Considering Giving it all up

[azbigdawg]

easy solution... Move to AZ..great training...great umpires....

[tcannizzo]

Originally posted by Skahtboi

Shouldn't that read "come over from the 'dark side?'"

Touche' Skahtboi

By the way, I will brightline what jstone999 said. As a coach, I always appreciated good umpires. And I was able to tell the good ones from the bad ones.

[whiskers_ump]

Mc,

Don't move to East Texas. Things are just as bad. There was one clinic
and that was for umpires to be State Playoff certified. 7 and 1/2 hours of
films and talk. No field training. Our chapter did not hold the first
field clinic and we have 7 newbies.

We have also received 7 letters from coaches wanting rule interps that were
in most cases misapplied. I think three of the seven were handled correctly.
I started by 46th year this year, and will continue and until the coaches
players and counterparts tell me I am not hacking it anymore. Stay
with us, for from what you saying, things can only get better.

[WestMichBlue]

Man, I am singing that same song right along with you MC. I won’t give up umpiring, but I sure think about walking away from the training responsibilities because so few give a sh_ _ t.

I am the SB training director for our 200 member HS association; a little over a hundred do SB or both SB and BB. I spend hundreds of hours preparing rules and mechanics classes, including handouts and website materials and props and H.S. players and PowerPoint presentations, etc, etc, etc. We had a Saturday Rules Clinic for rookies and less experienced umpires. We had 90 minute in-depth evening classes for critical subjects like Obstruction, Pitching rules, DP/FLEX. Even our Saturday Mechanics Clinic is focused; this year we worked on base/runner responsibilities under all types of hit/runner situations for 2-man systems.

For the same 18 to 25 attendees each time! Sure, they get their money’s worth, but what about the other 80% that don’t bother to show up? What dumb things are they doing on the field? (Unfortunately, I hear about too many of them!)

BUT – what are you going to do when there is no penalty (nor reward) for attending or not attending training? Regardless, you are going to get scheduled the maximum number of games that you want to work. Our Associations contracts with 50 area schools and we supply BB and SB umpires for 6,000 games each spring. We need every body we can get to cover the fields.

The major problem with BB and SB is that the games are played after school. Around here H.S. lets out about 2:30 – 2:40 and those kids are ready to play ball by 3:00. Allow for travel time and warm up and umpires to arrive and we try to get going by 4 – 4:15pm. Fact is, unless you are working 3rd shift or are in a professional or self-employed position to get yourself free mid-afternoons, you are not available for umpiring H S ball.

Note that most kids rec leagues start play at 6pm or later; most SP leagues play in the evening; and fall/winter H S sports typically play in the evening. There is obviously a bigger pool to pull officials from for evening games.

Thus – unfortunately, high school BB and SB probably has more clods on the field than do the other sports. All that we can do, MC is keep chipping away. Keep the training classes going; keep spreading the gospel on internet boards, and take time to teach a little between innings when you are with a less experienced umpire.

WMB

[cloverdale]

first time on the softball forum...been doing basketball 4 yrs. had my first softball game today with another newbie offical but thankfully she played ball in hs and college. seemed strange with all the players, batters and chanting from the girls that it was more distracting than i thought it would be...read the rules book and re-read it but until you have to apply it...seems to take a different type of focus to have the confidence of taking control of the game...our assn. asked for us to step up and HELP fill the need of officals for these games...a learning curve is steeper for some than others but please veterans help us to learn the right way, some patience is much needed and very much appreciated. Excuse the rambling just some thoughts after my first game...hope to use this forum as much as i use the basketball forum.

[wadeintothem]

WMB
I sure would be interested in any PPT's you have on Fed Ball.

Do you make them avail?

[WestMichBlue]

I sure would be interested in any PPT's you have on Fed Ball. Do you make them avail?


Yes. It fits with my philosophy expressed above; chipping away, helping any umpire anywhere get a little better.

Email me and we'll talk about it.

WMB

[Andy]

Originally posted by azbigdawg
easy solution... Move to AZ..great training...great umpires....

I will say that we have more than our share of great umpires here in AZ, and especially the Phx area, (Darrel included, of course!) but I still see plenty of the same things that have been mentioned in this thread.

I have taken the stand that I will work to make myself a better umpire, and try to help any other umpire that wants help. It irritates the he** out of me to go to one of my daughter's HS games or league games and see umpires on the field that are just there to pass time or collect a check.

It's no wonder that most people think all umpires are idiots after watching some of these guys!

