HiCast Sports Network, a leading video streaming platform for youth and amateur sports, will continue to build on its advertising success with Rawlings Sporting Goods Company Inc.® and expand new sponsorship opportunities in 2025. These offerings provide family-friendly brands substantial reach and engagement in the $37.5 billion youth sports industry, allowing national, regional and local advertisers to engage with athletes and their families through more than 250 livestreams at elite sports venues nationwide.
HiCast Sports Network’s platform has enabled brands like Rawlings to connect directly with families, athletes and coaches through targeted advertising campaigns. Since launching earlier this year, Rawlings has executed seven campaigns across the HiCast Sports Network, reaching thousands of viewers and effectively engaging youth sports audiences. HiCast’s ads have contributed to over 81 percent year-over-year growth in referral traffic and engaged users on Rawlings' site, with a 17 percent increase in revenue from connected TV activities.
“We are committed to continuing to enhance our digital fan experience while ensuring that subscription pricing remains affordable for families,” HiCast Sports Network Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Calabrese said. “Building a robust advertising engine within our platform gives us and our venue partners the opportunity to collaborate with sponsors in a new way that enhances digital ad impressions and conversions.”
Rawlings’ Perspective on Partnership Impact:
Rawlings Digital Marketing Director Mike Poepping said HiCast Sports Network enabled Rawlings to achieve core marketing goals that align with its brand mission. “Our goals are always to immerse ourselves in the athletes’ backyards to help them see where our equipment can help them succeed and grow their passion for the game of baseball or softball,” Poepping noted. “HiCast Sports Network allows us to reach those athletes and decision makers while they are enjoying their favorite pastime, so we can match them up with the correct gear for their needs as they arise.”
Poepping highlighted that video advertising performance on the HiCast Sports Network has been highly effective, describing it as “equally beneficial to other CTV (Connected TV) and live-streaming ad networks we’ve used because we’re able to target specific ages and skill levels of play with products that suit those athletes in that moment dynamically as [Rawlings] scales. More well-targeted messaging and offers lead to more interest and buy-in from consumers, which is why this relationship has been great.”
Furthermore, Poepping emphasized his appreciation for the advanced targeting capabilities that HiCast provides, stating, “I appreciate the targeting of fields/complexes, athletes/teams, and the different ad types to make sure we’re effective in marketing and sales, but more importantly so we don’t annoy or upset end users/consumers while they try to watch their athlete blossom.”
Reflecting on future plans, Poepping noted that partnering with HiCast has influenced Rawlings’ marketing strategy for 2025. “HiCast has helped us see the need to stay immersed at the local, field level to ensure we’re meeting our athletes and their families where they are at, and as their needs for equipment arise,” he shared.
Advanced Advertising Features
HiCast Sports Network’s platform offers brands customizable options for flexible, targeted advertising:
- Campaign Versatility: Brands can choose from network-wide, venue-specific or sport-specific campaigns, strategically reaching audiences by event type, user group and location.
- Interactive Video Ads: Clickable ads provide a direct link to brand landing pages, exclusive offers or promotional codes, giving audiences immediate access to products or services.
- Comprehensive Reporting: Brands receive detailed monthly reports with insights on ad impressions, click-through and view-through rates, enabling them to monitor and refine their campaigns for maximum engagement.
Supporting Venue Partners through Sponsorships:
In addition to delivering effective brand connections, HiCast Sports supports venue partners through a revenue-sharing model. This arrangement generates valuable revenue for participating venues, allowing them to reinvest in youth sports programs and enhance their offerings to athletes and communities.
Developing Future Brand Partnerships:
As the youth sports industry grows, HiCast Sports Network is committed to working with brands whose goals align with its family-friendly, community-focused mission. This expanded approach reinforces HiCast’s commitment to delivering meaningful brand engagement opportunities while supporting the ongoing growth and enrichment of the youth sports ecosystem.
“Historically, banners on fences or in gyms have been the primary way for brands and businesses to gain in-park exposure when sponsoring youth sports,” Calabrese said. “Our platform supports venue partners by offering digital sponsorship opportunities that reach a broader yet more targeted audience, allowing viewers to connect directly and immediately to products and services of interest. Working with brands like Rawlings allows us to make meaningful connections at the heart of the game, and we’re excited to keep building on that shared commitment to support our viewers and the sport they love.” For sponsorship inquiries and more information on HiCast’s advertising solutions, visit HiCastSports.com.
About HiCast Sports Network:
HiCast Sports Network is a leading live and video-on-demand streaming platform and subscription-based service for amateur and youth sports, utilizing its patented technology to put games and the Moments That Matter™ in the hands of fans everywhere. HiCast partners with top-tier sports venues including the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, Ripken Baseball, and A5 Volleyball Sportsplex to deliver a premium viewing experience to families, coaches, athletes and scouts. HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched thousands of youth sports events encompassing nearly eight million game minutes year-to-date across more than 250 livestreams in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
About Rawlings Sporting Goods Company Inc.®:
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Baseball, Helmet, Face Guard, Fielding Base and Glove of Major League Baseball® and the Official Baseball of Minor League Baseball™.
HiCast Sports Network Upgrades Video Streaming Capabilities for Soccer & Football Events at Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center
HiCast Sports Network, a leader in innovative video streaming solutions for youth and amateur sporting events, will offer an enhanced viewing experience for family members and fans interested in events taking place at Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center. Viewers will see a difference starting with the 15th Annual Kalahari Cup hosted by Bay Area Soccer League from Oct. 25 to 27. HiCast will feature a new view of the primary soccer field (Field 1), where the viewer will receive a broadcast-quality production that auto-tracks the action on the field for family members watching from home or anywhere in the world.
HiCast Sports is already known for its cutting-edge, patented streaming technology used at premier venues such as the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Florida, The Ripken Experience® baseball venues in South Carolina, Tennessee and Maryland, and A5 Volleyball Sportsplex in Georgia.
"HiCast Sports Network has provided an invaluable service for our patrons this year, allowing families to stay connected while watching our baseball and softball events live or anytime on-demand," Sports Force General Manager Mike Virgin said. "We’re thrilled to continue to enhance the fan experience for soccer and football through our partnership with HiCast.”
Sports Force Parks' state-of-the-art facilities offer the perfect backdrop for HiCast Sports to showcase its streaming capabilities for a multi-sport complex.
“Our success with baseball, softball and volleyball has demonstrated the impact of making youth sporting events accessible to families, coaches and scouts everywhere,” said Stephanie Calabrese, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder of HiCast Sports Network. “Expanding our quality coverage for rectangular surface sports including soccer, football and lacrosse will help free up more parents at the park so they can put their phones down and stay in the moment with their kids. They can trust us to cover the moments that matter for them.”
About HiCast Sports Network
HiCast Sports Network is a leading live and video-on-demand streaming platform and subscription-based service for amateur and youth sports, utilizing its patented technology to put games and the Moments That Matter™ in the hands of fans everywhere. HiCast partners with top-tier sports venues including the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, Ripken Baseball, and A5 Volleyball Sportsplex to deliver a premium viewing experience to families, coaches, athletes and scouts. HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched thousands of youth sports events encompassing nearly eight million game minutes year-to-date across more than 250 livestreams in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Viginia.
Celebrating Fathers and the Moments That Matter™
Today, we’re kicking off our Father’s Day HiCast Highlight Contest. Share your best HiCast game highlights with us now through Father's Day on Sunday, June 18th for a chance to win a FREE Annual HiCast Family Pass for your dad, grandad or father-figure (a $215.93 value) and a Rawlings drawstring bag for your featured player!
How to enter your HiCast highlight:
1. Login here: https://watch.hcst.me
2. Select "My Highlights" in top navigation.
3. Tap on the highlight(s) you want to submit to us.
4. Tap the orange (...) icon and select "Submit to HiCast"
5. If you have not yet added your player's profile, tap "Add Player Profile" and fill in the fields, then tap the "Update" button. Be sure to add your player profile to your account so we can feature your player's name, team name and age division, and social tags in any HiCast highlights you submit to us to be featured in our product and across our social media.
6. Select your player from the drop-down menu on the submission form, share some details about the moment, and tap the "Submit" button.
We feature highlights daily, so follow us in FB, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to see if you've been featured and we’ll announce the winner on Monday, June 19th.
Not sure how to watch a game on-demand and save and share highlights?
All recorded game footage is accessible to watch on-demand for 90 days from date of play. You can save, download and/or share highlights from our game footage. Each highlight can be up to 60 seconds in length, and you can create as many as you like while you have an active subscription. Any highlights you save remain saved and accessible to you on your account after you cancel your pass.
To find a game from the past to view on-demand:
Select the venue or search for it on our home page. You can search by venue name, city, state or sport.
The Venue screen will show a list of field/court numbers or names. Tap a field/court to view games on that field. The display will show the live or most recent date available of game video. To choose a day in the past, tap the "On-Demand" tab over the video player. The video will update.
Tap on the date to choose the date of the game you want to watch. Then, choose the hour closest to your game start time. The video will update. Slide the timeline on the video player to fine-tune your time selection within the game. After you watch the current hour, just select the next hour from the hour drop-down menu above the video window to continue watching the game.
To save, download and/or share a link to a highlight:
Just tap the "TAG" button on the video window when you see the moment you want to save. The tag toolbar will appear below the video player displaying 60 seconds past your tag time. You can move the orange sliders to trim your highlight (set start and end time), then tap in the name field to name the highlight. After you tap the Save button, your highlight will be saved to your My Highlights screen.
My Highlights is accessible in the top navigation. To download or share a Highlight, tap on the one you want to share and it will appear for you to view. Tap on the orange more icon (...) on the right and select Copy Link to share a link to your highlight, or Request Download to download it to your desktop or mobile device.
