[Tru_in_Blu]

I'm back from the National in the Salem, VA area. Here is a summary of the event.

We had 127 teams, 3 UICs, and 65 umpires. I'm not sure how many states were represented by the teams (maybe 31), but 16 states were represented by the umpires.

The tournament was identified as being in Salem, VA but field complexes were also in Roanoke and Troutville.

Darrell Shell Park in Roanoke is a 3-field complex which also is home to some tennis courts. The fields are dedicated to girls' fast pitch softball so there were no temporary fences. The fields were totally enclosed and new fencing was apparent down all the lines and in the outfield. We had official scorers and timekeepers behind the fence at home plate. The fields had ball storage devices where retrieved balls could be placed from the outside of the fence and the umpire could release a ball or two from the field side of the fence. There is a concession stand in the center of the complex. There are restrooms as part of that building as well as a couple of porta-potties behind one of the fields. Parking for umpires was on the grass behind fields 1 & 2 and most folks changed and geared up out of their vehicles. Maintenance of the fields was excellent and performed after every game. (We had games scheduled every 2 hours, so it provided adequate time for the grounds crew to do their thing.) New chalk lines were put down every game and fields were watered down to keep the dust to a minimum.

James Moyer Sports Complex in Salem is a 4-field venue which hosted the championship games on Sunday. There is one field there that appears to be semi-dedicated to girls' fast pitch. Although there is a longer fence, a closer fence which is about 6 feet high and covered in mesh is sturdier and better supported than the typical collapsible fencing on the other fields. There were official scorers but we had to yell out changes to them as they were on a 3rd level in the center of the fields. Umpires had to keep time on the fields. These fields also had the ball storage devices. Concession stand was at the bottom level of the building in the center of the fields. There were bathrooms there as well. The second level was the operations floor. A short distance from the complex was the Salem sports office, an older house that serves as their storage, office space, and a place for umpires to change. The changing area was on the second floor which required a trip up a narrow staircase if you opted to change there. There was a kitchen area where our box lunches were delivered. There was a couple of long tables, not enough chairs, and umpire messy gear and clothes everywhere. Many folks opted just to change in the parking lot across the street from this building. Two golf carts were utilized to shuttle officials back and forth to the field. Field maintenance of these fields was excellent as well. The crews were well versed in their job duties and got fields ready quickly. They had a sprinkler system to water down the fields. On the field I worked the plate on one day, the sprinkler head left a depression in the ground that filled with water and one wild pitch found its way into that hole like a hole-in-one shot. The catcher retrieved the ball which was all muddy.

Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville is about 5 or 6 years old and, in my opinion, the jewel of the 3 venues. I was told it was modeled after the Moyer complex and has 4 fields. All the things that Moyer has from a positive perspective were included at Botetourt. There is a 3 level building in the center of the complex that houses restrooms and concessions on the lower level, umpires/operations on the second level, and official scorers on the 3rd level. To contact the official scorers, phones are utilized. Open the box behind home plate, pick up the phone, and the scorer answers. Ball storage sleeves are in place. Sprinkler system is located behind the pitcher's circle and is activated after the field is groomed and lines put down. These crews are also excellent, as at Moyer, and are on the field 30 seconds after the last out of the game is made. There was a crew for each field, so no waiting for field prep. The dugouts had restrooms for the teams. Umpire space got a bit crowded on the days we were working 3-man crews. That means we could have upwards of 24 umpires coming and going at one time. All these fields had the collapsible fencing. In addition to the amenities at this facility, it boasts some spectacular views of the various mountains in the areas. While not "surrounded" by the Blue Ridge Mountains (I asked a couple of the locals), they are visible from various fields and/or observation points in the building. Parking was sufficient, particularly if you timed your arrival to when teams would be leaving. If you are offered an opportunity to work a tournament at this facility, do not pass it up.

I worked 15 games during the week from Monday thru Saturday. We worked 2 man crews on Monday & Tuesday during pool play. The rest of the way was all 3 man crews.

During my 15 games, I saw only 1 over the fence HR. I heard of others from other games, but didn't see any during games I was watching. I did see a catch that robbed a batter of a HR.

In my games we had only 1 traditional 6-4-3 DP. We had other DPs on line drives to infielders who then doubled up runners off their base.

The catchers that I saw and had in my games were outstanding. I think there were only 5 outright steal attempts of second base in my games. One was OBS on F6, 2 were successful, and 2 were thrown out. A few others were thrown out when the ball briefly got away from the catcher. I got dinged only once on the hand on a foul ball.

Given the level of play, I was most disappointed in bunt coverage, particularly in sacrifice situations. I saw numerous overthrows from pitchers, catchers, third basemen, first basemen, and outright drops of good throws by second basemen covering first.

Coaches were gracious and respectful. There were some disagreements on judgment calls. I heard of a mis-applied rule that happened in a partner's previous game but the coach didn't protest when he could have. He probably didn't know the rule.

Weather was generally good. It was always hot, never cooler than 89 degrees during the day and got up to about 95 or 96 degrees a couple of times. Two days were particularly humid. Lightning followed by rain at Botetourt on Tuesday evening resulted in the (4) 6 PM games being shifted to Moyer at 8 PM. That made for a long day.

Getting laundry done was a major pain. There were no washers or dryers in my hotel. A couple of laundromats that I found closed at 10 PM meaning your wash had to be in by about 8 PM. One of the locals graciously allowed me to come over to his house to wash/dry some clothes. I ended up back at the hotel after midnight that night with an 8 AM game scheduled the next day. One morning later in the week I was at a laundromat at 6 AM to wash uniforms and stuff. I understand that this is all part of the "national experience", albeit one of the most frustrating for me.

Each facility had an on-site trainer for any bumps and bruises. I saw a couple of bruises from HBPs, but thankfully nothing really serious. There could have been more serious instances, but I didn't hear of any. One umpire had to leave a game and be sent to a hospital. Not sure what the ailment was or if he worked games after that.

At least a couple of umpires reverted to NFHS code regarding jewelry (none whatsoever allowed) and asking coaches if their teams were legally and properly equipped. When I asked said partners why no jewelry at all, their reply was that these girls were not yet responsible enough. I don't share their philosophy and told them that when I was PU jewelry would be allowed unless I determined that it was dangerous on a case by case basis.

A few dozen college coaches attended the tournament. I guess they've already decided on the 16U girls and were looking a bit further down the road for the next group coming up.