Matt Coombe takes his game to Canadian softball nationals

Being picked to umpire at the recent Canadian National Softball championships in Gander, Newfoundland was a dream come true for Matt Coombe.

The 23-year-old from Elora was the youngest in a group of 14 Softball Canada officials for the U-18 Men’s Fast Pitch championships held between Aug. 5 and 10.

He had applied for an official position at a Canadian championship and was put on the alternate list.

Coombe was called up to replace an official who was injured.

“The pitching was pretty good. A lot of teams were struggling on defence, a lot of errors,” he said of plays that are noted by officials.

With nine teams playing, Coombe umpired in 12 games over the six days of championship play and found himself in the championship game, where the Teeswater Otters captured gold after beating host team NL/Labrador 9-0.

“Our Newfoundland hosts were totally warm and welcoming,” Coombe said of his trip out east.

“The entire eight days gave me a taste for their province and I’d definitely like to return some day.”

Officiating at the championship also included an evaluation of his umpiring skills by the chief umpire and deputy chief umpire. Both are Level 5 umpires, considered the “top of the food chain” in umpiring circles, who schedule officials for each game and resolve any on-field disputes that can’t be resolved by those officiating the game.

“I had a good evaluation,” said Coombe, a Level 3 umpire, of his performance.

It was his father Paul who got him interested in officiating in both baseball and hockey at arenas and ball diamonds in and around Elora.

“My father got me officiating hockey and softball at a very young age,” Coombe said, adding he started officiating at age 11. “He would do a lot of games with me.”

Coombe was also playing hockey and baseball at the same time, but eventually gave up playing in favour of officiating. He also found umpiring baseball and, to an extent, refereeing hockey, “a great way to make some disposable income.”

Coombe has taken all the training and additional training clinics to move him up the rankings of officiating. It has also helped him become part of the roster of umpires who officiate throughout southern Ontario.

Living in Hamilton and attending McMaster University, he is also president of one umpire association that covers “10 to 12 house leagues.”

Coombe says he loves Sports, in particular baseball and hockey, and is even doing his master of philosophy thesis on law and Sports.

“I’ve been officiating Sports for about half my life,” he said of his passion.

He’s hoping to be chosen to officiate at the national level again in 2016.

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