Serve the community. See the world. Vince Yale had long hoped to take a vacation to Europe. He got the opportunity this summer, but it wasn't solely a sightseeing trip. Yale recently returned from Kutno, Poland, where he worked as an umpire in the Little League Softball Europe and Africa Region tournament. Yale earned the opportunity to officiate the prestigious tournament by virtue of his work at the local level and in previous postseason competitions. "I always wanted to go to Europe so I put in for this tournament," Yale said last week. Aided by referrals from District 5 administrator Martin Thompson and district umpire-in-chief Joe Smith, Yale was notified in March that he had been selected for the assignment. Unbeknownst to Yale, tournament director Beata Kazuba, a native of Poland, lived six miles away from Yale in Port Deposit before moving to Oxford. On July 25, he made the seven-hour flight from Philadelphia to Paris then two-hour trip to Poland. The tournament for 11-12 softball teams from Poland, Czech Republic, Uganda, Italy, and The Netherlands ran from July 27-30. Uganda won the region title and advanced to the World Series which starts August 13 in Portland, Oregon. Yale umpired seven games, working the plate twice, first base three times, one game at second base and one at third base. Yale worked with four other umpires, two from Texas and two from Amsterdam. Umpires are required to pay for airfare but the tournament provided living quarters and two meals a day. Following the day's games, the group of umpires made the half-mile walk downtown for dinner. Yale said he enjoyed the food in Poland."It wasn't all sausage," he said. "Chicken is very popular in Kutno and I also liked the meat pies." To prepare for the trip, Yale learned some Polish words and phrases. Few people speak English in Kutno, a small rural community. "I learned to say things like "hello", "goodbye", and "thank you". Most importantly, I learned the word 'piwo' which is Polish for beer," he joked. Although there was a bit of a language barrier, Yale said the people of Kutno were friendly. "Everyone was very engaging," he said. "I had a great time. Made some new friends. "If they'd have me back, I'd love to go back." After the tournament was over, Yale spent two nights in Warsaw, a much larger city where nearly everyone speaks English. He was there on August 1 when people commemorate the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising by not moving or speaking for one minute. The 1944 Warsaw Uprising was an heroic but ultimately unsuccessful 63-day attempt to liberate the city from the Germans. The trip to Poland was not Yale's first major assignment. After being invited to work two tournaments in Waldorf, Yale was chosen to work the 2010 Senior Division softball tournament in Worcester, Massachusetts. He enjoyed his time there and did such a good job, he has an open invitation to return each year, although he wasn't able to work that tournament this summer because of the trip to Poland. He has also been assigned to the 2012 Senior World Series in Roxana, Delaware, and the 2014 Little League softball region tournament in Bristol, Conn. His cousin, Dave Yale, has also earned several plum assignments. When he's not umpiring, Vince Yale is an assistant division engineer C&S for Amtrak, based in Odenton. He oversees approximately 90 employees for the Federal Railroad Administration required day-to-day maintenance, operations, and testing for the signal department on the Mid-Atlantic Division South, which runs from Wilmington, Del. to Washington D.C. The Colora resident, who started his new job in April, has worked for Amtrak for 35 years. Yale is a native of Rising Sun and played in Rising Sun Little League from 1968 to 1975. He began his umpiring career in Perryville in 1997. "I was one of those parents who were screaming and yelling," he says, sheepishly. "Then I started thinking, 'Let's see what I can do to help'." Yale started umpiring in Rising Sun in 1999. He works as many regular season games as his schedule allows. Like many of his fellow District 5 umpires, he attends clinics year round to hone his craft. He said he will continue to umpire for as long as he is able. "I love umpiring," he said. "And I enjoy helping my community." View the slideshow of photos Vince Yale shared from his trip to Poland. Comments are closed.
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