St. Mark’s and Aldridge second graders celebrated Fosheim (back row, in light blue) after the game
No one is quite sure how many athletic contests Erik Fosheim has managed as a Spring Valley Athletic Association official over the years. The 2001 Lake Highlands High School grad began around 1999 and, off and on, he has judged baseball, lacrosse and basketball games for the SVAA for about 20 years. In 2021, the organization began using computer software to carefully track referee statistics, and on Saturday, he called his 500th baseball game in five years. Fosheim estimates his lifetime total is between 2,000 and 3,000.
“Machine pitch baseball is my passion,” he said between innings as the Aldridge Elementary Diamondbacks of Plano ISD faced the St. Mark’s School of Texas Rays. “I especially enjoy covering first through third grade.”
Fosheim credits his love of officiating to his own days as a young player. Patient, instructive referees made a big impact.
“I had some great umpires and refs when I was a kid. John Greer and Rowell Lubbers are the first two that come to mind, and I yelled at them a lot. So, this is, in many ways, my penitence,” he laughs. “I still get to occasionally work with Rowell, and those guys gave me such a great experience with SVAA. I look forward to giving that back to all the kids.”
SVAA has more than 100 baseball umpires, plus officials for their various other sports, including football, volleyball and basketball. God love ‘em for the time they invest in young players — and the grief they occasionally take from argumentative coaches and parents. The children, on the other hand, are having the time of their lives.
Batter up!
“I hear about how bad the parents are in competitive youth sports, and I understand why they get that way sometimes,” Fosheim says. “There’s a lot of money and time invested. Yes, we do get some SVAA parents who get agitated — they love their kids. They love what their kids are doing, and they want to be supportive parents. They want what’s best for their kids. The beauty of SVAA is that it’s a little more cost-friendly and requires a little less time commitment, so we don’t have that problem.”
Recreational sports, he says, are a great way to develop lasting friendships rather than heated rivalries.
“When you have a Lake Highlands Elementary team playing a White Rock or Moss Haven team, you know you are going to be teammates at some point. Even if it’s Brentfield (in the J.J. Pearce feeder pattern) playing Merriman Park, you’re still in the same general neighborhood. You might go to church or camp together, or you could be college roommates someday. We’ve had that happen.”
On weekdays, Fosheim works as an accountant with Heritage Auctions, and he once secured a job through a parent who asked about his profession. He’s been invited by players to birthday celebrations, tea parties, post-game festivities and other events. He enjoys seeing the children grow and progress over time.
“My biggest advice is to support your kid. Love your kid. Enjoy what they’re doing. But also, don’t fall victim to the select-sports route too soon. Enjoy these times. Have fun with them. Play recreational sports for as long as you can, because at the end of the day, you want your kid to have a fun and positive experience. There’s plenty of time for that competitiveness later. These times go quick.”
Fosheim chats with the Aldridge coach between innings
Fosheim prepares to feed the ball into the pitching machine
