Home-state tourneys versus out of state tourneys

[FUBLUE]

With one of our largest weekend of the year coming up (ASA JO State Games) this weekend, a question I have resurfaced.

Hypothetically, let's say you are working an organization that "has been good to you." You have two options for working games on one weekend.

Option one: stay in state and work this tournament.

Option two: travel out of state (further distance than staying in state) and work another tournament for same organization (national body).

Reason I ask is some umpires I know here are leaving the state to work a tournament far away instead of staying in state and working our "state Games". These are the same umpires who complain that they never get assigned nationals, regionals, upper divisions, etc.

[kellerumps]

Gotta be honest here.......Whoever gets us a contract first, will retain our services(At all levels!!!!). In this case, our state association has been VERY VERY good to us, however, in the end we book ourselves on a first come first serve basis.

We don't hide or deny that fact. Sometimes it works out better, other times it's worse...In the end everything is evened out though. However, it is ALWAYS better to honor your contracts.

Hopefully we will see you this weekend...BTW...We received our check today. Will call you later.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by kellerumps
Gotta be honest here.......Whoever gets us a contract first, will retain our services(At all levels!!!!). In this case, our state association has been VERY VERY good to us, however, in the end we book ourselves on a first come first serve basis.

We don't hide or deny that fact. Sometimes it works out better, other times it's worse...In the end everything is evened out though. However, it is ALWAYS better to honor your contracts.

Hopefully we will see you this weekend...BTW...We received our check today. Will call you later.

While we are being honest, the State Championship Play should come first. As the UIC, I support the people who support the local associations. I know that is not the most popular way of doing things, but it gets me how people tend to forget their roots.

We recruit umpires and train them through clinics, schools and meetings AT NO MAJOR COST TO THE INDIVIDUAL, but when you need help providing the umpires the teams deserve for championship play, some of your better umpires have sold themselves to the highest bidder.

And what gets me even more is when I hear from these people about how the local association will never send them away as they should go because they have worked this tournament or that team. Sorry, but all things being equal, loyalty gets rewarded.

And before all you folks who don't read every word of a post, please note I just typed the term "all thing being equal", which for those educationally challenged means that all other points of competing umpires being the same, the one who helps the local ASA association is the one who will have their name submitted for Nationals before that individual who shows no concern for the needs of the assn.

It does NOT mean that I will send a lesser qualified umpire away just to spite someone.

[FUBLUE]

Now that I have a couple replies, I'll give the why I ask part of it (further).

1. I know of several umpires in our state who are going to a really large tournament out west instead of doing our State Games...leaving us somewhat short of umpires for the weekend. Yet upon seeing one of these guys this weekend, he complained about not getting 18U/16U tournaments or any nationals. (Mike, I think your point fits in here)

2. I have gone to tournaments out of state before, but only when there was nothing going on in the state. In fact, this past weekend, I went to Detroit, but only after I checked with people IN-STATE to see if I was needed for tournaments they were holding.

I just think you have to "take care of those who take care of you" first.

For HS/COLLEGE, first-come, first-serve. I know several who have TRIPLE scheduled themselves...had HS Varsity, D-III College and D-I college on same day...cancelled the first two once D-I game was confirmed. If I agree to a JV game and a college game come up, too bad...I value my name more than to cancel a HS game for a college game.

[Dakota]

How about the view from just a working stiff? I don't assign umpires. I don't UIC at tournaments.

My local association only has 3-4 big tournaments per season (that our association contracts to supply umpires for), plus local league games in a half dozen communities. We're a pretty small assiciation.

I always block out the weekends for our tournaments. Sometimes, though, I have gotten burned when the tournament was smaller than expected, but it was too late to find other work. On one of those occasions, though, our assignor did find me another tournament (on his own volition) before he called to say he would not need me.

Once I book a game, it is a commitment by me to do that game. It doesn't matter what other opportunites come up. If I want to do something else, it is my responsibility to find a replacement for the game I agreed to do. At least, that is how I conduct myself.