If you Copy Link and paste the link to the highlight into a text message, email, FB post, etc., anyone can view the shared highlight on our site. A viewer doesn't need an account to view your highlight.
If you Request Download, we will prepare your highlight for download. Once the file is ready, it will download to your computer or device and we'll email it to the email associated with your account. Video file is a .mp4 format.
If you’ve got questions, give us a shout!
HiCast Sports Network Expands Partnership with The Ripken Experience™ to Provide Video Coverage for Its Aberdeen Ballpark
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company has expanded its partnership with Ripken Baseball to provide live and on-demand video coverage for its nine-field baseball complex in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Amanda Shank, Vice President, Business Development for Ripken Baseball, shares, “HiCast has streamed games at The Ripken Experience™ Pigeon Forge for over two years, giving our teams the opportunity to clip and relive the biggest moments of their tournament experience. We’re excited to bring their best-in-class technology to our guests in Aberdeen and Myrtle Beach.”
This year, The Ripken Experience Aberdeen will host 39 baseball tournaments attracting more than 1,700 9U-16U teams from mid March through late November, in addition to summer camps for teams ages 7U and up. General Manager Lauren Morris shares, “Our complex is a little bit different from the other Ripken Experience parks largely because of our location, which is right off the I-95 corridor making it a convenient weekend destination for a broad region of travel baseball teams. Beyond Maryland, we attract teams from all over the East Coast throughout the year. For us, it’s not just about baseball, it’s about creating a big league experience – from providing a well-run facility, to experienced umpires, to game announcers and music, to water in the dugouts.” While the tournaments are organized and led by the complex, they also host college games including McDaniel College (MD) and Montclair State University (NJ), as well as local high school and home school games.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
General Manager, Lauren Morris, born and raised in Harford County, Maryland, grew up playing softball, lacrosse and soccer. She went on to play soccer in college and interned with the Aberdeen IronBirds, a minor league baseball organization, before going on to work for Ripken Baseball to lead its signature Ripken World Series and other events for the next ten years. Now, she’s one of the few female general managers for a nationally-recognized youth sports complex.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
More than 125,000 guests will visit The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen in-person this year under Lauren’s leadership, but now so many more can share the big league experience from anywhere in the world using the HiCast Sports Network. “Being able to provide an experience for guests who are unable to travel to our complex is a huge benefit because they can still be in the action and live those moments while they are happening live. For parents to be able to clip and post highlights of their players’ big moments… that’s pretty cool! Players and families are creating these lifelong memories at our complex and we want them to be able to share them. Our older 16U players can save in-game moments to share with college recruiters who are often not able to watch all the players they’re following in-person. I wish we had that when I was playing sports.”
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen was established in 2003 by legendary former professional baseball players Cal Ripken, Jr. and brother Bill Ripken in their hometown. The complex has nine replicas of iconic professional ballfields found across the country so youth players can have the experience of what it feels like to play under the lights at Camden Yards or to hit a home run off the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Lauren shares, “We have six all-turf fields and three natural fields with a dedicated team putting down new lines, watering the field, and grooming the infield after each game just like you’d see at a big league game. Our goal is to deliver a ‘can’t wait’ experience for every athlete.” HiCast Sports Network now provides video coverage on seven of the nine fields at The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen with plans to add video coverage on the two newest fields (Citi Field and PNC Park) this summer.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than five million game minutes featuring more than 500,000 athletes playing on more than 200 fields and courts at premier baseball/softball and indoor court venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. HiCast Sports subscribers have saved and shared nearly 250,000 game highlights, the Moments That Matter™ with the people who matter most.
About Ripken Baseball
Ripken Baseball brings teammates, coaches, and families together through its Big-League Experiences, while teaching the values of the game, and how to play it the right way – the Ripken Way. Recently expanding the best experience in youth sports to satellite locations through Ripken Select Tournaments, Ripken Baseball continues to innovate the game through tournaments, camps, clinics, and spring training at their state-of-the-art baseball and softball facilities – The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen (Maryland), The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), and The Ripken Experience™ Pigeon Forge (Tennessee).
HiCast Sports Network Expands Video Coverage for All Youth & Amateur Athletes Across Spartanburg County Ballparks
Tyger River Park Photo Courtesy of Spartanburg Parks
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company was awarded the sports video streaming contract for Spartanburg County Parks Department. HiCast Sports Network has been providing live and on-demand video coverage for all games and tournaments at Tyger River Park in Duncan, SC since 2017 and recently expanded video coverage to include two additional ballparks, North Spartanburg Park and 295 Park.
On weekends and during the summer season, all three ballparks host USSSA youth baseball, USA Softball youth fast pitch softball, NSA adult slow pitch, and few other tournament organizers. Tyger River Park, the county’s newest premier ballpark, has attracted regional college and national events including the 2022 and 2021 Conference Carolinas Championship and the 2020 USA Softball Junior Olympic Cup, offering HiCast Sports video coverage as a valuable park amenity. Aside from tournament play, Trey Glover, Park Operations Manager for Spartanburg County Parks Department, shares, “Spartanburg County is unique in that we have seven school districts, each with its local volunteer youth athletic association administering youth baseball and softball programs. Our department hosts and facilitates play for all of them throughout Spartanburg County to include North Spartanburg Park, 295 Park, and Tyger River Park.”
“From a Parks Department programming and participation perspective, we’ve seen explosive growth in the area, but particularly in the Northern region (Boiling Springs) of the county,” shares Kristen Guilfoos, Marketing Manager for Spartanburg County Parks. Reports show a 20% increase in athlete participation for Youth Athletic Associations. “We know how to run successful tournaments. Event organizers and teams have a great experience here at our ballparks and they want to come back.”
North Spartanburg Park Photo Courtesy of Spartanburg Parks
HiCast Sports Network now provides video coverage on all four fields at 295 Park, all four fields at North Spartanburg Park, as well as 12 fields at Tyger River Park. Combined, these ballparks will host more than 60 tournaments across 35 weeks throughout the year attracting youth teams traveling from across the region, state and country. “Attracting sports tourism is a goal for our county,” shares Trey. For nearly 10 years Park Operations staff have facilitated regional and national tournaments for third-party event organizers. In more recent years, the team has put their experience and skills to work by hosting their own signature tournaments. The first of these, the Jeff Proper Diamond Dirt Classic, attracted 168 youth teams across Spartanburg County and helped raise funds to benefit the youth sports programs. Now, family members and fans unable to travel can watch youth athletes playing across all three ballparks in the county live or anytime on-demand for up to three months from date of play.
295 Park Image Courtesy of Spartanburg County Parks
On Spartanburg County’s decision to work with the HiCast Sports Network, Trey shares, “We knew this was the future five years ago when we initially partnered with HiCast Sports to cover Tyger River Park. As technology and our internet bandwidth has improved thanks to economic development and growth in this area, the potential to expand video coverage became possible. Relationships were important in the decision-making process, as well as service. On the weekends when we have tons of games being played, if something unexpected happens or if grandparents need help getting connected, we can rely on HiCast Sports to respond quickly. We’re excited to continue to build on the relationship we already have in place, and to make more games accessible to more people.”
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than five million game minutes featuring more than 500,000 athletes playing on more than 200 fields and courts at premier baseball/softball and indoor court venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. HiCast Sports subscribers have saved and shared nearly 250,000 game highlights, the Moments That Matter™ with the people who matter most.
HiCast Sports Network Extends Viewership for The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach, One of the Hottest Sports Tourism Destinations in the U.S.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company has expanded its partnership with Ripken Baseball to provide live and on-demand video coverage for its nine-field baseball complex in Myrtle Beach, SC, one of the most popular sports tourism destinations in the country.
Amanda Shank, Vice President, Business Development for Ripken Baseball, shares, “HiCast has streamed games at The Ripken Experience™ Pigeon Forge for over two years, giving our teams the opportunity to clip and relive the biggest moments of their tournament experience. We’re excited to bring their best-in-class technology to our guests in Aberdeen and Myrtle Beach.”
“We pride ourselves on delivering a big league experience for our players and we’re constantly re-investing in our complex,” shares General Manager Matt Ensworth who’s worked with The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach for the past 15 years. This year, The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach will host approximately 27,000 players and 93,000 visitors. “Live streaming is very important for us, especially for those family members and friends who can’t make the trip. They still get to be a part of the live experience. The video on-demand feature lets our players and families capture and relive their experiences and memories, the ability to replay video is a great learning tool and will ultimately help improve the overall experience. Our staff is looking forward to saving and sharing highlights from our tournaments to spotlight players on our social media,” adds Matt.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
One of the original privately-owned sports complexes in the country built in 2006, The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach spans 50 acres just minutes from the beach. It offers nine replica all-turf fields of historic Major League ballparks, each featuring unique field dimensions and playing experiences every game. The complex hosts play year-round which spans 10 week-long experiences and a 5-week collegiate league for 24 teams each summer. “In my 15 years here, we’ve hosted teams from all 50 states,” adds Matt.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
During the Spring and Fall seasons, the complex hosts three and four-game youth tournaments attracting teams from across the country. The complex has also become one of the most popular collegiate and high school spring training destinations from February through April, attracting teams that are looking for warm weather, rain-resistant all-turf fields, and competitive play. When traveling teams arrive at the complex, they’ve got plenty of space to warm up on Training Island which features 17 batting cages and infield training circles to help them prepare for tournament play. When teams are ready for a break, the Big League Grill offers a comfortable space to cool off in the air conditioning, where they can watch games in progress at the complex on big screen TVs thanks to coverage from the HiCast Sports Network.
Photo Courtesy of Ripken Baseball
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than five million game minutes featuring more than 500,000 athletes playing on more than 200 fields and courts at premier baseball/softball and indoor court venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. HiCast Sports subscribers have saved and shared nearly 250,000 game highlights, the Moments That Matter™ with the people who matter most.
