Three D1 Football Conferences Wearing Different Look Cap

Several weeks ago, Krista in customer service received a call asking if we were selling the football officials' cap with the wider white stripe. She stepped into my office to ask if I knew anything about it.

I insisted there was no such thing until a customer came in the following week to show off one that he was able to get his hands on somehow. Little do I know sometimes about things.

So yes, there is black cap with wider white piping, although technically I don't think it's piping. It's more a fabric overlay. And it has white eyelets and white on the tip of the bill. There is also a white cap with black eyelets, button and on the tip of the bill.

The caps were specifically designed for the CFO West Football Officials Association and will be worn by Big 12, Mountain West and Southland Conference Officials for 2011.

The main reason for writing the post is to let you know that it is NOT available for resale by Richardson although they are considering doing so for next year.

It's a very interesting cap style. It seems as if everything is changing from the bottom up in football officiating, from knickers to black pants, from 1" stripe to 2" stripe shirts and now this different style cap at least for a contingent of officials.

What do you think about the cap? What do you think about all the changes to uniform, especially at the NCAA level?

Snapshots from the Derby City Umpire Clinic 2011

Derby City Umpire Clinic instructors and students.

Longtime customer Billy Williams talks with DI umpires Scott Kennedy (center) and Brandon Cooper (left) about situations.

CWS umpire Perry Costello discusses pre-game preparations.

Scott Kennedy tries to steal our poly-wool pants sample as the instructors are introduced.

Umpire Kyle George in his rotation behind the plate during the U of L Red-Black Intrasquad Scrimmage.

Matt Hughes and Brian Donnelly work with Brian Capps (in black shirt) on his strike mechanics.

Exclusive Majestic Jackets: When Black and White is Better than Color

When Majestic launched the new premier line of Therma Base jackets and Cool Base Shirts for 2011, they stuck with what the MLB umpires were wearing.

I think this was a good, conservative move on their part given the newness of the products except for not offering the jacket with black and white stripes - the standard for umpires at the NCAA level where a colder weather jacket is more needed in earlier season games not to mention standard in many associations across the country at all levels.

It's been a little bit of work to get there, but many requests from customers later and a little perseverance on our part, even after Majestic said they would not make it due to a lack of orders for it, we are pretty excited to announce that Majestic will have the Black and White Therma Base Umpire Jacket available for 2012 and that it will be exclusively found here.

If you haven't considered the Majestic Therma Base Jacket, it keeps you warm and dry in the coldest conditions, without the bulky weight of a heavier jacket.

This black and white stripe jacket, while supplies will be limited, is currently available for pre-order for a January delivery date.

Note: Some customers will also be happy to know through our arrangement that the jacket will be offered in a 3X size not offered with the other trim patterns.

Stay in the Game Campaign to Raise Awareness of Prostate Cancer Among Officials

On the heels of our successful BLUE for Pink: Umpires Against Breast Cancer campaign, we decided to continue our community outreach efforts in a way that could involve officials in every sport, in support of a cause that directly effects their health.

While researching potential programs to raise awareness of heart disease, obesity and overall health and fitness, we came across a statistic that stopped us in our tracks: one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. That makes prostate cancer the most common non-skin cancer in America, and since our customer base is mostly men, we knew we'd found our cause.

In addition to being a significant health concern for the majority of our customers, almost all of the men on our staff, including myself, are at or approaching the age where guidelines suggest men should begin regular prostate screening. So prostate cancer awareness is an important issue not only for our customers but for our staff as well. 

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS
Once we made the decision to focus on prostate cancer awareness, we chose to name our campaign "Stay in the Game," to emphasize the importance of approaching this as a health and wellness issue to your career as an official. So our goal is to educate and raise awareness so you can "stay in the game" with a discussion with your doctor about your risk and early detection of prostate cancer through regular screening rather than be sidelined by it.


FUNDRAISING
As for fundraising, we reached out to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which baseball fans will recognize for its partnership with MLB and it's Father's Day prostate cancer awareness efforts, including the Home Run Challenge.

We are offering blue (the designated color for prostate cancer awareness) wristbands and blue whistles--similar to the pink items we offer for breast cancer awareness--and donating part or all of the proceeds to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

What better month to launch this campaign than in September, which is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month? We plan to continue the campaign into next spring and perhaps beyond.

SPREAD THE MESSAGE
In addition to offering blue awareness items for sale, we have created a Stay in the Game page on Facebook, where we plan to share information and hope to hear from prostate cancer survivors within the officiating community about their experiences

We have also created informational literature about the campaign that is being packaged with every order we ship, so look out for that with your next order, then share that information with your crew and your association to spread the message further!

Visit www.ump-attire.com/stayinthegame to learn more about the campaign, and "Like" us on Facebook to get regular updates on prostate cancer research, screening guidelines, treatment options and more.

Make the right call and "Stay in the Game"!