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All;
I have not heard of anyone's career being derailed because of the way that they looked in a chest protector at the high school level and below but...
I have known of an umpire at the NCAA D1 level who was told to get a proper fitting chest protector if he wanted to work any more D1 ball. The assignor told him that he looked too bulky. He was a weird size and I was told that he ended up buying a Carlucci, which is a custom fitted protector.
At the NCAA level, which is cutthroat, umpires are evaluated on everything to include how they look in their equipment. There is a reason that MLB umps do not look bulky in their equipment. If they did not pay attention to fashion, they would be passed over by someone who did. It is all about image.
The number one mistake that I see new umpires make with regards to a protector, is that they get one that is too long. The protector should come one inch below the sternum. That is about 4 inches above the navel. Buying a protector of the proper length goes a long way towards eliminating the bulky look. Almost all men over 21 have 2-3 inches of fat on their stomachs and do not need the protector to cover their stomach. For a man 5' 9" to 6' 0", a 13 inch protector is more than adequate. Shorter men can use a 12 inch protector and only those men over 6' 1" need the 15 inch protectors.
However, if you are a teen aged umpire, still growing, and have no fat on your gut, a protector covering your entire stomach is a good idea. Although common when I was growing up, this type of teenager is a dying breed. Fatness reigns surpreme, even among the young today.
Peter
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