Andrew Fultz- Okaw Valley Baseball Organization

This past weekend I had the privilege of volunteering my time in my hometown to umpire a couple of baseball games for the town’s 12U baseball team.  We were at the diamond at the park and it was a very sunny yet cold afternoon.  The two teams that played were Okaw Valley and the Mattoon Hit Men.  While many people do not think that umpiring does nothing for a family or has any effect on what concepts can be used in FCS 4840 or other courses, it really does in my case.  For starters, the kids that played on the Okaw Valley team I personally know some of their families, and some of them are very disadvantaged.  I saw that baseball was a way for them to forget their problems and focus on the game at hand.  This team also accepts players no matter their social status and allows them to play on the team and the coaches develop them into effective baseball players that can hopefully carry them along in their lives.  My partner that I worked with for the day was an assistant basketball coach at a junior college.  This helps me network because I am also a high school basketball official and I have always wanted to step up to the next level and I know then I have a reference for whenever I feel like stepping up to the next level.  Then there are the coaches, who each have their own personal jobs.  What is unique about it is that is every time that I take the field or court to preform using my skills learned, I am always being evaluated by the coaches.  This can be a tool in deciding if they want to hire me back the next year or even the rest of the season.  Also, if a coach does like how I call a game they will sometimes recommend me to another one of their colleagues.  Then I meet with them at a game and so on and so forth.  I know that the Okaw Valley baseball league is an organization that regardless of situation provides a chance for children to learn the game of baseball, and to compete with other children around the area.  With that they need umpires to facilitate and officiate the games.  This is where I come into play, and whether or not people will agree with me 100% of the time they do appreciate that I take the time to be there and help the children.  I not only umpire the games, but as the younger the children are, the more I step in and teach them a few pointers as the game is going on.  The games themselves on that weekend went well and even after the game both teams came up with their coaches and thanked my partner and myself on coming out.  I learn every day that I step on that field for the organization that it’s not about just the game.  It is about the children and knowing that in that time they are in that park they forget about everything that is troubling them and get to play a game that they love.  It is a lot of fun for me knowing that I get to interact with them and help shape them into having great sportsmanship and good attitudes as they grow older.