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CAOA Adding Baseball and Softball
The following email was sent to
prospective baseball and softball umpires in the CAOA area:
The MHSAA has made Membership in
Good Standing of an approved officials association a requirement
for MHSAA tournament assignments. Due to the fact that their was
no viable option in the Lansing area, this requirement was
waived for the 2011 baseball and softball tournaments. That will
no longer be the case for 2012.
It is our pleasure to announce that
the Capital Area Officials Association (CAOA) has added Baseball
and Softball for the 2011-12 MHSAA year. Since 2003, the CAOA
has trained, developed, and educated football and basketball
officials in the Capital area and beyond. The CAOA has been the
leading association in the state of Michigan with regard to
clinics, scrimmages, meetings and educational activities. The
CAOA has helped numerous members achieve their officiating
goals, be it moving up the high school ranks, working MHSAA
tournaments, or becoming NCAA officials. Simply put, if you put
in the time and effort, we will make you a better official.
The CAOA has named Andy Joseph
Director of Baseball and Mark Tisdale Director of Softball. Andy
and Mark are busy putting a meeting schedule and agenda items in
place for the 2011-12 year. In addition to Andy and Mark, the
CAOA has commitments from accomplished umpires to help train our
membership. Current CAOA members such as Mike Conlin (3-time
College World Series Umpire), Mark Ditsworth (2-time CWS
Umpire), Mark Uyl (MHSAA Director and NCAA Super Regional
Umpire), Dave Buck (Former AAA umpire and 2-time CWS Umpire),
Perry Costello (Former AAA umpire and 3-time CWS Umpire) and
Jeff Spedoske (Former AAA Umpire) have committed to training
CAOA baseball umpires. Highly accomplished area softball umpires
Gary Evans (MASA Umpire in Chief) and Bryan Smith (MASA Umpire
Staff and multiple NCAA Softball World Series Umpire) have
committed to help train softball umpires. These are extremely
talented and experienced umpires in both baseball and softball
that you have had little or no contact with in the past. The
CAOA is bringing their wealth of knowledge and expertise to the
table to make you a better umpire.
In the coming weeks you will receive
announcements for meeting dates, clinics, and other CAOA events.
We urge you to take advantage of these opportunities. Your first
order of business is to join the CAOA. You can download a
registration form at
www.greatlakesreferee.com/highschool. Simply download the
registration form, fill it out, and send it along with your dues
check to CAOA Treasurer Eric Wills. Eric's address is on the
registration form.
If you are a current CAOA member and
have already paid dues for 2011-12, please email CAOA Membership
Director Dan Carmichael at
jendancarmichael@gmail.com and let him know that you are
registered as a baseball and/or softball umpire with the MHSAA
and have already paid CAOA dues for 2011-12.
All dues paying baseball/softball
members of the CAOA for 2011-12 will be included in the CAOA
Member in Good Standing list with the MHSAA for the current
year. However, Membership in Good Standing for future years will
be determined by the previous year's meeting, clinic, scrimmage,
and special event attendance. As in our other sports, you will
need to accumulate four (4) MIGS points and be a current dues
paying member to be a member in good standing for subsequent
MHSAA tournaments. Two (2) of the four (4) MIGS points must be
earned by attending meetings. The other two (2) may be earned by
attending clinics, working scrimmages, attending the year-end
CAOA banquet, participating in the CAOA sponsored 5K run/walk,
or other CAOA sponsored events.
Membership in the CAOA does not
affect your eligibility to be assigned games by any current
assignors nor does membership, in itself, enhance your
opportunity for additional assignments. However, we are of the
opinion that participation in CAOA meetings and events will
improve your umpiring ability and thus give you opportunity for
advancement.
This is a very exciting time for the
CAOA and the board is looking forward to seeing you all at our
first meeting on August 1 at the MHSAA Building. The agenda for
the August 1 meeting is as follows: Football 6:00pm - 7:00pm,
General Membership Meeting 7:00pm - 8:00pm,
Basketball-Baseball-Softball 8:00 - 9:00pm. You must attend the
General Membership Meeting as well as the sport specific portion
in order to earn a meeting point in a given sport.
