I'm in north Columbus, near Westerville. Since I work on the southeast end of Columbus, our assignor gives me a lot of games in Pickerington, Groveport, Canal Winchester and Gahanna.
Maybe the requirements have changed since I first got my certification several years a go. We did the mandatory 8 training classes- each was roughly two hours, some a little more, some a little less. If I recall, the actual test was on an additional evening. We were given a couple of hours to take it. Again, this was a few years ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the exact time allowed.
And how's this for irony? The classes are held in an auditorium and gym at...
the Ohio School for the Blind! What a place to certify your new umpires!
As far as meeting a certain number of classroom or training "hours", that wasn't the case when I was certified. There were a set number of classes to attend and that was tracked, but I don't recall having to meet a certain number of "hours".
The mandatory state rules interpretation meeting put on by the OHSAA is also credited as part of your classroom training, so maybe that is how the additional "hours" are accounted for.
The mechanics clinic in March was not part of the certification process. It is not mandatory to attend- though I would recommend it! Those attending get credit towards the minimum number of annual classes that they must attend. In other words, the clinic will count the same as attending one (or two?) of the weekly classroom sessions.
The mandatory field evaluation is only necessary to be eligible for varsity level games, and you can only do those after your second year and obtaining your class one permit. The evaluations are available BY REQUEST and are not administered by any schedule. When you are ready to be evaluated, you contact the person that sets this up and schedule a game that is convenient for you. But you don't even need to worry about that your first year if you don't want to.
But don't be intimidated! Take first things first:
- Attend the weekly classes.
- Attend the state rules interpretation meeting (@ Dublin Jerome H.S.).
- Attend the mechanics clinic (@Hilliard Davidson H.S.).
- Take the open-book test when the classes are finished. It's not very hard.
- If you want, schedule a field evaluation if and when you are comfortable. The evaluation can be helpful to you, but it's not really needed your first year unless you want to do it.
There really isn't much more to it than that, and that is about as much as you can- or need to- squeeze in your first year.
Don't be afraid to ask questions in the classes. The guys that give the training classes are really friendly and are experienced umpires. They will help you in anyway they can to get you certified.
Drop me a line at my personal email address (
[email protected]) if you have any other questions. More than likely, if there's something specific you need to know about about the certification process, I can put you in touch with exactly the person you need to talk to.