I don't have the same loyalty to our state tournaments as I do to the local association's tournament. I think that is because the state association has been in constant turmoil from the JO perspective for several years and there really is no one to have loyalty TO, except for the institution.

[Steve M]

I travel out of my area to work some games, but I only travel when it's OK'd by my local commssioner. I agree strongly with Mike's standpoint - take care of the home stuff first. Any time I travel out of the area, it is with the knowledge and OK by my district's commissioner. But along the same lines, there should be something coming in return from my state organization. I have my choice of any & all state tournaments that I want to work, pretty much the same for regionals. But my local commissioner seems to feel that nobody in his district has any desire to work a national tournament. I am getting close to the point where I'm less likely to be loyal locally first.

[Edited by Steve M on Jun 24th, 2004 at 11:30 AM]

[Dukat]

It is funny that I just had this conversation with my local assignor/UIC last week. Anyway the tough one is like I have this weekend. He had me for an ASA North State Tournament, USSSA guys wanted me for a big tournament and Daughter playing in an ASA North State Tournament. All 3 were in different cities. I immediately called the U-Trip guys and told them I would not be available and told my ASA assignor that if it put him in a bind I would be here but if not I would be with my Daughter. Ideally it would be like next weekend when I can call on an adjacent field to where my daughter is playing but Lord's willing I have many more years of umpiring in me than my daughter has years playing so I feel I am making the right choice.

[FUBLUE]

Originally posted by Dukat
Ideally it would be like next weekend when I can call on an adjacent field to where my daughter is playing but Lord's willing I have many more years of umpiring in me than my daughter has years playing so I feel I am making the right choice.

Worked a tournament once where umpire had daughter playing in tournament. All umpires knew that he may yell at them to move diamonds if his daughters team showed up on the diamond. Only happened once all weekend, and there were two games starting together so no one had to leave in the middle of their game.

I feel that family comes first. If your daughter is playing in a tournament, why not go there and umpire a few games? Just let TD/UIC know situation before hand.

[Dukat]

She is playing in an ASA are that my assignor does not assign so I don't have the option currently to call there. Also since there is only one age group playing there I couldn't be calling in that tournament anyway because of a percieved conflict of interest.

[FUBLUE]

Originally posted by Dukat
She is playing in an ASA are that my assignor does not assign so I don't have the option currently to call there. Also since there is only one age group playing there I couldn't be calling in that tournament anyway because of a percieved conflict of interest.

I would understand that the conflict is PERCIEVED, but we are professionals, and would conduct ourselves as such. Besides, I've yet to see a game where BLUE determined who won/lost.

JMHO

[Dakota]

Originally posted by Dukat
She is playing in an ASA are that my assignor does not assign so I don't have the option currently to call there. Also since there is only one age group playing there I couldn't be calling in that tournament anyway because of a percieved conflict of interest.

I've called in the same age level in tournaments where my daughter was playing. I just avoided her games. Never had anyone suggest I was trying to (for example) set up who her opponents would be, etc. I think you may be over-worrying about conflict. The only conflict I had was internal - i.e. I'd rather be watching her games than calling another one while she was playing. That's a better reason (IMO) for not calling in the same tournament!

[Dukat]

I agree with you but they set things up that way here to keep from having to deal with any controversy. It is not me it is the way things are done around here.

[oatmealqueen]

Originally posted by Dakota

I've called in the same age level in tournaments where my daughter was playing. I just avoided her games. Never had anyone suggest I was trying to (for example) set up who her opponents would be, etc. I think you may be over-worrying about conflict. The only conflict I had was internal - i.e. I'd rather be watching her games than calling another one while she was playing. That's a better reason (IMO) for not calling in the same tournament!

This would never fly in my area.
We are discouraged from working games as in the example above.
We all know that the blues are honest, but it's that darn perception thing.
I don't believe that it's a case of over worrying either. Someone just might cite a conflict of interest here. JMHO