Softball Manitoba Umpires held their annual appreciation lunch and awards presentation a few months ago and Brandon’s Jason Goudreau was named the Kahunaverse Wayne Deschouwer Umpire of the Year for 2019.
Jason has been a softball umpire for 5-years now and estimated that he does about 40-50 games a year. He tells bdnmb.ca that he first got involved umping as he had friends who were umpires which also helped make the transition easier. He also was quick to point out that he wouldn’t be where he is today, and accomplished what he has, without strong mentors in Earl Cheasley, Bruce Luebke, and Brad Degraeve.
Some of Jason’s accomplishments in 2019 included:
- Received his Level III certification at a two-day clinic in Winnipeg in the spring of 2019.
- Attended the 2019 Blue Convention in Montreal in April and took his Instructor / Evaluator course.
- Instructed at the Level I-!! clinics held in Brandon.
- Mentored young officials in Western Manitoba during the season.
- Officiated at the Kiwi Cup, Softball Manitoba U16 Girls’ Championship and at the MHSAA Championship.
- Officiated at the Softball Canada U16 Boys’ Championship in Saskatoon, and was rewarded for a strong week by being given the plate assignment in the gold medal game.
As for the 2020 ball season, Jason will be taking his practical for his level 4 and getting himself prepared for nationals next season to get his full 4. This year he will doing 19 Westerns in Winnipeg, hopefully, and the Kiwi Cup men’s ball here in Brandon.
