Softball Canada launches Blues Connection 2020 umpire webinar series
The conversations will be held every Sunday night and will be posted on the Softball Canada Umpires YouTube Channel.
Softball Canada umpires will gather every week for "Blue Connections 2020", an informative half hour of conversations designed to develop and train the officials who call the balls, strikes and outs. With an educational focus on developing and reviewing basic skills, every week some of Canada’s leading international umpires will focus on the basics of mechanics, game management and fitness, with a specific focus on the WBSC Umpire manuals.
With the 2020 season cancelled in Canada due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Softball Canada in April launched a series of webinars open to all members of the softball community. The webinars feature some of Canada’s most talented and respected softball representatives. Now Softball Canada is adding umpires to the mix.
Last weekend, WBSC Softball Certified Umpire Frankie Billingsley and Kris Hartley discussed basic protocols around umpire conferences. Billingsley is one of two Canadian umpires appointed to officiate the softball event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
A total of 24 Canadian umpires (combining fast pitch and slow pitch officials) have been certified as WBSC Softball Umpires and are allowed to work WBSC Softball events.
Currently No. 3 in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Rankings, Canada finished in second place at last year’s WBSC Softball Americas Olympic Qualifier and will be one of six nations competing for gold in softball at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The maple leaf nation occupies the No. 4 spot in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Rankings.
