Thursday, January 8, 2004

Time to pull out the gear!

By Steve Hilgendorf
NBUA President

That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's already that time of the year! Orientation meetings kick off the season beginning Wednesday, Jan. 14, at WIAA Headquarters in Renton followed by another meeting on Thursday, Jan. 15, at Bitter Lake Community Center. Both meetings run from 7 to 8 p.m., with sign-ups at 6:30. I encourage any new prospects or anyone you know who may be interested in umpiring to attend one of those meetings. If you have any questions regarding orientation, please contact Scott Johnson or Dave Natali.

Training meetings also get under way in January beginning on the 21st. Be sure to check the schedule and make the necessary arrangements if you cannot attend one of the sessions. If you have any questions regarding training, contact Gavin Anderson by email or at 206.949.6012.

The general meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Overlake Hospital auditorium. I highly recommend each member attend as we embark on this new season and we hope to clarify any questions you may have. In an effort to streamline the Q&A period during the meeting, I request you send all questions to me via email no later than Jan. 22 so we can formulate a proper response.

The majority of the meeting will be dedicated to the new assigning program and the procedures for assigning. Leslie Fitzpatrick will give a presentation that will hopefull answer all of your questions. I'm excited to take this new assigning program into the new season and beyond.

As you all well know, we cannot have any hiccups this year. Your board has worked diligently and with much appreciated feedback from the members on trying to get all of our bases covered for the upcoming year. We have the support of many of the leagues/teams out there and we also have some of them still wondering what to expect.

I can say with confidence, 2004 will be a season of successes for NBUA. Too many people are vested in the association to see any further failures. We have lost some members along the way and we will hope to get them back by showing the strides we have taken and the direction in which we are going. We will continue to have the lines of communication open. We had a member present his concerns at the last board meeting and I believe they were answered. Remember, everyone has the opportunity to present his or her issues to the board.

We have an opportunity to take NBUA to the next level and strengthen our relationships with our customers and among our ranks. We are not a board of individuals nor are we an association of individuals. We collectively are involved with a passion for officiating one of the greatest games known to mankind.

I look forward to seeing you at the general meeting on January 29.