Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex
I umpire in both Arkansas and Texas. Arkansas is like Arizona – the state runs everything. Texas has the middle organization (TASO).
Arkansas is way ahead of Texas. Receive rule books, membership cards, pays NFHS dues, keeps status of umpires, annual test is through NFHS, etc.
TASO does not do any of these. An umpire is lucky to even receive a rule book with TASO. Even the equipment distributers are cutting back on TASO items for this coming year.
UIL can’t be any worse then TASO.
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Tex. That would be a local issue. You cannot fault TASO for what your local people aren't doing. Every year, I get my rule books at the first of January, in a box to be distributed to the membership. In that collection of books, you will also find the membership cards(that entitle officials to get into any sporting event pro gratis), and a Referee Magazine supplement. Texas is not a full member state, currently, in NFHS, because it has been better for us to get the insurance that we get through TASO. It is the job of the local chapter officers to forward the status of their officials to TASO, which we do every year. TASO also supplies you with a test, both on paper and online, that requires a passing grade for an official to be eligible to call any contest at the varsity level. If you are not taking, and passing this test annually, not to mention attending the required state or regional meetings, then not only are you not eligible to work varsity games, you also are not eligible to call any playoffs. Worse, the games that have been worked in a season by non-sanctioned officials could result in forfeits by the teams using the non-sanctioned officials, and some sort of sanction by the state against the chapter who is assigning these non-sanctioned officials to work varsity/playoff games. By the way, these are the requirements of the UIL as well. (All except the state/regional meeting requirement.) So, rather than blame TASO, place the blame where it belongs. I will be most happy to alert both TASO and the UIL of the mismanagement that appears to be going on in the Texarkana area. I am sure that they would be happy to fix this for you.
As for the equipment distributors, of course they are cutting back. There is no reason to lay in large stocks of TASO labelled items when the UIL is trying their damnedest to get rid of them. That is just good business sense. People tend to underestimate the power of the UIL. But again, this has absolutely nothing to do with TASO.