About Ripken Baseball
Ripken Baseball brings teammates, coaches, and families together through its Big-League Experiences, while teaching the values of the game, and how to play it the right way – the Ripken Way. Recently expanding the best experience in youth sports to satellite locations through Ripken Select Tournaments, Ripken Baseball continues to innovate the game through tournaments, camps, clinics, and spring training at their state-of-the-art baseball and softball facilities – The Ripken Experience™ Aberdeen (Maryland), The Ripken Experience™ Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), and The Ripken Experience™ Pigeon Forge (Tennessee).
Ballparks National, the Premier Fast-pitch Ballpark Destination in the Midwest, Joins the HiCast Sports Network
Photo Courtesy of Ballparks National
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company is proud to announce Ballparks National as a new venue partner. It is the first premier fast-pitch softball venue, and the second ballpark in Missouri to join the HiCast Sports Network. HiCast Sports puts the game in the hands of youth and amateur athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view sporting events live or on-demand at top venues across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Ballparks National, a new privately-owned fast-pitch softball and baseball ballpark located minutes from Lake of the Ozarks, opened their gates in 2021. Founded by former sports broadcasters, Jeff Vernetti and Bob Ramsey, the venue has been a long-time in the making and currently selling out tournaments for the 2022 Spring and Summer season. HiCast Sports Network provides video coverage on all five all-turf fields for travel tournaments attracting fast-pitch softball teams for all age groups and baseball teams up to 13U. From the beginning of March through end of October, Ballparks National will host about 30 tournaments, 800 teams, and 40,000 patrons this year from 15 different states, as well local high school and college softball games, clinics and state-wide tournaments.
“We’re a family-friendly destination facility,” shares Keith Lucas, Assistant General Manager. “Lake of the Ozarks is hailed as the best recreational lake in the midwest. People come from all over to vacation and play here, and having the HiCast Sports Network gives extended family members the chance to share the game-day experience from home, or anywhere in the world.” Ballparks National delivers creative guest services and theme-based tourneys; fun activities including a radar-speed pitch zone, bounce houses for young siblings, and fireworks; and an expansive deck overlooking the park with a full-service bar and grill to provide a unique and enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Photo Courtesy of Ballparks National
“Even our local teams traveling from Jefferson City, Columbia and Springfield, or even farther from St. Louis and Kansas City want overnight stay options for our weekend tournaments. The Lake of the Ozarks region offers a wide range of options for different budgets from campgrounds to home vacation rentals to 5-star hotels,” adds Jeff Vernetti, General Manager. “We work with our sponsors, from boat dealers to water parks and restaurants, to offer special promotions to our families to help them plan a fun vacation for the whole family both on and off our fields.”
Understanding the importance of video coverage from a fast-pitch softball recruiting perspective, Ballparks National initially attempted to set up and manage their own video streaming solution. Keith shares, “It was challenging. We had to turn cameras off and on, keep batteries charged, and make sure cameras didn’t overheat out in the summer sun. There’s a lot of elements involved in video streaming and it was just a hassle.”
Photo Courtesy of Ballparks National
Jeff adds, “In the end we wanted to go with a really good company who knew what they were doing and could take that aspect of video streaming technology off our plate so we could focus on doing what we do best – creating a great tournament experience. HiCast Sports Network was the best choice in a partner. We can now stream games from all five fields to our concession area and to viewers anywhere in the world, and I liked HiCast Sports covers other top ballparks around the country. It makes it easier for our teams to have one login, and use one solution from an established brand. ”
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than five million game minutes featuring more than 500,000 athletes playing on more than 200 fields and courts at premier baseball/softball and indoor court venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. HiCast Sports subscribers have saved and shared nearly 250,000 game highlights, the Moments That Matter™ with the people who matter most.
Your experience is about to get waaay better!
Updated: Monday, March 21: Since 2017 we've been covering youth sports venues across the country. We've learned a lot since then, have listened to feedback from valued customers like you, and took it all to heart. On Tuesday, March 22 we'll be releasing HiCast Sports v.4. We've upgraded our platform and your user experience to be faster, more reliable, and easier to use with great new features. We're not braggin', but honestly, we think you'll love it!
If you are a current subscriber, here are five things you need to know:
If you have a monthly subscription through iTunes, it will automatically cancel tomorrow, March 22 and stop the recurring charge as we will no longer support iTunes subscriptions. Your current subscription will remain active through the end of your current billing cycle. You can then purchase a new subscription on your existing account through us directly.
If you have a monthly subscription through us directly, it will continue, but we're updating our prices for the first time in three years, so we can provide you with the best possible service. A Single User Pass will be just $19.99/month, and a Family Pass for up to four users just $29.99/month. We've even added a 40% discount on an Annual Pass, so a single user can subscribe for as low as $11.99/month, and a family of four for just $17.99/month. The new pricing will begin on your next renewal date. You can cancel a monthly subscription at any time.
After the release tomorrow, you will login to our website using your existing username (or email) and password. If you can't remember your password, just tap the "Forgot Password" link on the login screen.
If you have saved highlights, rest assured, they will remain with your account and you'll access them under the "My Highlights" link in the top navigation.
If you use our HiCast Sports mobile app for iOS, delete the app from your mobile device, as we will no longer support it after we release our product upgrade. HiCast Sports v.4 is 100% web responsive, meaning you'll go to our website using a computer or mobile device and enjoy the same features and functionality on all viewing methods.
If you are a not a current subscriber, but have saved highlights on your existing account, here are three things you need to know:
After the release, you will login to our new website using your existing username (or email) and password to access your saved highlights. You will find them under the "My Highlights" link in the top navigation.
You can purchase a new subscription to watch games live or on-demand if/when you are ready. After you login to your account, just tap the "Subscribe" button. We'd be happy to have you back!
Delete our HiCast Sports mobile app for iOS on your mobile device, as we will no longer support it, after we release our product upgrade. HiCast Sports v.4 is 100% web responsive, meaning you'll go to our website using a computer or mobile device and enjoy the same features and functionality on all viewing methods.
We'll send an email to our active subscribers and to our users who have saved highlights on their accounts today, Monday, March 21. Check the spam filter in your inbox and if you are a Gmail user, check the “Promotions” tab within your inbox, to ensure you don’t miss our communications. We're here to help 7 days/week. Just contact us with any questions.
Five Features We Think You’ll Love
1. Live is Really Live + DVR (Rewind & Replay)
Our initial approach to covering games live back in 2017 had to be a creative one. Streaming wasn't yet a thing, and our ballparks often had lags and hiccups with internet connectivity. Things have changed! We'll now deliver a true livestream so what you see on the screen is what's happening on the field. No more delays. And when something awesome happens, our new DVR feature will let you rewind and replay the Moments That Matter™.
2. Save Live Tags & Highlights on Any Device
We know you've been waiting for this one! Our users have saved nearly 250,000 highlights from our footage, but that number is about to skyrocket. Now, you can quickly save "Live Tags" (or timestamps) while watching live and come back to those plays after the game. Then you can save and trim highlights while watching on-demand on your computer or mobile device (Android or iOS), and share a link for friends, fam and followers to view your highlights.
3. Did someone say Zoom? The outfield just got closer.
Wile watching live or on-demand full-screen or in-line, you can use our video player to zoom in and drag to any area of the screen for a closer look. Imagine this... you're watching the game LIVE and your player does something amazing. Just rewind and zoom in to replay for a closer look. We know you've been waiting for that! As internet bandwidth at our ballparks continues to increase, we'll continue to increase resolution of our video to give you the best quality video your internet connection can handle.
4. Player Profiles to Help Us Increase Your Social Media Views
Some of our users' HiCast highlights have been seen by millions of viewers. In your profile, you can now setup player profiles to share your player's name, team name, position and age division to identify your highlight when you share it with us. This info will travel with our curated highlights in our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook features, making it faster and easier for our venue partners and us to promote your best plays.
5. Multiple Camera Views & More Sports Coming Soon
We provide our wide-angle view from the best seat in the house for baseball, softball and volleyball, but now we've got the capability to add multiple camera views and add coverage for more sports like soccer, lacrosse, football and basketball. Stay tuned as our list of venue partners continues to grow! Interested in our video coverage? Fill out this form and we’ll get back in touch with you.
HiCast Sports Network Extends Viewership for Youth Court Sports in Middle Tennessee in Partnership with Alliance Volleyball Club
Photo courtesy of Alliance Volleyball Club
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth and adult amateur athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view sporting events live or on-demand at top venues across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device, is proud to announce Alliance Volleyball Club as a new venue partner. It is the first multi-sport indoor sports venue to join the HiCast Sports Network.
Alliance Volleyball Club, a non-profit organization formed 12 years ago, established its home base at the TOA Sports Performance Center, a hub for middle Tennessee youth indoor sports, in October 2020. This week, HiCast Sports Network begins video coverage on all 12 volleyball courts that convert to 6 basketball courts in partnership with Alliance Volleyball Club, the anchor tenant for hardwood courts at the Center. HiCast Sports Network will provide video coverage for all Alliance Volleyball Club practices, clinics and tournaments, which attract teams beyond the Tennessee region, across the country and into Canada; as well as coverage for Alliance partners, Stars Basketball Club and Music City Pickleball, and their events on the courts year-round.
Caleb Norton, Alliance Tournament Director & Facility Manager, shares, “We are committed to using technology to improve youth sports. One of the biggest things for hosting events is giving everyone the ability to watch their players. Streaming is a way to keep more and more people involved and interested. It can generate revenue and also provides added security on our courts. It’s a benefit as far as recruiting too. Our kids can always have footage available so they can make a highlight reel for college recruiters. HiCast Sports Network benefits are multi-faceted and we want to provide the best experience we can for our customers.”
