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Get your 2011-12 dues paid now...deadline for payment is June 1, 2011.

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.

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.