How do you wind down your season??
 

Since I got my sanity back ;) :D, I would like to know how do you usually wind down your season going into winter?? (BTW, I'd love to attend the Jim Evans Classic if I could afford it).

What I usually do is work some grade school parochial ball ($25/game) in September to wind the season down for me.

I have baseball games through the third week of August and football games starting the fourth week of August.

In September, fall ball starts up and I will work both football and baseball. Football runs through the end of November and basketball kicks in the first week of December. Basketball runs until mid March, by which time, baseball has started.

Summer basketball kicks off in June, the same time summber baseball begins, so I work both until the end of July, then, just baseball until football starts again.

What is "winding down?"

Ahh a multi-sport official I see. Nice :cool: !!!

Fall ball starts for me on Aug 21 and will run to late October, then I will put my stuff up until February.

I'm a baseball only guy myself. For me, I've got a break until fall ball starts up. It's simple really....I brew some beer, I take off in the motorhome for a couple weeks, attend a clinic or two, then back in the saddle. Work fall ball through october, then head off to a warm climate until baseball starts back up. Yep... lifes hard.. but somebody has to do it.

I am like Garth. I work three sports.

When June hits I do not work a single baseball game most of the summer. I do work a tournament for a few days during the end of July and early August.

When June starts I work exclusively basketball and I attend many basketball camps.

I am involved in a football class that runs from early July into August.

Just like Garth, I am not sure what winding down means.

Peace

My fall / winter is mostly clinics (Both attending & teaching) including evaluating fall ball. May do a few Sunday club (Travel league) games.

This year I am concentrating on trying to fully rehab the knee, which will mean better mobility, etc. If successful it's back to a light college ball schedule in 2008. If not, it's knee replacement time and missing 1/2 of 2008 at best.

Some time around mid-August I push the blue shirts to the back of the closet and pull the black and white striped shirts to the front.

Hmm,
 

My issue is not "how to wind down a season": each year the question is: "how do I wind down a career?"

Regards,

Fall Ball
 

Clinics, both for me and others I hold.

Empty and air out the baseball/softball bag.

Put away the baseball gear.

Examine football gear, ensure 3-4 sets of everything are "varsity quality". But whatever is necessary to get there.

Put the football gear in the bag, and start attending football clinics.

my .02
 

I work pretty much through late July with summer ball and tournaments, but stopped early this year to watch my son in his wood bat summer league playoffs....I am off through most of August. I will make myself available for some fall baseball........we have some local HS that will do some fall club baseball which is worth doing....

Fall is a good time for me to stop by the local youth leagues and see who we can recruit for our chapter....some of our HS members do a full fall schedule and will tip us off on a youth umpire who might be a good fit for us. We have added 2-3 recruits a year this way........

After that its read, read, read,,,pray for spring......

I am baseball only...but thinking of adding volleyball for some winter activity...

I went away to college at the end of one summer and didn't ever pick it up there. I've been winding down for 4 years. Well hopefully I can pick it up again next spring.

August is time off from baseball. Fall ball starts in September and runs until 2nd week of November. Then I relax until March when HS season starts.

Baseball Only

After volunteering most of July to Junior/Senior Division Little League and the last of the summer HS summer ball is over I have 2-3 weeks to relax and prepare for club/travel ball and also spend time watching my son play fall ball.
I am attending the Jim Evans Desert Classic coming at the end of October here in Tucson. I should be able to stay busy with club and travel ball until HS gets going again.
Equipment check is complete, cleaned and ready for the next set of games. Can't wait for winter!

I work 3 sports, too, but my only overlap is baseball overlapping football for a few weeks. I wouldn't touch summer basketball for anything.

High School baseball starts the middle of Feb., travel ball starts the end of March, July has three World Series events, August is time off unless I can find a tourney somewhere, Sept is fall ball (some through Oct - but I don't work much past the 1st weekend). Winter is clinics, reading, etc - longing for Feb.

Plan (should say hope) to get into college ball in the spring which will start the season at the beginning of Feb (a couple of weeks earlier than usual).

I don't wind down, it just grinds to a halt.

I echo TEE, and wonder when it's time to "call it a day"

From the middle of March through the end of July - 1st week in August I am going non-stop

When one officiates, one basically has "no life" as one is officiating 7 days a week with at least double dips if not 3 games a day every Friday/ Sat/Sun

I look forward to the "winding down" How individuals officate 2 or more sports I do not know. Also, it's not so much the officiating but dealing with the "other" stuff that goes along with it.

Pete Booth

Pete:

Left out in my description of working three sports:

Baseball and all but varsity football and varsity basketball, are played in the afternoons. I am usually home by the time my wife gets home.

I sat out ten years when my boys were young to be there for them and with them.

My lovely bride and I take at least five weeks vacation during each year out of town, just the two of us.

My officiating revenue is spent on those vacations and gifts for my boys.

As a teacher, I am still home during the summer more than not, even on days I work games.

Contrary to what you assume, I enjoy a great life away from officiating with time for my family, my photography, bicycling, writing and taking classes from time to time. There are approximately 17 hours in my waking day and I use all of them.

I go full out from May (Clinics) through to mid Sept with Baseball Umpiring only.
To top it off I am the assigner for our area which at times is a full time job.
I manage to cope as I am retired from normal work. Wind down in fall and watch Baseball on TV. Start preparing for next season in late Winter/ early Spring.
In my area (Nova Scotia, Canada) baseball runs from about May to late Sept only.