NSW Umpires Receive ISF Certification
21 February 2011
NSW umpires Howard Watt (Far North Coast), Amanda Houison and Ron Houison (Penrith City) have been successful in gaining their ISF Umpire Certification.
Their journey started over 12 months ago and culminated in a three day clinic and on-field assessments at the Softball Australia Open Men’s and Women’s National Championships in Brisbane.
It was a testing week for the candidates, going to bed each night dreaming about rotations, rulings and mechanics.
“Before we got to the clinic we had to complete an online rules exam. Then the clinic started last Saturday with presentations on rulings, rotations and mechanics before we had to present, in front of our peers, on these topics,” Watt said.
“Once that was completed, we moved to on-diamond assessments at the open men’s and women’s nationals.”
For Watt and his NSW crew mates all the hard work paid off, and a wave of relief and excitement swept over them when they were advised of their success.
“I’m very happy. It’s a little bit surreal to be honest, but I think it will sink in the next few days. It’s very exciting,” Watt said.
“It’s great to have three NSW umpires succeed. It’s not just good for us as individuals, but also for umpiring in NSW that we were able to walk away saying that we were successful.
“It’s also good that the crew of 13 that presented passed as well – that’s the ultimate goal – if you can all get across the line it makes it much more memorable.”
For more umpiring news please visit www.nswumpires.softball.org.au or find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/softballnswumpires
Ron Houison
Australian Level 6 Accreditation
ISF Accreditation
Penrith City Softball Association
Career Highlights
Ron Houison started his umpiring career at Southern Districts Softball Association in 1996. The journey since then has seen Houison move from Level 1 Accreditation, which he received in 1998, to ISF Accreditation in January 2011. In between, Houison spent many hours on the diamond refining his performance. After a period in Victoria, where he achieved his Level 3 and 4 Accreditations, he returned to NSW and began working towards umpiring at a National Championship. Within NSW, Houison has umpired at many State Championship, Waratah and State League competitions. In addition, he has acted as Information Coordinator, Executive Member and Co-Chair of the Umpire Development Sub-Committee as part of the SNSWUA. With two international series already under his belt, Houison will now look to gain greater international exposure following his recent success as an ISF candidate.Accreditation:
Level 1: Southern Districts, NSW, 1998
Level 2: Manly, NSW 1999
Level 3: Horsham, VIC, 2000
Level 4: Waverly, VIC, 2001
Level 5: Canberra, ACT, 2003
Level 6: Melbourne, VIC, 2006
ISF: Redlands, QLD, 2011First NSW State Championship:
Open Men: 2003
Open Women: 2003
U19 Men: 2003
U19 Women: 2003
U16: 2003
U14: 1999Career Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Attaining ISF Accreditation, Brisbane, 2011
Appointed to Australia v NZ U/19 Men’s Test Series in 2007 and 2010
First appointment as examiner at a National Championship, Adelaide, 2011International Appointments:
Australia v NZ U/19 Men’s Test Series, Blacktown, 2010
Australia v NZ U/19 Men’s Test Series, Blacktown, 2007National Championship Appointments:
Combined Open Men/Gilley’s Shield Finals Series, Redlands, QLD, 2011
U/17 Boys, Adelaide, SA, 2011 (Examiner)
Gilley’s Shield Round 1, Blacktown, NSW, 2010
Combined U/16 Boys/Girls, Blacktown, NSW, 2010
Combined Gilley’s Shield Final/Open Men, Blacktown, NSW, 2009
U/16 Boys, Launceston, TAS, 2009
National League Round 3, Blacktown, NSW, 2008
U/23 Women, Blacktown, NSW, 2008
U/23 Women, Darwin, NT, 2007
Combined Open Men/Women, Blacktown, NSW, 2007 (P/T)
U/16 Girls, Brisbane, QLD, 2007
U/19 Men, Launceston, TAS, 2006
Open Women, Melbourne, VIC, 2006
Open Women, Adelaide, SA, 2005
U/23 Women, Ipswich, QLD, 2004
U/16 Girls, Perth, 2004
U/19 Women, Canberra, ACT, 2003
U/16 Girls, Hobart, TAS, 2002 (Skill Share)Umpire Administration and Umpire Development Roles:
Co-Chair, SNSWUA Umpire Development Sub-Committee 2011
Co-Chair, SNSWUA Umpire Development Sub-Committee 2010
UIC, World Masters Games (Campbelltown), 2009
UIC, Penrith City Softball Association, 2004-2008
VUC Training Co-ordinator 2002-2003
VUC Allocations Committee Member 2001 – 2003Awards Received:
2008: Penrith City Softball Association: ‘Association of the Year for Umpire Development’Role Model/Mentor:
I have been privileged in that many people have had a huge impact on my growth as an umpire, and who remain an inspiration; they include: retired umpires Sue Itzstein and Kerry Franklin; active umpires Andrew and Scott Rindfleish, Bruce McCahon, Darrell Shephard, Leigh Evans and Kevin Broomhall.
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