UMPS CARE Charities is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. On the 20th of each month, we will share some stories and memories of the charity. This is the ninth installation in our series about the charity over the past two decades.
Ever since Cole Magac (above) started umpiring baseball games at the age of 12, he has never looked back. Now 18 and in his senior year at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, he is even more motivated than ever to pursue an umpiring career.
Just a couple of years ago, he enrolled in our UMPS CARE Charities Official Leadership Program which we run in partnership with Chicago Baseball and Education Academy, and the experience helped cement his passion for calling balls and strikes. These days, you might find Cole behind home plate at a high school baseball or softball game or making calls during a travel game.
“The UMPS CARE program was a great way to learn about umpiring and gave me a greater understanding of how to be an umpire,” Cole said.
To date, Cole has umpired about 135 high school games and has earned an eye-popping $10K! Mostly, he has invested the money but he has splurged a little bit to go to concerts this summer.
The Official Leadership Program, which launched in 2021, is a free course open to teens ages 13 to 18. In addition to learning umpiring mechanics on the field, the course teaches the students about leadership, financial literacy and conflict-resolution skills. Half of the class is spent on the diamond. The other half in the classroom. Local umpire educators run the course and graduates have the opportunity to meet Major League Baseball Umpires before a game.
On the night before working his first high school game, Cole naturally had a some pre-game jitters. So he texted one of his Official Leadership Program instructors, Josh Locks, for advice. Developing relationships with mentors is a key component of the Official Leadership Program.
“I was pretty nervous,” Cole admitted. “My heart was beating a lot, and I knew a lot of the kids on the field. But I realized that it was just a matter of calling balls and strikes.”
When UMPS CARE Charities first launched 20 years ago, the goal was to serve the community at large. Over the years, however, the umpires realized that there was a national shortage of umpires and sports officials and games were being canceled at the youth levels because schools and sports organizations couldn’t find enough officials. If umpires weren’t going to address the problem, who would?
“Initially, we created UMPS CARE as a vehicle for giving back to kids in hospitals and providing baseball experiences for kids who otherwise might never set foot on a baseball field,” said one of UMPS CARE’s founders, Gary Darling, who serves as the charity’s chairman. “We realized that it was important for MLB Umpires to step up to the plate and serve as role models for the next generation of umpires. Through the Official Leadership Program, the Major League Umpires are inspiring young umpires to help their communities, gain employment and become leaders.”
In the beginning, UMPS CARE ran this program in four markets. Every year since, the number of programs has increased with many outside requests to add more. This year, UMPS CARE will host 17 Official Leadership Program courses from Compton, California, to Long Island, New York.
All graduates receive $150 in credit to purchase umpiring equipment as we want to remove all barriers for teens to get started safely on the field. Thank you to our friends at Ump Attire for partnering with us!
Here’s what graduates have to say about the program:
One big thing that I learned from the OLP is you need to be vocal; you need to be clear. You can’t question yourself.
Going to a game and meeting the Major League Baseball Umpires was a cool way to wrap up the experience. When I went to the game it made me feel like I could see myself in their shoes one day.
Check out this great interview with longtime MLB Umpire Mark Carlson (now an MLB Umpire Supervisor) and Curtis Granderson (aka “The Grandyman”) who spent 16 years in Major League Baseball and partners with UMPS CARE through the Official Leadership Program.
One of the big perks of our program is for the graduates to meet the MLB Umpires before a game. Students, parents and instructors get an opportunity to ask their burning baseball questions to the pros! Here are some photos from our meeting with umpires Emil Jimenez, Mike Muchlinski and Derek Thomas before a Los Angeles Dodgers game this season!
Some OLP graduates and their instructors were honored on the field before a Texas Rangers game!