2011-12 Meeting Dates Online
Meeting dates for the 2011-12 school
year are now posted on the site and can
viewed here or by using the CAOA
Meetings 11-12 link on the navigation bar at left. Be advised
that the CAOA will now serve as a support group for baseball and
softball umpires as well. Those meeting dates will be announced
in the coming months. Please mark your calendars now for our
meeting dates and make plans to attend. Remember that Member in
Good Standing (MIGS) status is playing a larger and larger part
in the selection process for MHSAA state tournament selections.
CAOA Membership Dues
All renewing and prospective CAOA
members: please pay your 2011-12 dues now. Renewal deadline is
June 1, 2011. Membership form can be found here or by using the
navigation bar at left. In addition to submitting your
registration, we encourage you to donate to our "Officials for
Kids" program at this time. (There is a place for this on the
registration form.) You can also specify your interest in
following the CAOA on Facebook. Let us know on the registration
form and we will invite you to become a fan.
Women Working Wonders 5K Run/Walk
The Sparrow Foundation Women Working
Wonders 5K Run/Walk was held on Sunday, September 12 at Hawk Island Park.
Those who attended had a great day of exercise and fun! Check
out the photo gallery page here.
Tony Payne Scholarship Fund
The CAOA has pledged $5,000 over the
next three years to the Tony Payne Scholarship fund.
Scholarships will be awarded to local student-athletes to attend
Lansing Community College. If you would like to include a
donation with your CAOA membership dues, please indicate the
amount at the bottom of your CAOA registration sheet.
CAOA
is Now on Facebook
Join your CAOA officiating
colleagues on Facebook by clicking here or by following the link
at the top of the navigation bar.
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New Email Address
CAOA President, Jeff Spedoske is
using a new email address for all CAOA business. The AOL account
was compromised. The CAOA apologizes if you have received spam
email from that account. Any email regarding CAOA business for
Jeff Spedoske should be sent to
caoaofficials@gmail.com.
Membership in Good Standing
Now is the time to check your MIGS
status, do not wait until the season starts! If you are a
football crew chief, please check on your entire crew as soon as
possible. You can see your status by logging into the MHSAA site.
IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED WITH THE MHSAA FOR 2010-11, WE CANNOT
MAKE YOU A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING UNTIL YOU DO SO. Please
register with the MHSAA as soon as possible so we can complete
our good standing roster. Any questions regarding MIGS status
should be directed to Membership Director, Dan Carmichael, at
jendancarmichael@gmail.com.
CAOA Mentor Program Job Description
Did you
have a veteran official that took you under his or her wing when you
were just starting out or did you wander aimlessly through this maze of
officiating without any guidance or support? In either case, we have a
way to give back and help a new official avoid those same pitfalls.
The CAOA is starting a Mentor Program
for new or inexperienced officials. Our hope is that by pairing up a
less experienced official with a seasoned CAOA member, we can help new
members avoid the pitfalls that often lead to discouragement,
disillusionment, and ultimately disinterest in officiating. If you are
a CAOA member in good standing with a positive attitude regarding
officiating and the CAOA, please consider being a CAOA Mentor.
Mentorship is not only for our most
experienced or accomplished members. In fact, an official with just a
few years experience may be more adept at guiding a new official through
today's myriad of issues.
A Mentor would be expected to be
available to the mentee for guidance, be willing to occasionally work
with the mentee on sub-varsity assignments, give both positive and
constructive feedback on performance, etc.
Again, we are looking for mentor's with
a POSITIVE attitude towards both officiating in general and the CAOA
specifically. If you qualify and are interested in becoming a CAOA
Mentor, contact me, Jeff Spedoske, by email at
caoaofficials@gmail.com.
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