Two updates from this past week’s West Seattle Girls Softball championships:

WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S GAME: We stopped by Fairmount Playfield on Wednesday night after a tip that we’d find the 12U championship game there. Final score – (Vashon) Rockettes 13, (West Seattle) Flame Throwers 5. In our photo, that’s Kate from the Flame Throwers, at left, with Pippa from the Rockettes trying to evade the out.

MONDAY NIGHT – UMPIRES’ SURPRISE: The Monday night slate led to an interesting story from Kayleen Dunson, the West Seattleite who is this region’s Umpire In Chief:

The West Seattle Girls Softball fastpitch league is usually covered with just one umpire. Most of the players in the league range in ages from 10-15 and it is a true recreational level. This year, the league requested two umpires for the championship game – to give the girls the thrill of playing the game with two umpires. Seattle UIC Kayleen Dunson didn’t want to stop there. “I thought it would be awesome to give these young players the sense that they were in the big leagues – let’s give them 3-umpires, just like the college players.”

(Umpires with players – from left, Mike Katz, Kayleen Dunson, Shani Neamen)
Dunson lives in West Seattle and cut her teeth umpiring this local league. “These young women, their coaches, and their parents are models of great sportsmanship and a supportive enthusiastic community. I wanted to give all of them something to remember.”

Dunson was assigned to work the game with another local West Seattle umpire, Shani Neamen, and so recruited yet another West Seattle umpire, Mike Katz, to join the crew. The all-local umpire team arrived on site and were treated like rock-stars; cheery hellos from the fans, giggles and whispers of “it’s my favorite umpire” from the players; and strong hearty handshakes from the coaches.

But there was only one team at the park – the other team had to forfeit, so there was no game to umpire. That didn’t stop the group from taking a team photo with the three umpires and breaking out into a raucous game of kickball.

“This is softball at its absolute best,” Dunson said. “And we will be back next year!”

Find out more about WSGS at westseattlegirlssoftball.com.