Longtime Blue Valley Recreation Commission employee Linda Weber closed out 2019 by adding another award to her resume. The sports officials coordinator was named the Senior Softball-USA 2019 National Umpire of the Year. The award recognizes one umpire annually who sets an outstanding example and represents the very best of the organization.
In 2012, Weber was honored as the Kansas Softball Official of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). She also received the National Indicator Award from USA-ASA early in 2019 for umpiring a minimum of three national championships.
Weber, in her 12th year with Blue Valley Rec, has been officiating for 30 years at all levels – recreation, high school, college, and senior. She began officiating fast pitch softball in 1990 and joined Blue Valley Rec six years later. In 2000, she took up the whistle to officiate basketball and added volleyball in 2004 along with slow-pitch the same year.
“Linda and her dedication to the craft of officiating are rarities,” noted Blue Valley Rec Executive Director Steve Baysinger. “Blue Valley Rec has greatly benefited from Linda’s passion for officiating, and her ability to train, coach and effectively communicate with officials of all ages and experience levels.”
One of Weber’s favorite things to do is develop young officials with Blue Valley Rec. She requires youth officials to study the same rules books she does and gives them the same certification exam the KSHSAA requires. She also conducts several training sessions complete with sample scenarios, advice, and a practice game. Weber stresses that once the season starts, officiating is not just a job – it’s a chance to make a positive experience for everyone involved.
Senior Softball-USA is dedicated to informing and uniting the Senior Softball Players of America and the World. Senior Softball-USA sanctions tournaments and championships, registers players, writes the rulebook, publishes Senior Softball-USA News, hosts international softball tours and promotes Senior Softball throughout the world. More than 1.5 million men and women over 40 play Senior Softball in the United States today.