For more than 20 seasons, Dauphin's Bob Alm has been heavily involved around the game of baseball. It started in the late 1990s when he started coaching his son in T-Ball. He continued coaching his son through the Bantam age group.
During his time as a coach, he helped several teams advance to the AA provincials and he coached multiple Peewee and Bantam AAA teams.
In 2003, Bob got his first umpire certification. Now, Alm is a Level III umpire. He umpires games in several leagues including locally for Dauphin Minor Baseball. Bob has also mentored many young umpires within the Parkland region and he's suited up in many different games around the province himself.
Thanks to all of his contributions to the game in the region and across the province, Bob has been inducted into the Baseball Manitoba's Honour Society. The induction recognizes people from around the province that have made a solid contribution to the game, which Bob certainly has.
"It was an honour just getting nominated and I'm sort of speechless now that I've been inducted," said Alm. "I'm glad people have noticed all of the efforts I have put in over the years. It truly means a lot to me."
"I enjoy the game so much and I was asked to coach back in 1997 and I said let's do this," he added. "Being an umpire now allows me to stay in the game and I love that."
Alm also coached Team Parkland at the 2004 Manitoba Summer Games. The team advanced to the bronze medal game in that tournament and they finished in fourth.
"It was an exciting time coaching that team," continued Alm. "The same feeling will be here next year when the Summer Games come to Dauphin. It's always really exciting to represent the Parkland and the kids all love it."
With the 2020 Manitoba Summer Games set to be in Dauphin, Alm will be a mentor for the events umpires.
Bob alongside Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Kalechen with the support of other Dauphin Minor Baseball coaches also worked on developing a program called Winterball within Dauphin. The program has turned out to be an extreme success as it gives players within the area a chance to work on their skills through the winter months.
"The baseball season is so short, so we just figured we would provide something for the kids so they can continue to play throughout the winter," he concluded.
Bob isn't going anywhere. As mentioned before, he will be a mentor for the upcoming Manitoba Summer Games in August of 2020. He will also umpire within the Dauphin Minor Baseball Association next summer, so there's a good chance you'll see him on the diamond if you go to a game.