Photo courtesy of Alliance Volleyball Club
One look at their list of college recruits and alumni is evidence of their commitment to player development. Within the past 4 years, Alliance has sent 65 athletes to play at the collegiate level. In 2021, 14 of the Tennessean's Top 25 High School Volleyball Players to Watch play for Alliance. Thirteen Alliance athletes made the Tennessean All-Midstate Team this past season, and three earned State MVP awards. Alliance Volleyball Club offers programming to girls age 5-18 years old, the largest recreational youth volleyball fall league in the state, and 42 competitive club teams for ages 11U through 18U at its primary TOA Sports Performance Center location and three satellite clubs (Murfreesboro, Airborne and South).
Photo courtesy of Alliance Volleyball Club
“Partnering with HiCast is going to help us support our mission of transparency in training and development along with enhancing our regional and national leadership in recruiting by increasing the value of recruiting events and driving increased access to our athletes pursuing college opportunities,” shares Abbey West, Managing Director and 18s Head Coach for Alliance Volleyball Club.
Photo courtesy of Alliance Volleyball Club
For most youth sports organizations like Alliance Volleyball Club, relying on HiCast Sports Network as a technology solution provider for live and on-demand video coverage make sense. Caleb shares, “Being a technology person, I’m comfortable with hardware and networking, but once we got into the cloud-based video management, hosting and an easy-to-use portal for distribution to our viewers, it was just beyond our area of expertise. We didn’t want to absorb that responsibility and technical complexity as it would distract us from our core business which is training and developing youth athletes. We felt it was better to find a professional partner we could trust and found that in HiCast.”
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than five million game minutes featuring nearly 500,000 athletes playing on more than 184 fields and courts at premier youth sports venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Using the HiCast Sports mobile app for iOS, users have saved and shared nearly 250,000 game highlights, the Moments That Matter™ with the people who matter most.
Signup here to watch TOA Sportsplex - Alliance live or on-demand.
Expanding Video Coverage for Baseball and Softball to the Rocky Mountain Region
HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view sporting events live or on-demand at top venues across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device, is proud to announce El Pomar Youth Sports Park in Colorado as a new venue partner. It is the first baseball/softball venue to join the HiCast Sports Network in Colorado.
HiCast Sports Network began coverage on all nine baseball/softball fields at El Pomar Youth Sports Park this month. Play on these fields (about 70% baseball and 30% softball) spans practices and games for local youth and adult amateur leagues from February through October, as well as statewide, regional and national tournaments organized by Triple Crown, Colorado Springs Baseball, Colorado Altitude Softball, Indian Peaks Girls Softball Association, National Championship Sports, and others attracting youth teams to Colorado Springs from across the country. Tournament play typically occurs during the spring and summer season and represents approximately 15% of total youth athlete play at the venue.
Photo Credit: Visit COS
Colorado Springs Youth Sports and El Pomar Youth Sports Park Executive Director Steve Czarnecki shares, “With technological advances, remote viewing has become more popular in recent years and demand has increased significantly during the pandemic. Now, parents, grandparents, other relatives, and friends can watch their family members play baseball and softball at El Pomar Youth Sports Park from across town or across the world. And, we love that players can now watch themselves on-demand, and the app makes it easy for users to save their favorite game highlights to share with friends and family, as well as college recruiters. We’re proud to be able to offer this value-added service to league and tournament operators, players, and their families.”
The El Pomar Youth Sports Park, opened in 2000, spans 57 acres and is owned and operated by non-profit organization Colorado Springs Youth Sports in partnership with the City of Colorado Springs. El Pomar Sports Park welcomes more than 100,000 youth athletes and 300,000 patrons to the venue each year.
HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched more than four million game minutes featuring more than 300,000 athletes playing on more than 145 fields and courts at premier baseball/softball and volleyball venues in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Aerial photo credits: Visit COS
Extending Volleyball Coverage to the Rocky Mountain Region
HiCast Sports Network recently partnered with NORCO Volleyball, providing our live and on-demand video coverage for practice and events at their incredible new venue in Loveland, Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Region. Why was video coverage important to the NORCO Volleyball organization? NORCO Volleyball Director, Dr Cathy Mahaffey, Ed.D shares, “For three primary reasons: first for the recruitment of kids to the next level; second for our coaching educational needs and third, of course, for our parents who want to be able to watch everything.”
The new 60,000 square-foot NORCO Volleyball venue boasts 10 courts with high-end Taraflex™ Comfort sports flooring and 15-foot service zones to help advance training. They’ve dedicated 11,000 square feet to a spectator viewing area and added HiCast Sports Network video coverage to provide a view from the best seat in the house to families of NORCO players from a broad geographic region including Wyoming, North Denver, and Nebraska, and to fans anywhere in the world. The size and amenities of the new facility make it the perfect destination for regional and national tournaments and showcase events.
HiCast Sports Network recently kicked off coverage at NORCO Volleyball for the 2021 Colorado Crossroads National Qualifier March 19-21 for 18-year-old division teams seeking to qualify for this year’s USA Volleyball National Championships. 103 teams from across the country gathered to compete at the original and new NORCO Volleyball venues in northern Colorado.
“This is a great event for players and college coaches as coaches have an opportunity to see so many top players in one place at one time,” shares Kay Rogness, Executive Director for Front Range Volleyball Club (FRVBC) Foundation who has been organizing the Colorado Crossroads event since in large facilities since 1996. While D2 and D3 coaches were permitted on-site, D1 coaches remain in their extended dead period due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning they are unable to recruit players in-person. Parents would typically be cheering their players on court-side, match after match, but current state and county restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic prevented that this year. No parents were permitted entry to the tournament to prioritize space for the expansive participant list of teams playing across 16 courts, making HiCast Sports Network video coverage even more important.
For the Colorado Crossroads event, HiCast Sports Network supported the event organizer’s temporary, manual video camera setup aimed at six courts (courts 11-16) at the original NORCO venue in Windsor, Colorado. They streamed their coverage through the HiCast Sports Network platform, while our permanent, automated camera coverage solution covered courts 1-10 at the new NORCO facility. This hybrid solution was necessary to cover play across these two venues for the event. All event footage is available to users to watch on-demand for three months from date of play, giving athletes, coaches and parents plenty of time to replay, save and share match highlights.
“Parents want to watch every minute of each match. Having the video coverage is important to them. And being able to get clips and send them to college coaches is a powerful feature. Coaches typically don’t have time watch entire matches for all of the players they are following, but they do want to see highlights,” shares Kay.
Nice kill by Middle (18) Sylvia Koenig for Mizuno Northern Lights 18 Black in the championship match they won against Woodlands Revolution VBC 18 Adidas on 3/21/21 from the Colorado Crossroads Qualifier
What inspired NORCO Volleyball to choose HiCast Sports Network for their new venue over the competition? “Besides the southern accents,” Cathy (a North Carolina native) shares with a laugh, “the services HiCast offers, especially on-demand viewing for up to three months… I think that’s huge. Technology can be intimidating. HiCast made us feel welcome and educated us along the way.”
Dr. Cathy Mahaffey has been a part of NORCO Volleyball Organization for 26 years, and she’s coached at the collegiate and high school levels. As one of the original NORCO coaches, she was the first to lead her 14s team to a Junior National Olympic Medal in 1995. In 1999 she became Director of the club and helped double the number of teams from eight to 16 within her first year of leadership. Today, NORCO Volleyball serves 320 athletes spanning 31 teams ranging from age 10 to 18. Teams consist of 19 core teams and 12 prime teams. NORCO teams are consistently ranked in the top 5 in the region in each age division, and have had 13 of the last 14 national championships winning three olympic medals. Evaluations help place athletes on teams that match players’ skills and strengths, but NORCO offers a home for all players who seek a competitive culture.
“The coaches that we employ and the organization of the club is what contributes to the success of our club. We have a staff of 35 coaches, many of whom have been with us for 10-18 years which says a lot for our program. I’ve surrounded myself with good people. Our organization is very transparent and we’re ethical. Since day one, our kids have been our number one priority and we do everything we can to help enhance their growth both on and off the court. Our success rate with graduating seniors has been amazing. For those who want to continue playing, we easily get 90% of our players signed to college teams each year. And having a home to practice in is huge,” shares Dr. Mahaffey.
Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and chief brand officer for HiCast Sports Network adds, “Partnering with such a well-respected volleyball organization and their incredible new venue strengthens our expansion into youth volleyball. We’ve proven the success of our solution in outdoor environments for baseball and softball, and making a move to cover indoor courts and promote the play of top volleyball athletes has been exciting for us." According to the 2020 Pre-Pandemic Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program Report, there are more than 2 million youth volleyball players across the U.S. HiCast Sports Network seeks to increase exposure for these athletes as volleyball continues to grow at a rapid pace.
To watch volleyball live or on-demand at NORCO Volleyball, sign up here: http://www.hicastsports.com/norco
Photos Above © NORCO Volleyball
HiCast Sports Network Delivers Video Coverage for the Nation’s #1 Volleyball Club
Southern Volleyball Showcase on December 5, 2020
HiCast Sports Network is proud to announce a partnership with the #1 nationally-ranked A5 Volleyball Club (out of ~5,000 clubs in the U.S.) and the addition of live and on-demand video coverage for the A5 Sportsplex in Roswell, Georgia. We kicked off coverage on Saturday, December 5 for the 2020 Southern Volleyball Showcase, a 12-year running annual exposure event that attracted more than 350 registered college coaches to watch 546 of the best volleyball players from 25 states demonstrate their skills.
