Whistleblower relishes his role in sports
Don Umland¡¯s ¡°real job¡± facilitates intramural sports for the Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø student body.
He is in his fourth season as a coordinator of umpires nationally for NCAA Division III college baseball. That work ¡ª along with his role as Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s director of campus recreation ¡ª dovetails nicely into his work to help Umland cultivate the next generation of officials.
¡°I have a chance to get kids involved at the intramural and youth levels, and then help them climb up to high school and college,¡± he said. ¡°So that¡¯s become my calling as much as anything.¡±
The most recent success story is former Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø basketball player Carly Adams who started refereeing intramural games as a senior last year. She followed the steps Umland recommends to anyone interested: reach out to those already in the business, find a mentor, and then get in front of decision-makers as often as possible by working games and attending camps or clinics.
¡°She was at the camp at (Rock Island¡¯s) Sharp Shootout this summer, and they were so impressed with her, she¡¯s working small college basketball now in Chicago,¡± Mr. Umland said. ¡°Not everybody moves that fast, much less gets to that level, but there are plenty of opportunities to work.¡±