Townsley is a certified Amateur Softball Association umpire who has officiated at many Special Olympics softball competitions in Texas, as well as at softball games for Baytown Parks and Recreation during the summer.
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Mike Townsley, Umpire
Mike Townsley, a Special Olympics athlete from Baytown, Texas, USA, won a gold-medal winner at the 1995 Special Olympics Summer World Games, but now is more commonly found taking his place behind home plate as an umpire. Townsley is a certified Amateur Softball Association umpire who has officiated at many Special Olympics softball competitions in Texas, as well as at softball games for Baytown Parks and Recreation during the summer.
Townsley has been involved with Special Olympics Texas for more than 15 years, training and competing in athletics, basketball, bowling, golf, softball, tennis, and volleyball. He also is a Global Messenger who has given more than 75 speeches on behalf of Special Olympics Texas to businesses, service organizations, and at fund raisers and local competitions. In 1995, he was a gold medalist on the Special Olympics Unified Sports® volleyball team that represented the Lone Star State at the World Summer Games in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. The following year, Townsley won the Special Olympics Texas Grady Ramey Male Athlete of the Year Award.
“Special Olympics is a big part of my life. It has helped my confidence, which has helped me get a job and make many new friends,” says Townsley. When he is not training or competing with his Special Olympics Texas team, the Baytown Independents, Townsley works part-time at a local movie theater, where he sells tickets and works the concession stand. His hobbies include golf, softball and, of course, watching movies.
Townsley was introduced to Special Olympics Texas by his ninth-grade teacher, Chuck Russell, who later became his Special Olympics coach. According to Russell, Townsley was very shy and quiet when the two first met. But once Townsley began training and competing in Special Olympics, things quickly changed. “Special Olympics opened up a whole new world for Mike. His self-esteem and confidence just skyrocketed, increasing his productivity in many areas, including his speech and reading,” says Russell, who is still Townsley’s coach.
Townsley’s sports talent was also noticed by Tom Pugil, who is a Special Olympics certified official. Pugil approached the athlete about beginning a second career as a Special Olympics official. Townsley agreed to give it a shot. He and Pugil spent many hours studying the rules that officials must know to become certified. Townsley learned quickly and passed the standard umpire certification exam. Pugil was so impressed that he began investigating the possibility of getting the athlete a position with the city’s league games as a paid official. Today, Mike Townsley is one of Baytown’s most popular umps.
“Mike is a great official,” says Pugil. “There are no gray areas for him, and he does not bring any emotion into the game — a quality found in all good officials. Our work together has sparked a special friendship between us that has been very rewarding for me.” For his part, Townsley is proud and grateful to the Special Olympics volunteers who helped him reach higher goals.
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• ALPs Training
• Athletes on Boards of Directors
• Athletes as Coaches
• Athletes as Officials
• Global Messengers
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