Due to the extended Division I (DI) dead period and travel concerns imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, on-site attendance at the A5 Sportsplex for D2 and D3 coaches was limited this year. Less than 30 coaches (down from 100-150 last year) attended the event on-site, but thanks to live-streaming provided by HiCast Sports Network, more than 2,100 viewers tuned in to watch the event live safely from home. Livestream access and effective marketing by A5 this year contributed to a 45% increase in showcase player participation, attracting them to the A5 Sportsplex from more than double the number of states over 2019.
On the decision to partner with HiCast Sports Network, A5 founder and chairman of the board, Bob Westbrook, shares, “With everything being colored by the turbulent landscape that we currently operate on, the first question we had to answer was ‘Are we going to have a showcase?’ and the next question was, ‘If we did, how will it look?” That lead us to the fact that it had to be digital, so the next question was ‘Who can do that?’ We talked to a couple of companies and made a leap to work with HiCast who had never done anything to this magnitude. Very little of this had been done in the volleyball club sports world. It was a leap of faith on all of our parts that these were the right people, that we had the right facility, that we could employ the technology and make the grid interactive and that it would work for the college coaches and parents. We knew that if we did it well, it would set the standard for a platform we’d continue to use in the future, but if we failed, we’d miss that opportunity. Everybody knocked it out of the park. HiCast and our team did a remarkable job.”
Photo Credit: A5 Volleyball
To provide comprehensive coverage on all 11 courts at A5 Sportsplex, HiCast Sports Network installed two automated, fixed cameras discreetly over the baselines on each court, providing optimal views for all players. For the Southern Volleyball Showcase, HiCast Sports worked with A5 to create a custom web-based user interface, giving college coaches a player directory with quick links to find and follow individual players (wearing numbered jerseys) through three waves of play (9am, 12pm and 3pm) across the 22 views on 11 courts. A5 had the ability to immediately update player data through the event with support from the HiCast Sports team. The pace and tempo of the showcase and the simplicity and efficiency of the interactive functionality HiCast Sports created really set this A5 college showcase apart from others. Couple that with on-demand access to the event for up to three months to attract even more college coaches who can view the results roster provided by A5 and study video footage whenever it’s most convenient for them, and the solution is a win-win.
A5 Club Director and coach, Gabe Armamian, shares, “It was revolutionary. Nothing like this had really been done before at this level and all the feedback that we got from players to families and college coaches was just outstanding. It was definitely a turning point for us and the way showcases can be done.”
Beyond access for college coaches, HiCast Sports introduced the start of live coverage for A5 Sportsplex to families and fans as a free trial on the day of the event, and now offer subscribers the option to view that footage on-demand, as well as all upcoming practices and events live or on-demand at A5 Sportsplex. Gabe goes on to share, “The ability to watch from your home is so impactful. Kids have relatives that live in different states and even countries, and now they can watch them perform. HiCast will have a profound impact for our families. It’s extraordinary.” Using the HiCast Sports mobile app for iOS, subscribers can save and share highlights from the footage for personal use and work with A5 to create custom highlight reels for college recruiting purposes.
At A5, Gabe envisions coaches watching HiCast footage on-demand with players to help improve their game. “Being able to review and see what players need to change is paramount to their development. They have to do it when they get to college. Watching film is about a quarter of all time spent when it comes to developing your skills so learning that at an early age is important. Having the ability to go back and review their practice or game is a critical aspect of how they continue to find success with their technique and skill set,” shares Gabe.
“Volleyball is among the fastest growing youth sports in the country and it’s an honor for us to partner with A5 Volleyball Club. While our coverage has been focused on baseball and softball thus far, we’re excited to expand our solution across a variety of playing fields and surfaces to meet the increasing demands of remote viewers,” shares Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and chief brand officer for HiCast Sports Network. The 2020 State of Play report by Aspen Institute Project Play states that there are 2M+ volleyball players ages 6-17 who participate in the sport on a regular basis and shows 8% growth in 2019 participation for youth ages 13-17 over 2018. There are 1,000+ NCAA volleyball teams across Division I, II and III colleges.
A5 Volleyball Club, formed in 2004 as a 501-C(3) organization, coaches more than 1,000 players ages 7-18 spanning ~90 number of teams (excluding the sand volleyball program) across three locations in Georgia including Roswell, Suwanee and Tyrone. Several players travel in from out-of-state to play on A5 teams because the demand to play at A5 is so high. “Every one of our girls that have come through our 18s program who wanted to play in college, got that opportunity,” shares Gabe.
What makes A5 Volleyball Club unique? Gabe shares, “We stay true to our mission statement, ‘Teaching Life Lessons Through the Sport of Volleyball.’ It’s not always about the #1 ranking. The amount of kids that we have come back after they’re done with their volleyball college career to work or spend time with us is one of the most satisfying things that happen for us. And we are fortunate to have one of the strongest coaching staffs in the country and we believe it’s the crux of our success.”
Bob adds, “We don’t spend a lot of time thinking we’re good. We spend a lot more time thinking about what we can do to get better. We’re in the business of families and each individual family matters. You can’t pay lip service to that. You have to know what they need and what they want and we have to help them achieve that – and sometimes it’s different from what their athlete can actually achieve. We want to create an experience… for the people who work with us, the athletes who train with us, and the families who support us… that changes their lives in a way that is meaningful.”
A5 will host their first season of volleyball tournaments at the new 13-court A5 Sportsplex in Roswell beginning in January 2021 with families, college coaches and fans watching from all over the world. It represents a significant milestone for A5 and particularly its founder, Bob, who came to Atlanta 44 years ago to start junior volleyball. Bob shares, “To know that we started (girls volleyball) at Sutton Middle School in 1976 with three girls… and then to stand in a 13-court facility with every court filled with all ages is mostly cathartic to have played some small part in that vision.”
Read the A5 Press Release: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/532754208/being-seen-the-college-volleyball-recruiting-process-is-on
Watch A5 Volleyball live or on-demand weekdays 4:45pm - 10:15pm and anytime on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now: http://www.hicastsports.com/a5
HiCast Sports Network Delivers Youth Ballgames Live from Elizabethtown Sports Park to Family and Fans at Home or Anywhere in the World
While the Covid-19 global pandemic put a pause on the start of spring baseball and softball play at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown Kentucky, the ballpark was able to resume play in June with beautifully renovated turf infields, and a powerful video coverage solution in partnership with The HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “Our return-to-play guidelines closed our bleachers to support a safe environment. Spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”
Elizabethtown Sports Park opened eight years ago and sits on just under 160 acres of land featuring 12 diamond fields for baseball (about 70% of the ballpark’s play) and softball (about 30%), a Miracle Field for athletes with special needs, and 12 rectangular fields for soccer, lacrosse and football. The venue, which sits about a half-hour south of Louisville, KY attracts teams from all over the country. Different size ballfields enables the venue to host athletes from ages 8 through 18, and the new turf infields minimize the impact of weather conditions on play.
Elizabethtown Sports Park is overseen by Elizabethtown Tourism who secured Sports Facilities Management (SFM) to effectively manage operations of the venue. Todd Yancey was brought in by SFM to run the day-to-day operations of the park. “We’re really focused on streamlining operations, partnering with top baseball and softball event organizer Athletx Sports Group and with their help, grow our own branded tournaments here at Elizabethtown.”
“While generating revenue is important to Elizabethtown Sports Park, community involvement is another one of our key performance indicators. When we came in, the venue was 100% travel tournament play and within a year, we were able to support the local Elizabethtown Area Baseball Commission to help them operationally, at no cost to the league. Our Miracle Field was just put to use last year. We had eight local schools come out and participate in field days and we’re looking forward to hosting more of those events in the future.” This fall, family and fans can tune in using the HiCast Sports mobile app or web viewer to watch fellow community members and coworkers relive their glory days in the adult co-ed wiffle ball league.
Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, shares, “We’re so excited to partner with Elizabethtown Sports Park. It’s one of the top ballparks in the country and because of its location, an attractive destination for ~1200 travel ball teams up and down the east coast. We covered a national Baseball Youth event at the venue in the past, so installing our network as a permanent amenity makes it possible for us to capture all the moments that matter on the diamonds.”
“I had background experience with HiCast when I served as the general manager at Ballparks of America in Branson, MO and appreciated the ability for our patrons to share those game memories across all social channels. I really wanted to be able to bring that to Elizabethtown Sports Park and make sure that we were able to offer that same level of experience to the people who are on-site and to those who can’t make it.”
Runners on 2nd & 3rd and the well-timed bunt on Field 5 at our newest ballpark, Elizabethtown Sports Park in KY from the Versus tourney on 9/20/20
Remote Viewing Surges for Youth Ballparks During Covid-19 Global Pandemic
When America’s favorite pastime was indefinitely paused at the start of Spring season in March, it changed everything for youth athletes and families across the country. Tournaments were cancelled. Venues closed their gates. By the end of June, the majority of ballparks in the HiCast Sports Network across nine states established return-to-play polices and welcomed teams back on their fields, but limited spectators in the stands and encouraged family members and fans to watch from home thanks to an automated video coverage solution provided by the HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “We had to go back to the drawing board like so many other people in terms of our operations. We were able to launch some of our baseball season. Our bleachers are closed, and spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”
Field at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown, KY. Now during Covid-19 pandemic, bleachers are closed to spectators, but they can bring their own chairs and social distance along the fence line. Having the HiCast Sports app in hand, all fans can get a view behind the plate.
Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, Stephanie Calabrese shares, “We’ve seen a rapid surge in viewership. Looking at 2020 vs 2019 game minutes viewed across our network, we saw a 20% increase in July and more than 100% increase in August. While our coverage has been a nice-to-have amenity for our ballpark partners, it’s now become a necessity. Fans expect to have remote game access and we’ve proven our ability to provide reliable video coverage for ballparks over the past several years. We’re poised to grow.”
