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Originally Posted by Chess Ref
IrishMafia- there is an ASA FAstpitch camp out my way in a couple of months. Being that I m a 2nd year ump is this something that would be worth my time ? Or should I wait a couple of years ?
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These camps are high intensity training. Those who attend are going to be expected to know what they are doing before they get there. Not knowing your level of officiating, I really cannot give you a good answer to your question. If you do well, that's good. Screw up or seem to be lost and, unfortunately, you may get an unwanted tag from observers and instructers which basically means you will not get far in a timely fashion.
I know an umpire who wasn't well received at the advanced school and the UIC didn't dare submit his name for nationals. When the UIC finally got something for him, it was a rotation slot and he did well. Since then, he has been sent away to numerous national tournaments and has done well. Problem is if he had the opportunity earlier in his career, he may have gone farther.
I'm not supporting what happened, it just did. That was a different group of Regional UICs who were very old-school. I would have to assume this situation no longer exists, but I really don't know.
My personal feeling is to wait a couple of years, get whatever tournaments you can (state, metro, regional, NQ) under your belt if available and then go.