Being deemed an “Elite” umpire by our sport’s national governing body is an achievement that requires a lot of time and effort. An individual must have at least 7 years of experience in a specific category of play (fast, slow, or modified pitch), worked at least 4 national championships, and umpired in at least 2 top tier events (such as the Men’s or Women’s Major or the Girls’ 18-Under GOLD). Most umpires who have received such an honor focus on either fast pitch or slow pitch. Bismarck’s Elliott Gerhardt is clearly not like most umpires.

Just one year after he earned Elite status in slow pitch, USA Softball has announced that Gerhardt has also achieved Elite status in fast pitch becoming the first North Dakota umpire to do so. Furthermore, he joins Minnesota’s Tom Keller as the only Elite umpires in both categories in Region 8 (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, & Minneapolis). It is a rare achievement throughout USA Softball.

Joining Deputy UIC Gerhardt and 19 others from our state as Elites this year as well as a trio of Bismarck umpires: Thomas Hamkens, Darby Krivoruchka, and Randall McCabe.

“These things just don’t happen overnight - the tremendous effort it takes and the dedication it takes to achieve Elite status,” said Umpire-in-Chief Michael Wolf. “I am proud of their efforts and I hope they become good mentors in helping other umpires achieve Elite status if that is an aspiring umpire’s goals.”

In the Medals Umpire Program, Blair Kemmer of Reiles Acres has improved from Blue to Bronze status, which requires a minimum of 5 years as a registered umpire. We would like to not only congratulations each umpire for these well deserved honors, but we extend our sincerest gratitude for making our sport and our association better with their presence.

For a complete list of North Dakota umpires who have been recognized by USA Softball, visit our National Umpire Honors page.