Wow - I see a number of things in this chain that trouble me:
* We all agree about the professionalism an official must demonstrate...but that is something that is learned. The original post stated this is person was "very young". I'm reading into it that it's a teenager who probably has had very little guidance given to her. I'm curious as to what training (both and initial) she has received. Does she have a mentor who can help her learn how to manage conflict within a contest and to improve her judgement and rules knowledge?
* This is an under 12 softball league -- seems like we should be concerned about the development of fundamentals in the players and umpires (and coaches & fans!). It appears that emotions were terribly out of line.
* No parents (non-coaches) should be allowed to confront, question, or discuss interpretations with a young official. That should be left to the coaches to work with the league.
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