From the Truro News, Nova Scotia
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MATT VENO
The Truro Daily News
TRURO – There’s a big difference between Clinton Harvey and other Level 5 umpires in
Canada.
He’s about half the age of his counterparts.
The 28-year-old Tatamagouche resident achieved the mark, the highest an umpire can get in Canada, recently after receiving a successful assessment following the Canadian Senior Men’s Softball Championship in St. Thomas, Ont.
“I always looked up to the Level 5 guys and thought it would be neat to get there,†Harvey said.
Harvey said he’s heard of other umpires in their 20s achieving Level 5 status, but most who do are in their 40s or 50s. Most who do are former players who typically end their playing days in their mid-30s. It then takes another 10 to 15 years to go from a beginner umpire to Level 5.
It took Harvey 13 years.
“I really love the game,†he said. “But it got to a point where I wasn’t good enough to play at the higher levels so this was a way for me to get involved in the high levels of the sport.â€
The certification allows him to move on to international umpiring status. He can do so through an international school put on by Softball Canada which includes on-field and classroom components.
The certification also permits him to be umpire in chief at any Canadian championship tournament where he will evaluate fellow umpires and assign them to games.
While he’s looking forward to doing so, the coming season will probably be too busy for Harvey to jump right in.
He’ll be finishing a masters program through the summer and is a member of the organizing committee for the junior men’s Canadian championship in St. Croix in August.
“So I’ll be pretty busy when all the Canadian championships are happening,†Harvey said.
sports@trurodaily.com