Ottawa, Ont. - Softball Canada is pleased to announce that thirty-four umpires have been successful in achieving national Level IV umpire certification at Canadian Championships this summer and the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
Within the National Officials Certification Program, Level IV certification is the entry national level and demands an elite level of knowledge, understanding and ability. Each of these officials clearly demonstrated a high level of knowledge and competency. This certification allows umpires to participate at all Canadian Championships, including the U23 Men’s, Men’s and Women’s Fast Pitch as well as the Men’s Slo-Pitch national events and act as an umpire supervisor at minor Canadian Championships.
New Level IV Fast Pitch umpires are:
| First Name | Last Name | Hometown |
| Jean-Claude | Boisvert | Pickering, Ont. |
| Greg | Costal | Winnipeg, Man. |
| Greg | Cowan | Scarborough, Ont. |
| Patrick | Crippin | Tiny, Ont. |
| Lucas | Crosby | Toronto, Ont. |
| Brad | DeGraeve | Brandon, Man. |
| Kyle | Dennedy | Surrey, B.C. |
| Jill | Dickinson | Stratford, Ont. |
| Andrew | Fleck | Orleans, Ont. |
| Manfred | Glor | Winnipeg, Man. |
| Kiera | Hamm | Abbotsford, B.C. |
| Emma | Jerome Smith | Calgary, Alta. |
| Mike | Klassen | Blumenort, Man. |
| Tony | Kuleza | Winnipeg, Man. |
| François | Leblond | Repentigny, Que. |
| Wayne | Miller | Climax, Sask. |
| Malcolm | Murray | Louisiana, Alta. |
| Kearney | O'Keefe | St. John's, N.L. |
| Jeannette | Oliver | Edmonton, Alta. |
| Andrew | Palmer | Edmonton, Alta. |
| John | Payne | Calgary, Alta. |
| Rebecca | Simard-Lavigne | St-Eustache, Que. |
| Shane | Sroka | Ponoka, Alta. |
| Mark | Taylor | Calgary, Alta. |
| Jeffrey | Vanzella | Surrey, B.C. |
New Level IV Slo-Pitch umpires are:
| First Name | Last Name | Hometown |
| Patrick | Chiquette | Granby, Que. |
| Jan | Hakker | Chatham, Ont. |
| Diego | La Manna | Montréal, Que. |
| David | Lumley | London, Ont. |
| Carla | MacKenzie | Wolfville, N.S. |
| Jeff | McKay | Brantford, Ont. |
| Shawn | Miller | Duncan, B.C. |
| Michel | Néron | Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Que. |
| Rick | Skelton | Welland, Ont. |
“In order to remain one of the world’s leading umpire programs, Softball Canada needs to continue to develop elite level officials” notes National Director of Umpires Jeff Whipple. “We celebrate the achievements of these individuals and look forward to having them continue their leadership roles in our umpire programs both on and off the field.”
In order to attain Level IV certification, umpires must first attend a national clinic and then achieve a successful evaluation at a designated Canadian Championship.
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For more information, please contact:
Donna Ozarko
Manager - Officials and Publications
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3101
dozarko@softball.ca
