OHSAA certification

[uxley11]

thanks. It just seems overwhelming right now. Because to get the license you have to get a profiecency rating on the field. And by on the field it is a varsity scrimmage. It sounds like it will be very intimidating. I just can't wait til I get done with it and travel ball starts in April.

[BretMan]

So, you're an Ohio boy, Uxley. I thought that I sensed there an underlying intelligence and respectability to your posts!

What part of the state are you from? I'm an OHSAA umpire in the central district. Our local association has around 400 members.

Our certification process sounds about the same as what you are going through. My understanding is that the process will vary from region-to-region within the state.

For those in the Columbus area, there are the same weekly classes. Those are followed by an open-book test that must be passed with a minimum grade to become certified. Pass, and you will then be a "class 2" baseball official. This will qualify you to work JV and middle school ball.

To move up to the varsity level you need to take another round of classes the next year. That is followed by another mandatory test, this time closed-book. Make the grade there and your permit will be bumped up to "class 1" status.

You can get the permit without being evaluated on the field, but before you are assigned to any varsity games you will need to be field evaluted by senior members of the local association.

To remain a member in good standing, you need to attend a set number of rules and mechanics classes each and every year, as well as the mandatory annual state rules interpretation meeting.

Our local association also hosts an annual field mechanics clinic every March.

That's the way we handle it here. You might have to do something different in your area. But stick with it, one step at a time. Attend the classes and take the tests. Take advantage of every bit of training that your association offers. And look beyond that to get all of the training and experience you can find to better yourself!

Good luck!

[uxley11]

I live in Pickerington and work for the PYAA. So i will be in the central district. I had another question if you or anyone else could answer. I will be taking 8 two hour sessions. Do they generally go over 2 hours and is that extra time counted towards the 25 hours? Also, will the test take another 2 hours, or will you take that on the eight and final class? I don't plan on being a varsity umpire until I am in college at least. and I want the minimum hours so I can make an extra $25 a game. I am just confused, because 8x2=16. Plus the 6 hour mechanics session equals 22. So where do I get the other 3 hours if I don't have to do the baseball scrimmage. Thanks for any help.

[bbsbvb83]

It sounds like first year Ohio umpires are much better prepared than those in Illinois. Here we take the NFHS Part One, go to an hour long rules meeting, and if an AD hires us, we can work varsity our first game out.

[BretMan]

I'm in north Columbus, near Westerville. Since I work on the southeast end of Columbus, our assignor gives me a lot of games in Pickerington, Groveport, Canal Winchester and Gahanna.

Maybe the requirements have changed since I first got my certification several years a go. We did the mandatory 8 training classes- each was roughly two hours, some a little more, some a little less. If I recall, the actual test was on an additional evening. We were given a couple of hours to take it. Again, this was a few years ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the exact time allowed.

And how's this for irony? The classes are held in an auditorium and gym at...the Ohio School for the Blind! What a place to certify your new umpires!

As far as meeting a certain number of classroom or training "hours", that wasn't the case when I was certified. There were a set number of classes to attend and that was tracked, but I don't recall having to meet a certain number of "hours".

The mandatory state rules interpretation meeting put on by the OHSAA is also credited as part of your classroom training, so maybe that is how the additional "hours" are accounted for.

The mechanics clinic in March was not part of the certification process. It is not mandatory to attend- though I would recommend it! Those attending get credit towards the minimum number of annual classes that they must attend. In other words, the clinic will count the same as attending one (or two?) of the weekly classroom sessions.

The mandatory field evaluation is only necessary to be eligible for varsity level games, and you can only do those after your second year and obtaining your class one permit. The evaluations are available BY REQUEST and are not administered by any schedule. When you are ready to be evaluated, you contact the person that sets this up and schedule a game that is convenient for you. But you don't even need to worry about that your first year if you don't want to.

But don't be intimidated! Take first things first:

- Attend the weekly classes.

- Attend the state rules interpretation meeting (@ Dublin Jerome H.S.).

- Attend the mechanics clinic (@Hilliard Davidson H.S.).

- Take the open-book test when the classes are finished. It's not very hard.

- If you want, schedule a field evaluation if and when you are comfortable. The evaluation can be helpful to you, but it's not really needed your first year unless you want to do it.

