Rick Hill

Umpire - Presented by John Hart

Richard has been involved with USSSA for the last 16 years. He has been a player, coach, umpire, and currently Director and UIC in Reading, Lexington, North Reading and Wilmington. He was an ASA umpire for 15 years and finally made the switch to USSSA in 1993 after several years of urging by John Hart. He feels it is one of the best decisions he has ever made. 
 
Richard umpired in league and tournament games in Reading, Peabody, Lexington, Fort Devens, Hanscom AFB, Providence RI, and North Branford CT all the while being told he was being groomed for a larger role. The opportunity to become Area UIC presented itself in 1995 and he jumped at it. It was the job he wanted when he decided to join USSSA and he couldn’t wait to get started. 

In 1996 he became the Director / UIC for the area. He was very nervous heading into his first meeting with the umpires. He knew going in that the best managers he'd had never forgot what it was like to be one of the workers. That’s the approach he took leading the umpire group. In the mid to late 90's umpire assignments to tournaments came directly through the Area UIC. In the past these assignments went to "friends and family", not anymore. Once the umpires found that there were no favorites, morale was boosted, and pride in our organization was improved. 

It didn't take long to gain the trust and respect of the umpires and his only uncharted territory was dealing with the leagues. Negotiating umpire rates, scheduling, cancellations - all new, but past experience with treating people as he would want to be treated has served him well as he tends to these and other league concerns from year to year. 
   
Richard’s highlight of his career so far with USSSA has been his trip to Orlando, FL in 2003 to work the Women's B World Series. To be able to participate in that event, with his wife and three kids there with him and work games with his good friend Mike Moscariello - it just doesn't get any better than that. It was a great experience, and one he'll never forget. He feels he’s been lucky enough to go to many, many tournaments all over New England and work with an assortment of umpires, but what he enjoys the most is staying close to home and seeing our local umpires and teams out on the fields. He gets satisfaction from seeing teams having fun playing softball, and watching umpires get better year after year. 

“I don't think of what I do as Area Director I UIC as a job or an obligation. I never have looked upon myself as being any better than anyone else, I'm just another of the umpires who has a little bit more responsibility than simply showing up to work a couple of games. This was the example set by John Hart back when I started, and it's the example that I hope I'm setting for the umpires we have now, and for future umpires as well.” -Rick​