History

2023 SEASON


Events worked beyond the provincial level

EventLocationUmpire
U19 Women’s NationalsLangford, B.C.Erin Fuller
  Glenn Stupar
   
U17 Girl’s NationalsSaskatoonJordanne (Ronak) Schroh
   
U15 WesternsRichmond, B.C.Jeremy Organ
   
Canadian Native NationalsCalgaryJake Tolsma
  TJ Geertsma
  Malcolm Murray
   
Alberta Summer GamesOkotoksDorothy Leiman
  Jesse Baron
  Austin Trieber
  Miles Trieber

In addition CASUA supplied umpires to the following

  • U15 B Provincials in Camrose
  • INT A, B & C, SR A & U23 A Women’s Provincials held in Blackfalds
  • U17 D & U19 D Provincials in Blackfalds
  • Ladies Freeze or Fry in Blackfalds
  • Youth tournaments in
  • Lacombe
  • Stettler
  • Blackfalds
  • Ponoka
  • Innisfail
  • Delburne.

Erin Fuller Selected as Alberta’s Umpire of the Year


Erin Fuller, CASUA vice president, has attained her Softball Canada Umpire Level 4 after a successful Canadian Championship.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pic.jpg

Additionally, Erin has contributed multiple seasons of instructing clinics, working on female recruitment committees, served as Umpire in Chief for tournaments in addition to working a full schedule of games for CASUA.


Canadian Indicator Award Recipient

Ken Wamsley is now the inaugural life member of CASUA. as well as recipient of the Canadian recognition.

Ken receiving the national award from our president, Malcolm Murray


Umpiring, it’s a family affair.

Spanning three generations here are are Dorothy Leiman (multi year umpire), Trinity Brown (2nd year) & Jonathon Brown (Rookie)


2022 SEASON

Record Number of CASUA Umpires Worked Canadian and Western Championships

ASUA has announced that the following CASUA umpire attended National and Western Championships in addition to all the provincial championships we were represented at.

2022 Season

EventLocationUmpire(s)
U17A Provincial Evaluator, promoted to level 3Calgary, Ab.Sheri Morbeck
 Calgary, Ab.Jeremy Organ

Senior Men’s FP St. John’s, NLChris Harper
   
U23 Men’s FPCarp, On.Malcolm Murray

U15 Girl’s FPSaskatoon, Sk.Jordanne Ronak
  TJ Geertsma
  Doug Smith

U17 WesternsSt. Albert, Ab.Brad Dingman
  Dorothy Leiman
  Sheri Morbeck

Women’s WesternsBlackfalds, Ab.Jeremy Organ
  Shane Sroka
  Chris Harper
  Danny Baron
  Glenn Stupar
  Ron LeMasurier
Women’s Westerns, Umpire in ChiefBlackfalds,Ab.Brad Lyon

2021 SEASON

2021 Mechanics Clinic Held in Lacombe

Thank you for attending the mechanics clinic in Lacombe for our rookie and newer umpires.

Hope you found it interesting and picked up some useful tips to start you in your softball umpiring career.


CASUA Awarded Winter Games Grant

CASUA is proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Canada Winter Games Legacy Fund which will be used to promote our program by supporting recruitment, training, and retention of school age umpires.

The grant be put to work once we are back on a solid footing following the Covid pandemic restrictions. For the official announcement, please see this

Our thanks and appreciation to the Canada Winter Games Legacy Fund for helping to promote the growth of sporting officials.


Ron MacKenzie – Seasons of Service

We received this letter from Ron MacKenzie one of our senior umpires who has moved to Calgary.

As all our members are part of the executive through your membership it seems appropriate to share the letter with you.

Ron is a great mentor to our younger officials, as well as a comedian. The letter follows

It is the small moments that help us remember all the years together on the ball diamonds, through good weather, wet weather, storms, and whatever Mother Nature produced.

The countless hours that the executive put into the Red Deer Zone (CASUA) has produced some of the best umpires and are ranked #1 in the province — maybe not by some observers, but I certainly think so. After witnessing the two main zones, we are as good or better.

Your mentorship and ability to lead the younger and older umpires has really paid off in many ways, as our numbers are the highest in the province for working umpires. This is evident in the fact that all the other zones rely on us to fill the gaps.

May you and all the others keep up the hard work and maintain the standard of excellence that we have strived and become known for. If we continue to do so, we will maintain our high rating for umpiring in Alberta.

Two sayings that I have used time to time in my career to decrease the tension in a game: TOO CLOSE: TOO CLOSE TO CALL, SAFE! and WHEN IN DOUBT, NOT OUT!

In closing, I hope that all your balls and strikes lead to a quick game with no problems. Be honest, umpire your best, and most important of all, have a good time!

Yours in Umpiring,

Ron MacKenzie

Sadly Ron passed away in 2022.


2019 SEASON

Brad Lyon Joins Canadian Indicator Club

Brad Lyon received the prestigious Indicator Award at the Blue Convention in Montreal

Softball Canada has announced the recipients of the Indicator Club award and it includes our very own Brad Lyon for all the work within our association as well as at the provincial and national levels.

Brad has umpired and supervised up to the national level as well as serving in a variety of administrative roles in different softball organizations in Alberta, Ontario and B.C. Most recently Brad has been our association president for two years and has instituted.

  • improved clinic training
  • expanded the mentoring program
  • updated policies and by laws
  • instrumental in improving our website quality
  • member of the provincial board

Learn more about the Indicator Club and see previous winners


Minor League Professional Baseball School

Levi Wagner from Clive is both a softball and baseball umpire.

Levi attended Minor League Baseball’s Umpire school in Vero Beach, Florida for four weeks starting in January, Here are his observations on the clinic.

The program is very extensive and is held on a complex that includes a 4,500 seat stadium, 10 ball diamonds and all the other facilities used by professional umpires in the major leagues.

Since 1998, 65 Umpires evaluated and developed by Academy Instructors have been hired full time by Major League Baseball.

From Week 1 Levi has told us “Done my first week.

They’re teaching me the 2 umpire system and the mechanics they want me to do for professional baseball.

And we’re going through every rule in the official baseball rules throughout the month I’m here, with homework and tests most days on the rules.

I am having lots of fun here

Week 2

We just finished covering interference / obstruction in the classroom, took 3 days to finish as it’s a big and important subject.

Most students are starting to figure out the two umpire system on the field by now.

We’ve had guest visits from current and past MLB umpires, and a young aspiring umpire (see MiLB umpire academy Facebook.)

Having lots of fun and excited for the last two weeks of the school!”

School website

Week 3

Routine has been same so far.

Now we’re going into review only for the field drills for the last week.

I get Sunday’s off, and I usually go to the beach, or go fishing.

But this week I got to go to the Pro Bowl in Orlando last Sunday which was great.

Can’t wait to finish my last week.

Week 4

Levi Wagner has sent his final observations from the Baseball Umpire Academy

“I finished the academy.

This past month has been a great experience.

I didn’t get a job sadly, but I am on the reserve list.

Which basically means I’m a backup.

I was told to come back next year but work as many games as I can to get more experience.”

CASUA congratulates Levi on ascending to a higher level of learning and what it takes to be a professional umpire and wish him the best if he gets called this season to work, or returns to the school again next year.


Story of a 12 year old umpire