The HiCast Sports Network was founded by two creative-minded parents and entrepreneurs, Robert Stribling and Stephanie Calabrese, located just outside the metro Atlanta area. Inspired to cover and preserve the moments that matter for their own young athletes, they teamed up with friends and family to invest in product development, acquired U.S. utility patents, and have steadily grown their network and user base to cover more than 100 ballfields and about 300,000 ballplayers across 11 states. They’ve finalized agreements with two more venues in Michigan and Colorado for installation prior to the start of spring season 2021 and expect more to follow as demand for their coverage increases.
While parents and grandparents appreciate the ability to watch games live from home, their use often follows the lead of their players who use the HiCast Sports mobile app to watch their games back on-demand and save their favorite plays or hits from the game in the form of clips and highlight reels. HiCast subscriber and baseball dad Carlos Tariche’s son Tommy, a senior in high school who plays varsity and travel ball aspires to play for a D2 or D3 college, discovered HiCast initially. Carlos shares, “Tommy told me about the HiCast Sports app. When I took a look, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to figure out. I had a situation where I was working and my son had a game during the week, so I was able to air-play it to my Apple TV and watch the game. The quality was amazing. I’ve actually used some of those highlights to send to a couple of college coaches who were looking for film of him. It’s a valuable tool. We play in so many different places, it makes me wish that more venues had it.”
Bases loaded and a solid DP here. 3rd baseman Tommy Tariche to catcher Patrick Bartoletta to Christian DeRisi at 1st for Batting 1000 Seminoles 17/18U on 9/1/20 at Baseball Heaven. Shared by HiCast User and proud dad, Carlos Tariche.
While NCAA Division 1 coaches remain in their extended dead period for in-person recruiting through Jan 1, 2021, nearly 100 colleges from across the country including Columbia University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University tuned in to watch players at Diamond Nation in New Jersey using the HiCast Sports Network. Diamond Nation General Manager Nick Massari shares, “We knew we had to do something to make sure kids playing in our tournaments had the best opportunity available for exposure. We created virtual roster packets for ten of our events this summer, and emailed them out with game schedules to our scouting list which includes coaches from colleges nationwide (mostly Division 1 schools) and all of the professional baseball teams to let them know we were streaming our games live and on-demand.”
At the ballpark, Diamond Nation shares listing of college and pro scouts watching players on-site and online through the HiCast Sports Network. Photo courtesy of Diamond Nation
Former professional ballplayer, Coach David Whigham, founder and owner of travel ball organization Delmarva Aces comprised of 42 teams across three states, and associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles, uses HiCast to support his players. He’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. David shares, “Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that. The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments.”
Time Out! A Highlight Contest
We know you’re eager to get back to the fields! While we wait through this pause on play, let’s celebrate your Moments That Matter™ from 2019 through March 2020. Our entire archive of 2019 games is available to watch on-demand, so it’s a great time to use our mobile app to save and share your favorite game highlights. All HiCast highlights created in 2019 and 2020 are eligible, except for previous highlight winners. We'll accept submissions now through June 1, 2020 and announce one winner each week. Winners score a free one-year Family Pass (a $239.99 value) to be activated when your season resumes.
Who Can Enter
If you are currently or were a HiCast Sports subscriber in 2019 or 2020, you are eligible to enter as many highlights as you like. All highlights are eligible to be selected throughout the contest timeframe, so if you enter three highlights during week one of the contest, those highlights are eligible to be chosen as a weekly winner anytime from date of entry through June 1. If your highlight was a winner in 2019, that highlight is not eligible to win.
How to Enter
Use our mobile app to share your HiCast highlight to our app’s HiCast Feed. In the caption of your highlight, include your player’s name, team name and age division, and a brief summary of the moment. Include this tag: #timeout
If you have saved highlights, it’s easy to share them to our HiCast Feed.
Tap on “Highlights” in the bottom menu to view your saved highlights. Select the highlight you want to enter by tapping on it.
Your selected highlight will open in the Preview Highlight screen. Make any adjustments for trim and soon, then tap “Share” in the upper right corner.
On the Share screen, add your player’s name, team name and age division, a brief summary of the moment, and the tag #timeout – then tap the “Share to HiCast” button at the bottom of the screen. That’s it!
If you’re not sure how to save and share a highlight, watch this video demo: http://www.hicastsports.com/demo
What Type of Highlights Should I Enter?
We’re looking for great offensive and defensive plays, hits that make you proud, and funny bloopers on the field that made you laugh. You’ll need to be able to identify the primary player(s) involved in the play, and of course use good sportsmanship in your submissions.
What’s the Prize?
We’ll give away one free HiCast Monthly Family Pass (valued at $239.88) to each winner each week. We’ll grant your Family Pass when your season resumes and it will remain active for 365 days from date of activation. Each winning highlight and player will be featured on our website and in our social media.
Let’s see your Moments That Matter™!
Investing in the Youth Baseball Experience at Ballparks of America
We caught up with Springfield Mavericks coach and one of new owners of Ballparks of America in Branson Missouri, Paul Satterwhite. Paul, in partnership with three local businessmen from Springfield, MO (Greg Snider, Dale Helle, and Steve Strobel) purchased the complex in February 2020 and we’re excited to see this unique ballpark complex grow.
Here’s what Paul had to share in anticipation of the delayed start of their spring season:
What got him interested in Ballparks of America?
Paul Satterwhite and son Graham
Paul has coached his son’s team for about eight years now, serving as head coach for five of them in Springfield, Missouri which is about 45 minutes from Branson. When he first learned about the construction of Ballparks of America, he got excited, as the target age range (11U - 14U) would be a perfect fit for his son’s team, the Springfield Mavericks. They were among the first teams to play at the ballpark since it opened in 2017. In 2018, Paul’s son Graham made the Branson 12U team and played in the Cal Ripken Series 70 World Series at Ballparks of America, which was a highlight for his son and the entire family. The Mavericks have played 75-80 games at Ballparks of America thus far.
How have you used HiCast Sports Network at Ballparks of America as a dad and coach?
“We’ve had quite a bit of experience with HiCast footage. I’m an attorney by trade and I travel some. I haven’t missed many of my team’s games over the years, but I was traveling back from a conference I had to attend and I wasn’t going to make it back in time for their Friday night games. I was waiting for my flight at the Denver airport and I pulled up and watched all of our games on HiCast, texting my coach who was running the game between innings, and making suggestions. It’s a really good view of your pitchers and batters, and I thought it was a really neat experience. My own parents have been able to get on and watch games, and there’s extended family who use it to watch our team.”
What inspired you to take ownership of this venue with your three partners?
“A couple of reasons. One, we really understand the place. One of my partners, Greg Snider, also has sons who’ve played often at Ballparks of America. We both serve on the Board for the Springfield Mavericks organization, and we operated tournaments at Ballparks of America before getting involved on the ownership side. As a result, we understand the operations side of it and what has made our tournaments great over the last couple of years.
We also understand some of the challenges there, especially with the size of the facility, and we have a ton of connections in Branson and the ability to really make what we believe to be a great product on a national level and also for the Branson community and southwest Missouri. We really wanted to put some energy behind it and it’s something I saw as a worthwhile endeavor. Of course, we didn’t see the fun that is this challenge we’re all facing as a country right now with COVID-19, but it’s one we believe we can overcome.”
What’s in store for the future of Ballparks of America?
“We’re in the process of bringing the existing facilities up to a higher level. It’s a pretty amazing facility to start out with. The dorms are an incredible experience for the kids. We’re putting in some more food options by adding a restaurant and a sit-down, air-conditioned area inside for folks to get out of the sun for a bit. We’re going to enhance some of the experiences on campus and add some parties in the evenings. We’re partnering with the best local event businesses in Branson to put on co-branded and exciting events to create a tourna-cation experience for kids and families. We want it to be seven days of lifelong memories. You might not remember the scores of the games but you’ll remember the memories you created with your child, your teammates and your family. That’s the goal, and that’s what we’re working hard at.”
With COVID-19 pause on play, what’s happening right now?
“We’re working with health officials and our government to understand what’s safe, but we’re continuing to move forward with an intention to play this summer. We’re taking a week-by-week approach on this and we’re not acting too quickly to cancel future events. We’re actually adding teams who lost their spring season and are looking to expand their summer experience. We’re going to try to give a month’s lead time on summer events so teams traveling from further out will have time to make a determinations. We’re communicating regularly with the teams. We’re going to look at what other opportunities are available and hope to expand our late summer and fall opportunities to maximize use of the facility.”
Since our call with Paul, they’ve added four tournaments in August to help meet the growing summer demand for play. Teams from more than 30 states are signed up for tournaments from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
“With the Cal Ripken World Series in August, we typically have ten international teams, but due to COVID-19, international teams will not attend this year. We’ll still have 20 national teams coming for the tournament August 6-15.”
How are you and your team working through this challenging time?
“I think it’s a great time for players to study the game, to watch older baseball games, watch people they see as heroes and see how they play. I think it’s a great time to work out. My own 13-year old son is making me jealous by the amount of time he’s been able to put in with his work outs, and I think he’s going to be in the best shape of his life by the time this ends. It’s a great time to get out and play catch with your dad or your sister in the back yard. Set up your tee and your nets, or your tennis ball in the garage.
For coaches, I’m encouraging regular communication with your team. For us, most of that is happening through the Band app where we communicate through messaging and video to have a team experience there. Our club is putting out a video every other day to the kids with a work-out routine so they are all getting something that pushes them.”
Words of encouragement for ballplayers everywhere?
“Baseball is a game that we play that is a microcosm of life. Of all the sports that I’ve been involved in throughout my life, baseball is the quickest to take you to the top and take you to the bottom all at the same time. You can be the hero in one inning and the goat in the next. There are great life lessons to be learned from the game of baseball. And what we’re dealing with right now is just a period of adversity. It’s a challenge. We’re missing baseball because it’s become a central part of our life, but it will be back. Use this time to get closer to your family. If you are a person of faith, use this time to focus on that to help you see this as a opportunity to rise above the challenge.”
