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my thoughts
My thoughts on your questions......
Question 1: I guess it depends on your area, but at 46, you would still be in the younger group of umpires in my HS chapter which lists umpires well in their 70's as active on the roster. So its not too late to begin....
I would caution you on thinking that Umpiring is not as stressful on your body as coaching. Although it is not marathon running, it is also not a 2 hour stroll in the park....you do not sit, you run, squat, and sweat...and in the case of the plate umpire you do hundreds of deep knee bends all while wearing 20+ pounds of gear....Umpiring has a phyisically demanding requirement......
15-20 years of umpiring is a long time and I have seen new umpires go from youth to HS to college ball in a short time (3-4 years)..........but I've also seen umpires stall at low levels forever.... this is an issue of how hard you work, how committed you are and some breaks along the way.....so its hard to determine...
Question 2: Umpiring to me is both art and science.......you can be a technically excellent umpire with exceptional rules knowledge but lack the temprament to umpire...
The science part can be learned with study...rules knowledge and mechanics are learnable..
The art part can be learned as well, the best way is to mentor up with an umpire you respect...The art is a big part of it...the look, the bearing, the timing, the game management, so important...
The last part cant be learned and thats the makeup....not everyone is suited to be an umpire. Call it temprament or attitude......or whatever...not everyone has it...Ive seen good guys leave over not being able to handle being the Umpire.....this is the only thing I can say you cant learn....you either have it or not and it counts as not having it can make your life miserable.
Question 3; Im going to beg off a bit.......its depends on your area, your ability, your situation, the breaks, and your availability..........In my area, Id say you would need a good few years in HS ball to get to that level........but good news is you got that time....
Best of luck to you.....
Stan
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