[Tru_in_Blu]

Around my area, HS games pay significantly more than the rec leagues we work. Consequently, a lot of guys are hopping on that bandwagon looking for a bigger payday.

Our sub-varsity games pay 75% of varsity fees, and that is still more than any tournament and rec league.

So simply getting more warm bodies clearly doesn't improve the overall quality of the umpiring. In fact, I could argue that the overall quality of the officiating goes down. We have some "elite-ist" guys that only want to work HS and tournaments. But they are unwilling to get down and dirty at the rec level which is where I think most learning can occur particularly if you're paired with a seasoned, knowledgeable official.