Photos provided by Paul Satterwhite and Springfield Mavericks
COVID-19 Pauses Live Play, So We've Unarchived All of Your 2019 Games
Spring tournaments across our network came to an unexpected close by March 15, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, most our ballparks have paused play indefinitely with a common hope to resume sooner than later. It’s a difficult time for all of us right now, but coming together as a country to help slow the spread of this virus, flatten the curve for our healthcare system, and to support one another as one team is what’s most important right now.
But we know you need some good news while you’re homebound, and a way to stay connected to the game you love, so we've unarchived ALL of your games from 2019, so you can replay the Moments That Matter™ on-demand! Take advantage of this time you have with your family to dive into the archives together and watch your favorite games from ballparks across our network. Be sure to use our mobile app to tag highlights as you watch... We've got a contest coming soon!
We couldn't have made this happen without our ballpark partners: Baseball Heaven, Sports at the Beach, Diamond Nation, Baseball USA "The Yard" Powered by Marucci Elite Texas and Texas USSSA Baseball, The Shipyard Park, Tyger River Park, Ballparks of America, East Cobb Baseball Complex, Buckhead Baseball, and JockJive Sports. Thanks for standing by us as we all wait this out together as a team.
Solving the Umpire Shortage in Youth Sports Requires a Team Approach
February 14, 2020 – HiCast Sports Network co-founders Stephanie Calabrese and Robert Stribling recently attended the Grand Slam Tournaments annual meeting in Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a unique opportunity for us to spend time with tournament organizers across the southeast and to learn ways in which we can come together as a youth baseball/softball community to support each other and the game we love.
Marty Clark at Diamond Nation. Photo provided by Diamond Nation
One of the topics raised by Larry Thompson, Grand Slam Tournaments Owner/CEO, was concern over the shortage of umpires and challenges in recruiting (particularly young adults) as the national average age of baseball officials has risen to 54. We know travel baseball has experienced explosive growth over the past several years, but have we looked closely at the impact on our officials? We’ve heard and seen verbal abuse from coaches and fans cited as a contributing factor to the umpire shortage, but what other factors are at play? And most importantly, what can each of us do to help solve the problem?
To get better insight and advice, we reached out to three of the top UICs (Umpire in Chief) in youth baseball across the country, each with more than three decades of experience officiating and educating officials, and the founder of UmpireBible.com to hear what they had to say. We hope their perspectives give you an inside look at the challenges we face as a youth sports community, and inspire you to think about ways you can be part of the solution.
Our contributors:
James Jesse, Vice President (Umpires) for Grand Slam Tournaments (GS), leads corporate oversight of all GS umpires and directly manages a team of 60 umpires in Atlanta, Georgia. Jesse played baseball for many years, served in the U.S. Army for 15 years, and began officiating 32 years ago.
Marty Clark, Umpire in Chief (UIC) and Tournament Director for Diamond Nation, became an umpire 44 years ago, inspired by his older brother AL who went on to become an MLB umpire. Marty has worked with Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ for the past ten years where he manages a staff of 95 umpires.
John Turner, founder of Central Georgia Umpires lead a staff of 100 umpires officiating games at East Cobb Baseball (ECB) Complex and surrounding venues in Marietta, Georgia. He began officiating 38 years ago, working under his father who ran the umpire association for the organization where John grew up playing baseball. He was an official at the NCAA level for one year and served more than 10 years at the high school level. John is currently officiating baseball in Toronto, Canada.
Nick Gattuccio, founder of UmpireBible.com, created this resource five years ago to support umpires, coaches and fans in their knowledge of the rules of baseball in plain speak. A retired technical writer for Microsoft, he served as a youth sports umpire for 18 years in the Seattle, WA area. Nick blends these skills to help improve our understanding of the game.
What’s driving the shortage of umpires in youth sports?
More games. And better job opportunities with less harassment and risk.
“I don’t really think there’s a shortage of officials. Maybe there are too many games being played,” shares John Turner with a laugh. With the reduction of local league play and the dramatic growth in travel teams and tournament organizations over the past several years, we’re experiencing a dramatic increase in the quantity of games being played. For example, a national championship tournament to be held at East Cobb Baseball Complex this summer will bring in more than 250 teams and offer a 7-game minimum. That’s 1750 games or 3,500 umpire spots during a 7-day timeframe. Before the dawn of travel ball, a local league team typically played just 2-3 games per week for a three-month spring season. So while the demand for more baseball games has increased, we’ve outpaced the growth rate of umpires joining the ranks.
“There is a shortage of umpires,” says John Turner, “That is a true statement, but to say that we’re having a hard time recruiting umpires just because parents are abusive is a scapegoat. Travel organizations need to help drive umpire recruiting and retention with dollars and cents. Going back 35 years ago, I played baseball in high school and then got in to officiating. For most of us at that time, if you didn’t play in college or professionally, there were very few avenues for you to continue with baseball other than officiating. There’s less of a need to officiate to stay involved in the game today, because young adults can continue to play in amateur leagues or pursue opportunities as coaches or administrators within the travel ball industry. Young adults have so many other part-time job opportunities before them now to earn more money with less hassle.”
Central Georgia Umpires in training at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese
And risk. If a game is rained out, the umpire doesn’t get paid. If tournament schedules get behind or delayed by weather conditions, the umpire spends more time at the ballpark without extra compensation. Couple that with the need for umpires to secure secondary insurance to help cover their liabilities not only for injuries, but disputes on their calls… and choosing to pursue a part-time job as an umpire is a tough call.
Does age matter when it comes to our community of umpires?
Maybe. The average age of 17,000 officials responding to the National Association of Sports Officials survey (NASO) Survey in 2017 was 52 years old. Of the 6562 baseball officials surveyed, the average age was 54.
James Jesse has been successful in recruiting and training younger umpires. The average age of his Georgia team of umpires is 35. “How you treat the individual, how you work with them, and how you pay them is going to determine if they are willing to stay with you long term,” shares Jesse. 44 umpires of his 60-person team of umpires have been working with him for more than 10 years.
Marty Clark shares that the average age of his 95-person team of umpires is about 40 as he tends to hire umpires who already have 3-5 years of experience because of the high level of play at Diamond Nation, a ballpark that regularly attracts college recruiters from around the country. Marty also officiates for high schools and emphasized that umpire recruiting has been particularly challenging. “At the high school level, we are drowning for officials. We see retirees coming in to officiate, but it’s tough to recruit college age officials partly because they don’t want to deal with the parents.”
Diamond Nation umpire at work. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese
Nick Gattuccio adds, “There’s increasing hostility directed at umpires. I ran a junior umpire program for a league in the Seattle area and it was difficult to retain kids because you put a teenager on the field with an alpha male coach, and it’s a really difficult thing to ask of a kid. The kids quit. They don’t want to put up with it. Even adult umpires have difficulty. You need a thick skin, but even with a thick skin, after a while it begins to wear down.”
How much of a problem is umpire abuse from coaches and parents?
It’s big. But, let’s also look at some underlying challenges that might contribute to this.
According to the NASO 2017 survey, the majority of baseball officials surveyed (59%) stated that sportsmanship is getting worse particularly at the youth competitive level of play (37%) over the youth recreational level (16%) and even high school level (11%) – pointing the finger at parents (41%), rather than coaches (29%) or players (8%) as the source of the problems.
Marty Clark adds, “It’s a challenge for my umpires – to ignore (abuse) as much as they can until they can’t ignore it anymore. A human being can only be yelled at for so long without taking action. And we have a policy in place to take care of things of that nature.”
Grand Slam and Diamond Nation both have an Umpire-in-Chief on site during tournaments, citing this as a critical element in keeping things cool in a heated environment. If there is a discrepancy on the field between a coach and an umpire, the UIC can be there to provide support and an objective perspective on the rule and the call. It gives the coach an opportunity to express their concern to a senior level umpire who was not involved in the call. This helps coaches develop confidence in the officiating of a tournament and respect for one another. Last year Diamond Nation hosted more than 6,000 games and had just 12 ejections.
John Turner believes that abuse from coaches and fans would be less of an issue if tournament organizers are hiring well-trained and more experienced umpires. He shares, “I consider myself one of the better officials and as a general rule, when I walk off a ball field, parents tell me ‘We’re glad you’re here. We can tell that you know what you’re doing and you’ve put in the effort to be good at this, and thanks.’ If umpires would do the backend work of going to clinics, learning the systems and the mechanics to officiate correctly, and really be a true steward of the game and commit to it, the abuse from parents would be less of an issue.”
John Turner leading a Central Georgia Umpire clinic at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese
Often times, due to the increasing growth rate of tournaments and games, UICs are pushed to place two less experienced umpires on a field together, which can lead to challenges. James Jesse shares, “If I ever put a junior-level umpire on a field, I always place him or her with a senior-level umpire. When I train the junior officials, I don’t let them work the plate until I am confident they can work the plate. Not all tournament organizations do this as some are much more focused on increasing their team numbers for tournaments and less focused on the quality of officiating games. Less experienced officials put in this challenging position can lead to complaints from coaches on the field.”
If we want top-notch officials, who pays the price?
We all need to step up to the plate.
The majority of umpires on your ball fields are independent contractors who are paid on a game-by-game basis and work in affiliation with one or more tournament organizations, leagues or venues hosting their own tournaments. Each umpire is responsible for covering and tracking their own expenses such as uniforms, a chest protector, plate shoes, travel expenses, insurance, meals and background checks; and they invest their own time for clinics and evaluations.
