibility and viewing at your own convenience. Regional Study Groups This year study session groups will be scheduled during February and throughout the greater Sacramento area and will focus on the NCOA study guide and new rules. On-Field Clinic Back by popular demand will be the mandatory on-field clinic. Bring full gear and uniform ready for live games. You will be rotated through various stations, one of which will be a lunch break on NCOA! The training staff will be there to assist throughout the day. It s a great way to get some helpful hints. Scrimmages Scrimmages are mandatory with a minimum 2 hour commitment and will be held on consecutive Saturdays, February 21 st and 28 th. Video Scrimmages - We will broaden our Video Training Program this year. There will also be one scrimmage scheduled that will be dedicated to video feedback. Other Important News Member in Good Standing and qualifying for Playoff games - Criteria for being a member in good standing for basic assignments and for playoff selection will be detailed in the General Session and available on the NCOA Softball Hub. Qualifying for post season assignments will be enforced again this year. The NCOA Central Hub and NFHS Tier Two Web Sites - Please take a few minutes to become familiar with, bookmark, and revisit these sites before your first class. the more tab to see dates, details, and messages from the Group Leadership. Then log in and Switch Views to select the NFHS Tier Two site. This is where you will find the 100-Point Certification Test. You might also want to visit the NFHS central hub site as well. Certification Exam- The 100 point certification test will close on March 31st at 12:00pm. You must receive at least an 80% to pass, and 90% to be considered eligible for playoffs. You can take it up to three times, or when you have scored at least 90 percent, whichever comes first. Please note the NCOA group has no control over the certification exam and a maximum of 3 attempts is a requirement set by the NFHS. Stump the Ump This portion of the newsletter is intended to address the "Rules of the Game". The Instructional Team would like to provide a forum for its members to address rules questions, rules interpretation, or any topic related to the "Rules of the Game." During the course of the year this forum will address questions related to the rules that may arise during the general session, group study sessions, on-field situations, post game meetings with your partners, or at the dinner table. Answers will be researched using related resources such as the NFHS 2015 Softball Rules Book or any other resource deemed necessary and provided through the NCOA Executive Board and Training Team so a standard answer can be provided. Fitness Focus - Finally, fitness will always be a topic of interest. Remember, first impressions go a long way towards credibility, ability, and character. NCOA web site -- This is the NCOA web site for all sports. Click on the Softball tab and then

4 Uniform and Equipment The official uniform for NCOA Softball umpires: Powder Blue or Navy Shirt (Short or Long Sleeve) Heather Gray Slacks Plain Navy Jacket (No stripes or piping around shoulders) NCOA Hat or Plain Navy Hat (umpires must match) Gray or Navy Ball Bag Name: Carl Clark, Co-group leader Age: 66 3 adult kids / 4 grandchildren - 1 daughter and 2 kids living with me For uniform and equipment needs you can contact Bernard Walker at (916) or him at bmwump@yahoo.com. Bernard will be at the General Meeting on January 27 th at Jesuit selling equipment. If you know what you need, please contact him NOW to get your stuff pre-ordered! Official s Profile Throughout the year the newsletter will profile officials within the association so you can get to know them a little better. Read on What do you (or did you) do for a living? How long? I was a manager of recreation and park public agencies for over 35 years. Still part-time with the Georgetown Divide Recreation District. I also am a management consultant doing training and contractual work for several public agency clients. I am currently the Co-assignor for Greater Sacramento Softball Association and Sacramento Municipal Officials Association with Frank Moreno. 23 years for softball umpiring experience with 53 years of baseball and softball umpiring at the youth, high school and college level. Do you officiate other sports? What are they? Years of experience I have worked football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, and softball including the first three at the college level. I was an instructional leader for two associations in football, baseball and softball. I was the high school assignor for the Redwood Empire Officials Association for 3 years for football, basketball, baseball, and softball. Sports officiating has always been my hobby. I also enjoy hiking and being a PAPA. I have also done some writing and reporting for local newspapers on local sports and worked with Pete Dufour doing Placer High School Football on the radio. I graduated from Placer High School and California Lutheran University playing three sports at both schools. I am not a San Antonio Spurs fan, I am a Spurs fanatic and have followed them closely for many years during the Popovich era.

