'Not being the odd one out': Clinic hopes to attract more female umpires

Ingrid Helmke has been umpiring in Nova Scotia for three years, but the 15-year-old says she's almost always the only female officiating at the baseball games.

So it was nice, she said, "not being the odd one out" on Sunday at an entry-level clinic for female umpires in Dartmouth.

Right now only three per cent of the umpires in Nova Scotia are female.

"This has been my favourite year. It's been more active and fun. It has not been as scary, I haven't been as nervous practicing," Helmke said, adding the 19 girls taking part in Sunday's clinic were all very supportive.

The clinic was run by Lisa Turbitt, an instructor and umpire with Baseball Canada.

"I started when I was 11 years old, but I didn't meet another female umpire until I was in my late 20s," said Turbitt, who hails from Burlington, Ont.

"So we've had an opportunity to spend the day together and learn umpiring and meet other female umpires from across Nova Scotia. It's been excellent."

Helmke said when she's umpiring or attending similar clinics, there's usually only one or two girls participating.

And she said she's gotten the impression the boys tend to think their skills are better.

"Even if they didn't say it, they would be like, 'Oh yeah, don't worry, I know what I'm talking about, I know how it goes,' she said.

"It's like, I've been umpiring for two years, this is only your first. I think I know what I'm doing."

It's good for girls in baseball to see women officiate at games, Helmke said.

"When you're younger, if you see girls in positions of authority or positions in baseball that aren't just playing, I think it helps girls want to play more baseball and want to stick with it. Because they can look at you and think, 'That's where I could be someday.'"

Jesse Paquin, 13, has been playing baseball for two years on both girls' and mixed teams.

The boys on her team never said anything negative to her directly, "but I've heard a few little things here and there," she said.

However, Paquin said she knows girls can play baseball just as well as boys. "If not better," she said, smiling. 

Learning from mistakes

Turbitt said if there's one thing she hopes the aspiring umpires learned on Sunday, it's perseverance.

"Because we are going to make mistakes as an umpire," she said. "And how we learn from that and then go out the next day and correct those mistakes" is the best way to improve those skills.

Turbitt said she was grateful she could come to the province to meet and train with the young girls and women.

"Maybe I'll be coming back, getting to watch one of them instead of them watching me. Which would be an amazing thing."