How do you become a certified ump?

[mary4]

I was in charge of getting the umpires for our baseball league this year. I ran a little clinic with the help of a patched ump for the umps but nevertheless you always have a few coaches and parents who do not respect the ump unless he/she is certified. I was wondering how you can become a certified cal ripken umpire?

[jumpmaster]

here you go...

http://www.baberuthleague.org/umpires.html

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by mary4

I was in charge of getting the umpires for our baseball league this year. I ran a little clinic with the help of a patched ump for the umps but nevertheless you always have a few coaches and parents who do not respect the ump unless he/she is certified. I was wondering how you can become a certified cal ripken umpire?

Keep in mind that most Certifications mean that an individual passed the Rules test and that's it. By passing a test and putting a patch on does not necessarily equate to being a good umpire, but leave it to coaches and parents to think that way.

Pete Booth

[aepitaz]

I would suggest looking at http://www.naso.org/BeOfficial/.

It talks about getting certified by your local organization. Being a good umpire is knowing the rules, but also knowing how to umpire. That includes mechanics, feel for the game, and understanding the strike zone.

Most of the above you can only get by working games and learning from your experiences and from other umpires.

After 10 years, I am still learning from more experienced umpires.

[ozzy6900]

I would suggest that your league administrator have a talk with these people and explain to them that the umpires are to be respected certified or not. And if any of them have a problem with that they can either get off their asses and put on a uniform or get the hell out of Dodge!

[WindyCityBlue]

Mary,
Where do you live?
A good starting point would be to contact the High School Association in your state and ask for a directory of baseball officials. There are probably guys in your area that would be happy to assist. That said, getting an official accredited (patched) is a matter of paying a feee, taking a nationally approved test and receiving a passing score. IT IS NOT DIFFICULT.

Second, ask that same association if there are any official's organizations in teh area. Give them a call and find out what there rates are. You might be pleasantly surprised and they can handle the scheduling headache for you.

Finally, as a couple of members here have alluded, the patch means nothing if the official is inept. Likewise, a good official can be frightened off by parents and fans that don't know how to behave. Be careful what you hope for, a lot of officials that are "forced" to receive accreditation, may find that they can make more money working elsewhere. As you've found, they can be a rare commodity in some areas.

[DG]

Mary is asking about Cal Ripken certification so State High School association, and NASO, and any others are not relevent. To become Cal Ripken certified means becoming Babe Ruth certified, which means paying the $30 and passing the test (as previoulsy mentioned). That is all there is to it. Anybody who can't pass an open book test with all the time in the world to take it does not need to be an umpire.

Now if Mary really wants to improve umpiring in the league that means a well structured clinic. I would suggest a minimum 4 hour clinic at the beginning of the season. I have an agenda I have used for just such a clinic in past years. If the league really wants certified officials they should pay the $30 for each one to become certified, or at least pay half. Clinic could run 9:00 to 1:00 on a Saturday, include some classroom time and some field time, and some rules time, then serve sodas and hot dogs at 1:00, and at 1:30 hand out the test for all who are interested in being certified (let it be known that league is interested in certified officials and all will want to be certified, especially if the league is picking up all or half the tab). Give an hour to take the test. You can work it out with Babe Ruth baseball to give the test out to a group all at once, they would welcome registering a group all at once. Discuss this with your district commissioner.

Here is agenda:

Time: 9:00 - 1:00 Clinic
1:00 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 (Extra hour to take Babe Ruth Certification Test)

Lunch: Provided (World Famous hot dogs)

Agenda: How to dress, equipment to use, on field mechanics video, on field drills, rules (100), open discussion. All good stuff.

Audience: New umpires, old umpires, coaches (yes, coaches will benefit)

Cost: No cost unless you want to become Babe Ruth Certified. Fee to become certified is $15.