5 Name: Neil Hillel, Communication/Accountability Captain Age: 63 2 kids (one of each) ages 34 and 31; 3 granddaughters (2.5 yrs, 11 mos, 4 mos) What do you (or did you) do for a living? How long? Senior Account Mgr for a large telecommunications company. 27 years, retired in yrs; 22 years fast pitch Name: Phil Perkins, Instructional staff Nickname: Perkins Age: 56 3 kids What do you (or did you) do for a living? How long? Business Development Representative Bridgford Foods 19 years Do you officiate other sports? What are they? Years of experience No. Used to do volleyball back in the 70 s. Golf, Volunteer firefighter for 20+ yrs (retired), I play trumpet, love to go on cruises. I have a passion for the game of fast pitch softball! I coached for many years. My daughter played on scholarship at Sac State. I am a co-leader of the Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band and Temperance Society, LMTD. I love being able to give back by being on the NCOA Leadership Team. Do you have any short officiating story you d like to share with us? You are only as good as the next pitch. A good official can get work ANYWHERE!! Study the rule book and keep your head up high when on the field. Do you officiate other sports? What are they? Years of experience Football, 4yrs I enjoy being outdoors, officiating sports, & watching my daughter play ball at Humboldt State University. I first started umpiring in the late seventies as a college student. I would continue to games off on over the years. I returned to officiating on a regular basis in 94. I serve as UIC for Northern California Girls Softball Association, (NorCal), and Deputy UIC for GSSA Youth Umpire training & Development. Do you have any short officiating story you d like to share with us? Just remember, as an official, we are there to Mediate & Administrate.. Not to Mandate & Dictate!

6 Name: James Cole, Instructional staff Age: 62 2 / 2 What do you (or did you) do for a living? How long? Air Force 24 years / Post Office 10- years 40.5 years Do you officiate other sports? What are they? Years of experience No Rock Concerts / Comic Books. Name: Burt Corral, Instructional staff Nickname: Burt Age: 69 4 boys / 9 Grandchildren (2 Boys / 7 Girls) What do you (or did you) do for a living? How long? Mainly employed in Management positions with several banks and financial institutions. Loan approvals and collections. Finished career with (State of California) Franchise Tax Board in collections of delinquent non-tax payers for 45+ years. 13 with GSSA. 12 with SCUA Do you officiate other sports? What are they? Years of experience Previously umpired baseball for over 10 years. High School, American Legion and College. Family and grandkids keep me busy. I haven t been able to create the time to play golf as I d like. Played Football, Basketball and Baseball in high school. Played 2 years of baseball at Chabot College where I was the career home-run leader (before aluminum bats). Played in Peninsula Winter League for 6 years with the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins and NY Mets. Played Fast Pitch softball from

7 2015 NCOA SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Date Day Time Session Location Jan 27 Tuesday 6pm General Meeting Jesuit HS February Various 6pm Study Session Groups various TBA February Various 6pm Webinars Online Feb. 21 Saturday 8:30am On-Field Clinics various TBA Feb. 28 Saturday 8:30am On-Field Clinics various TBA Feb. 28 Saturday 12:00pm Classification Exam due date Online TBA TBA Basic Skills Boot Camp TBD OTHER IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS Feb Friday-Sunday ASA National Umpire School Manteca Mar. 1 Sunday 8:30am GSSA Clinic West Sacramento Jackson Sports Academy 5209-A Luce Avenue McClellan, CA West Sac Civic Center 1110 West Capitol Avenue West Sac, CA Jesuit High School 1300 Gordon Lane Carmichael, CA Freedom Park 5839 Dudley Blvd McClellan, CA aps.html Vanden High School 2951 Markeley Lane Fairfield, CA 94533