There really isn't much more to it than that, and that is about as much as you can- or need to- squeeze in your first year.

Don't be afraid to ask questions in the classes. The guys that give the training classes are really friendly and are experienced umpires. They will help you in anyway they can to get you certified.

Drop me a line at my personal email address ([email protected]) if you have any other questions. More than likely, if there's something specific you need to know about about the certification process, I can put you in touch with exactly the person you need to talk to.

[uxley11]

ya that thing about the school for the blind is funny. It says 25 hours is required to get your permit. I will not do the scrimmages then. I have not been told that attending a rules meeting is required though. Thanks for your help.

[lawump]

You guys from Ohio must be throwing up today...I know my neighbors down here who are transplant Ohioans (sp?) are...I know if I was from Ohio I'd definitely be talking about BASEball today and not FOOTball.

(And, no, I'm not a Florida fan).

[BretMan]

The state meeting is mandatory each year to retain your permit. This meeting covers NFHS and OHSAA rule changes for the upcoming season as well as any new rule interpretations that will be in place.

It usually lasts less than an hour. The biggest headache is fighting the traffic involved with a thousand people coming and going to one auditorium! The OHSAA holds the baseball and softball meetings in separate sessions on the same night.

A couple of other things that might interest you:

Have you checked out the "Central Ohio Baseball Umpires Association" website? Some of your questions might be answered there. Once you become a member and are activated on the website, there is a lot of training information available there, as well as a contact list for all COBUA memebers. They also post Power Point presentations that recap the items covered in each of the weekly meetings.

Have you been to "Fleming's Referee and Sport"? We are lucky to have a dedicated umpire equipment store here in town, a luxury not many umpires have. You can try on equipment before buying it and they carry all of the official OHSAA uniforms and gear. This store is located near the Sawmill Road and I-270 interchange. They also have a website.

One more thing: Don't be intimidated about the scrimmage games that are offered for field training of new umpires. These are strictly scrimmage games and the coaches and players know that the rookie umpires are there for training. Typically, you would only work a couple of innings behind the plate and then on the bases, rotating in and out with other trainees. It is a valuable training session. No one is going to jump down your throat if you make a mistake. If you're not careful you might learn something!

[BretMan]

Lawump,

Yes, I do literally feel SICK after that game last night. It was hard to stomach.

Oh well, at least the first 15 seconds were pretty darn exciting for Ohio State fans!

[lawump]

Yes, I'm an umpire...but funny is funny.

As the new President of my association, I love seeing what other associations are doing...so I went to the COBUA website.

I couldn't help but notice that most of COBUA's meetings take place at the Ohio State School for the BLIND.

I am logging off now to go and change my pants.

[bossman72]

Originally Posted by uxley11

thanks. It just seems overwhelming right now. Because to get the license you have to get a profiecency rating on the field. And by on the field it is a varsity scrimmage. It sounds like it will be very intimidating. I just can't wait til I get done with it and travel ball starts in April.

Probably makes you sick to know that your rival PA brotheren to the east ONLY have to take the NFHS exam, get a 75, and they're certified to do anything from middle school to varsity! hehe

[uxley11]

thats great. I dont have a problem going to the classes but going for a 6 hour mechanics session and possbily a live varsity scrimmage is a pain in the ***. hopefully like these people are saying, I wont have to do the live scrimmage.

[DG]

2 hour association meeting/state clinic, 6-2 hour local clinics, and 3-live scrimmages. That's about 20 hours, and standard around here. Veterans and new umpires (1-2 years) attend scrimmages. The new umpires work the games and the veterans generally give advice in a structured manner, ie a veteran leader assigned for each game to document participation, coordinate umpire rotation from plate to base, etc. Verterans may only get an inning or half inning of work due to new umpires getting most of the time, as it should be. When 6 umpires are assigned to a scrimmage and 3 of them are new, they get most of the work.

[uxley11]

that isnt ohio is it?

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by uxley11

thats great. I dont have a problem going to the classes but going for a 6 hour mechanics session and possbily a live varsity scrimmage is a pain in the ***. hopefully like these people are saying, I wont have to do the live scrimmage.

I would think that if you want to improve then working the live scrimmage is a good start. There will be experienced umpires there to evaluate you and help you work on problem areas in your work.


Tim.