For most umpires you see on travel baseball/softball fields, officiating is a second, part-time job for them and an opportunity to earn some extra income while staying involved in a game they have loved most of their lives. The National Association of Sports Officials 2017 survey backs this up citing that the vast majority of its respondents got into officiating “For the love of the game” and most continue to officiate for three reasons: 1. to monitor newer officials, 2. to challenge themselves, and 3. to stay fit. James Jesse shares that many of his umpires are educators and some junior-level umpires are college students who have more flexible time in the summer to work games for some extra income when travel tournaments really start to heat up.
The UICs we talked to shared that umpires are paid by the game. An umpire officiating a 13U and up game typically earns $50-65 per game; a 12U and down game will bring in less; and a one-hour coach-pitch game will earn $25-30 per game. So, consider that an umpire officiating three 13U games at $50 per game on Saturday in 90-degree heat and two games on Sunday in drizzling rain will earn $250 for 10 hours of his time on the field, excluding wait time between games, and travel time to the ballpark.
John Turner shares, “The independent contractor model is part of what has caused our industry some problems. We as umpires haven’t really had a true advocate for us. The price of umpire gear has gone up every year for the last 20 years. In 1998, I bought a new chest protector for $90. That same chest protector now is a minimum of $150. And yet tournament organizers still want to pay us $50-60 per game. At some point, for someone officiating as a side job, it becomes difficult to justify. If it’s not going to financially benefit someone to the point that they think it’s worth it, they’re going to stop doing it and it’s going to be difficult to recruit others.”
What about college officials? The New York Times reports that, “Though compensation varies depending on the college conference, baseball umpires working in Division 1 can earn about $400 a game and mileage, lodging and a modest per diem. John Turner adds, “You’re not going to get an umpire who’s used to making $400 per game in the college season to come work youth tournaments for $60 per game in the summer. I think the way to fix the problem is to raise the rates.”
Are there opportunities to help umpires reduce their expenses?
Likely. Maybe you can help.
We here at HiCast Sports Network are doing our part by offering free Monthly Passes to all officials through our venue partners and tournament organizer relationships. Providing HiCast Sports at no cost to umpires at ballparks within our network can only help improve umpire training and the quality of games across our entire network.
John Turner leading a Central Georgia Umpire clinic at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese
John Turner who’s been officiating baseball just outside of Toronto, Canada for the last few years, suggests that the U.S. officiating community can learn from Canada’s centralized background check approach. Nationally all recreational baseball is governed by Baseball Canada. “In the U.S. there’s a push to do state-by-state background checks on officials, which I completely support. But if you are a multi-sport official, you’ve got to pay for a background check for each of the sports.” Peopletrail, a company that provides such background checks, charges $70 for the first sport, $20 for the second sport, and $15 for each additional sport. John adds, “Here in Canada, I can do one background check and it’s good for all of Canada, for all sports.”
Aside from abuse on the field, what’s the biggest challenge for an umpire?
Continuing to improve their own game, while educating players, coaches and fans on the fly.
Marty Clark shares, “Most umpires I know want to be perfect. They have a lot of self pride. They study the rule book. They go to classes. We’re always talking about how to become better. Everybody who does this, even though it’s not their profession as much as a vocation, wants to do the best they can day in and day out because they love the game.
So the challenge is to get better every day and to learn from the mistakes. Honestly, that’s where HiCast Sports comes in, especially with positioning. Over the past couple of years we’ve been using it here at Diamond Nation. I’m able to bring up a video to show them where they were and then we can talk about it, or I can look at a particular field at a certain time to evaluate a play in question. HiCast has become a very good teaching and accountability tool for us.”
James Jesse shares that educating the players, coaches and parents (to a degree) the rules of the game while the game is in progress and emotions are high can be challenging. “If there is a situation where a coach might question a call, it’s our job to help them understand the rules in a respectful way and without embarrassing them. Coaches are doing their best to represent their team in a high pressure environment and parents are watching them. Parents expect their coaches to advocate for their team and we understand that. It’s important that we not make the coach look bad even if they don’t understand the rule.”
What can players, coaches and fans do to improve the situation?
Adjust your actions based on the umpire’s calls, show respect, and know the rules.
James Jesse shares, “If I’m calling low strikes, what does that mean? Step up in the box. If I’m calling high strikes, move back in the box. As the umpire, I’m not going to adjust my calls because I’m trying to remain consistent. If I did, I’d be criticized for being all over the place.” It’s the coach’s job to adjust the actions of their players based on the umpire’s calls.
And think before you speak (or yell)! Know the rules governing your game. James Jesse shares, “Playing the game and coaching the game are two different things. Playing the game, coaching the game, and officiating the game are three different things.” And to keep it interesting, different organizations play by different rules. Grand Slam Tournaments and Diamond Nation follow National Federation of High School Rules. USSSA plays by Official Baseball Regulations (OBR), and while the majority of the rules are the same, about 10% of the rules are different. That 10% might distinguish what the rule is for a balk for example.
Marty Clark at Diamond Nation. Photo provided by Diamond Nation
Marty Clark adds, “Each rule is not just black and white. You can rule a number of different ways on each individual play depending on the definition of what transpired. For instance I had a mother yelling at an umpire last year about a player running out of the baseline. And the umpire was 100% correct because every time a player turns to go in a different direction in a run-down situation, he creates a new baseline. And the mother didn’t understand that. When I spoke to her to explain the rule, she just said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’ Education and knowledge is a very powerful thing.”
John Turner suggests, “Knowing the rules would cure more than half of what goes on with parents screaming at umpires. We have to ask ourselves what life skills are we teaching our kids. Some of it is humility. It’s understanding that you are as much an influence on the team as you are in the dugout or the clubhouse as you are on the field. The same is true for parents. Rather than yell at the umpire, the best thing you can do for your kid, is to show them how to respect others, rise above adversity, and take the initiative to educate yourself on the game.”
* * *
Learn the Rules:
Umpire Bible: www.umpirebible.com – a website for new and developing umpires of amateur baseball, as well as for players, coaches, and fans who want to enhance their command of the rules of baseball. You’ll find NFHS and OBR rule differences, rule myths and more.
2020 Changes to the National Federation of High Schools Rule Book: https://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/baseball-rules-changes-2020/
HiCast Sports Network Partners with Rawlings to Award the 2019 Most Valuable Plays in Youth Baseball and Softball
It’s not often that youth athletes have the unique opportunity to share their memorable plays with legendary pro ballplayers they admire and with sports fans around the world, but HiCast Sports Network is proud to make that dream come true with the HiCast Sports 2019 Most Valuable Play Awards for Youth Baseball and Softball Presented by Rawlings.
Judges for the 2nd annual contest, legendary Hall of Fame Shortstop and 13 time Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient Ozzie Smith and 2020 USA Olympic Softball Player Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao selected the Top 3 Most Valuable Plays for Offense and Defense for Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball from more than 2,300 video highlight entries shared by HiCast Sports mobile app users from top ballparks across the country. Winners and their Moments That Matter™ in each category can be viewed here.
The three-phase contest began on November 7th with HiCast Sports team selections for the Top 25 Semi-Finalists in each contest category. Winning ballplayers range from age eight to 18. The general public cast nearly 9,000 votes online for the Semi-Finalists to determine the Top 10 Finalists in each category.
Keilani Ricketts Tuanuvao
Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao shares, “I’m so excited to be a part of this year’s HiCast Sports MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings. We are so used to seeing the top plays of collegiate and professionals aired on TV and social media, but we know these athletes didn’t just wake up one morning and start making great plays. They were once in these young athletes’ shoes making the same top plays in crucial situations just like we are seeing in these HiCast Sports Network highlights.”
Ozzie Smith adds, “I love seeing young kids out playing baseball and experiencing the competition. Overall, the videos I viewed all share the players’ enthusiasm for the game along with good sportsmanship. Case in point, the opposing catcher congratulating the young man who hit a home run. They’re all winners.”
Ozzie Smith
“This is our second year hosting the contest in partnership with Rawlings. It’s a meaningful way for us to celebrate these young athletes and their teams with a broader audience of fans and professional athletes they admire,” said Stephanie Calabrese, HiCast Sports Network Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer. “Capturing and elevating these memorable moments for players and families is what we’re all about.”
Rawlings provided a powerful lineup of prizes including their new 2020 Quatro Bats and Rawlings custom gloves for the winners; Rawlings Covert Duffle Bags for the finalists; and $25 Rawlings Gift Cards for all semi-finalists.
About HiCast Sports Network
HiCast Sports Network is a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view and engage with sporting events live and on-demand at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device. The app makes it easy for users to not only see the whole game, but to save, trim, zoom and share their Moments That Matter™ in clips or highlight reels. HiCast operates with a robust network of partners (venues) and promoters (sporting leagues and event organizers) with which they cultivate win-win relationships. HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched nearly 3 million game minutes featuring hundreds of thousands of athletes playing at premier venues in Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Texas. For more information, please visit: www.hicastsports.com
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the Official Ball Supplier of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com
Rawlings Moment of the Month Winner for September 2019
Great hit down the first base line, but Delaware Wolfpack 12U right fielder gets the ball in to 11-year-old catcher Ryan Perkins for the tag at the plate! Wolfpack advanced to the Play It Forward tourney championship game at Sports at the Beach on 9/1/19. Congratulations to our winning HiCast User: @Catcher247 Marissa scored the Rawlings bat of Ryan’s choice.
HiCast Sports Network selected one winning moment from highlights shared in our app’s HiCast Feed each month all summer long. Winners scored their pick from an incredible lineup of Rawlings Sporting Goods bats. Learn more our Rawlings Moment of the Month contest and see the winners.
This month, we kick off our 2nd Annual MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings so now’s the time to share your highlights to our app’s HiCast Feed to get them eligible to win!
