For local umpire Shayne Malone, there could be no more fitting tribute.

The son of long-time local sports official Tom Malone, who succumbed to cancer in 2010, Shayne was informed about a month ago of his assignment to his first national playdown.

Working the Canadian Junior Women's Fast Pitch Championship in Windsor last week, Malone was constantly reminded of the thought of his father watching over him, beaming with pride.

The motivation paid off in spades as Malone was rewarded, assigned as the home plate umpire in the Saturday night matchup of the top two teams and working the bases in the Bronze medal game.

In fact, Malone was one of only four umpires who showcased their talent at the high-level event to be rewarded with his Level 4 designation. For the young man who is a familiar face around the Rick McDonald Memorial Fastball League circuit, the past seven days capped a 20-year journey in the game.

"I started umpiring when I was about 15," Malone said. "I was doing the bases with dad with the Sudbury Shamrocks." It seems that taking to the field often had as much to do with the chance to spend a little more time with his father as it did with learning the nuances of just how to become of top-end official.

Still, with the help of his dad as well as local umpire in chief Larry Pedersen, Malone thrived in a setting that is among the most challenging in sport.

"I couldn't have done it without the help and support of Larry Pedersen," Malone said. "He really helped bring me to the next level of ball." Over the years, Malone fine-tuned his craft.

"To be a good umpire, you need to be invisible. If the fans don't even know that you're there, you're probably calling a great game," he added. Progressing through the ranks, Malone needed to supplement the workload and experience he could acquire in the north, heading around the province to work tournaments on weekends.

"A lot of good ball is being played there and you have people that can work with you, level 4 and level 5 umpires," Malone said. "You have to take advantage of the opportunity to work with people like that."

With no lack of qualified men in blue hitting the diamonds all across Ontario, Malone was thrilled to be notified earlier this summer that he would umpire at his first national championship as ten of the country's top under-23 women's fastball teams gathered in Windsor.

"The most challenging aspect of this tournament was getting over the nervousness - that was the big thing," Malone said. At events like this, feedback is constant, especially if you aspire to take the next step.

"I really had to work on changing my game, doing the little things that my umpire in chief and deputy umpire in chief were looking for." In the end, the evidence was clear, as Malone was tapped to work some of the championships' most important games.

And through it all, he knew that Tom would be proud.