By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Calling bingo is a lot like being on the soccer field for Kevin Schumacher.

If he makes a mistake, he learns from it and tries to do better next time. However, any mistakes made inside the bingo house probably are more noticeable.

"You call a wrong number or misquote a number, they'll let you know about it," Schumacher said.

Schumacher regularly calls bingo on Monday nights at Lucky Bucks Bingo in Hays. It's a way to raise money for the Hays Soccer Club, for which he is president.

He began calling bingo for the Hays Baseball Association many years ago and dusted off his skills about a year ago to volunteer for the community soccer organization.

"You can't just show up because it's your turn to do it," Schumacher said. "When you are here, you want the bingo players to feel like you want to be here."

Doing construction by day, Schumacher said it's sometimes hard to switch mindsets and concentrate on bingo on Monday nights. However, he's made a habit out of being there behind the microphone.

"There's only been two nights," Schumacher said, recalling both times he's missed a turn.

Janel Molleker, Schumacher's girlfriend and owner of Lucky Bucks, said it's reassuring to have someone reliable in the caller position.

"It takes someone who likes to be in front of people," Molleker said. "Most people would rather sell cards or walk the floor."

But it did take Schumacher a while to adjust to being in front of so many bingo players.

"When I first started out ... they could literally see every move that you made," Schumacher said.

However, at Lucky Bucks, Schumacher's station is tucked away in the corner so he can do his job without as much oversight.

His job involves more than just good enunciation. Schumacher keeps track of every ball he's called by punching it into the flashboard system and places the next ball to be called in front of a camera so it can be seen throughout the building.

"They'll give me a thumbs up, thumbs down," Schumacher said of the regulars playing bingo at Lucky Bucks. "You'll know at the end of the night whether you did somebody right or wrong."

For Schumacher, though, the entertainment aspect of his job at Lucky Bucks is just part of the reason he spends most Monday nights there.

"This is the reason why I do it," Schumacher said, pointing to Molleker's daughter, Courtney, one of the players on his girls' youth soccer team.

The money raised from volunteering for bingo goes toward entry fees in soccer tournaments and other costs associated with Hays Soccer Club's youth teams.

"What we do here, putting the time in, is for the kids," he said.