[wadeintothem]

You dont have fall ball in your area? Seems to me if you dig a little bit you might could get your feet wet a little sooner.

Dont worry about "passing" the class. It doesnt work that way usually. You will "pass" the class. That is just training, not a pass or fail deal.

I would say try to get a starter set of equipment.. ie not TOO expensive, but decent. Go to ebay and get a starter set. The reason is: As you are exposed more and more you will start to see what equipment suits you. So within a few years you, if you stick it out, you will probably go through a few more sets until you settle on what works for you.. or perhaps even different sets for different levels (like I have).

Also, umpiring is tough stuff. You will hate it and its not for you or you will love it and it becomes a passion. You probably wont know that until you really goof something up good and are in the heat of battle over it.

Dont burn yourself out worry about that imposing rule book. Take that one slowly. KNowing the rules without knowing the reason behind the rule or how it should situationally apply does little for you. Review it, but dont stress on it.

Good luck!