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Man, I am singing that same song right along with you MC. I wont give up umpiring, but I sure think about walking away from the training responsibilities because so few give a sh_ _ t.
I am the SB training director for our 200 member HS association; a little over a hundred do SB or both SB and BB. I spend hundreds of hours preparing rules and mechanics classes, including handouts and website materials and props and H.S. players and PowerPoint presentations, etc, etc, etc. We had a Saturday Rules Clinic for rookies and less experienced umpires. We had 90 minute in-depth evening classes for critical subjects like Obstruction, Pitching rules, DP/FLEX. Even our Saturday Mechanics Clinic is focused; this year we worked on base/runner responsibilities under all types of hit/runner situations for 2-man systems.
For the same 18 to 25 attendees each time! Sure, they get their moneys worth, but what about the other 80% that dont bother to show up? What dumb things are they doing on the field? (Unfortunately, I hear about too many of them!)
BUT what are you going to do when there is no penalty (nor reward) for attending or not attending training? Regardless, you are going to get scheduled the maximum number of games that you want to work. Our Associations contracts with 50 area schools and we supply BB and SB umpires for 6,000 games each spring. We need every body we can get to cover the fields.
The major problem with BB and SB is that the games are played after school. Around here H.S. lets out about 2:30 2:40 and those kids are ready to play ball by 3:00. Allow for travel time and warm up and umpires to arrive and we try to get going by 4 4:15pm. Fact is, unless you are working 3rd shift or are in a professional or self-employed position to get yourself free mid-afternoons, you are not available for umpiring H S ball.
Note that most kids rec leagues start play at 6pm or later; most SP leagues play in the evening; and fall/winter H S sports typically play in the evening. There is obviously a bigger pool to pull officials from for evening games.
Thus unfortunately, high school BB and SB probably has more clods on the field than do the other sports. All that we can do, MC is keep chipping away. Keep the training classes going; keep spreading the gospel on internet boards, and take time to teach a little between innings when you are with a less experienced umpire.
WMB
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