Yes, we do have great training opportunities here and access to one of the best umpires and umpire trainers in the world, but when only the same 15 - 20% of your umpire population takes advantage of the opportunities, it get disheartening.

[bkbjones]

Do we have some clods in the Pacific Northwest? Absolutely.

HOWEVER...

All prospective new umpires:
Attend at least six 90-minute classroom sessions
Participate in gym/batting cage clinics where we have a strike zone frame so they get plenty of reps
Score at least 70% on the ASA and/or FED test(s)
Work at least two fast pitch and two slow pitch games with close, direct coaching by a member of our training committee (we try to do more COACHING than TEACHING at this point...they are expected to read, study and learn the umpire manual of the ASA book at least as much as the rule book)
Work at least six other games with an observer on hand to evaluate and offer immediate feedback

At that point they are released to work games at levels at which they can succeed.

We also require that transfers from other associations also go through the training program.

Is it foolproof? No. But...not only can it work, but it does work. We have well over 200 umpires in our association. In the past three years that we have been doing this, we have successfully trained and welcomed in about 75 new members.

Additionally, all umpires - rookies and vets - wishing to work FED ball at the varsity level or ASA championship ball (qualifiers, championships, etc.) are required to attend at least four of six general membership meetings at which training is the focus. We tackle no more than one or two topics per meeting. And, the vets have to make at least a 70 to work school ball, and at least a 75 to work ASA ball.

As I said, it doesn't eliminate all of the clods...BUT it helps.

[tzme415]

I joined so late this year that I missed the rules clinics. If anyone knows of some training possibilities in the Chicago area, please let me know.

[Alameda]

Brand new umpire here. 36 years old with a wonderful wife and a 3yr old son. I've gone back to school part time to finish my teaching degree, and watch my son 4 days a week while my wife runs here own business. Yes, I know, I'm very lucky on many levels.

Well, I was finally talked into trying this stuff by a long time family friend who has been Umping for 6 years now. She's really helped me along, and when we took the test together, did not spoon feed me the answers, but rather, made me give her the answer and then help me find in the book where I went wrong.

So far, from what I've seen of the NCUA the Umps are very professional, curtious and knowledgable. I pray I don't run into any of the above described 'veterans'.

My only point is, not all of us Rooks are old or young OOOs (whatever that is hehe).

I love this stuff. I've emmersed myself in it. Heck, last night after working just my 4th, 5th and 6th games of my career, I was up 'till 6am thumbing threw the rulebook and searching websites, making sure I got my calls right, etc. That's when I stumbled onto this forum as a matter of fact.

Keep the faith Blue, we Rooks need vets like you.

The game needs you even more.

[scottk_61]

I have been in associations like you describe and I have been in good ones.
Some things you can change some you can't

I worked hard to be involved where I am now, and love it.
My association is primarily Fed ball but we are also ASA.
We do a lot of training.
In our association, if you don't meet the minimum training sessions, you don't get any (let me say this loudly...ANY) post season play.
We also cut back the number of games you get.
In other words, if you don't show some effort you don't get the good stuff.
We offer at least 12 training sessions each high school season of which a certain number is required. You can get up to 10 promotion points (one for each session attended) but out of the 12 or so sessions, some are mandatory.
Don't show up, don't plan on getting assigned.
It can be tough and we do have an absence policy to help out.
Our association decided to do this at the same time we banded together and voted out our old Board of Directors.

Things have been moving along nicely the last few years not all is smooth as glass but it works for us.

The reason I am telling you this, is so that you can see it can be better.
You might have to provoke change in many ways or in a few ways and it will take more work on your part than what you have now.

Have fun with it and stick with it.

[Little Jimmy]

mcrowder,

Without being too repetitve, my association has the same problems that yours seems to. It doesn't really make any difference if you come to meetings, clinics or even take a test. When the season comes you'll be on the field because bodies are needed. When the association bids for the contract and gets it (generally through the good ol' boy network) they have to put SOMEONE on the field. Often those someones can be the guy who had "more important" things to do than go to the clinics, or the baseball guy (baseball guys please don't take offense) who is "doing us a favor" by appearing on a softball field with obvious disdain for the game, or the vet who hasn't opened up a rulebook since 1979.

This is my 7th year doing this and the one thing I can say, mcrowder, is that I want to work with guys like you. You may not have all the the answers(who does)but you seem to be willing to keep trying to do it right. I know it's frustating out there but I bet when some newer guys in your association see that they're working with a vet like you they breath a sigh of relief.

I think that normally the good things in life outweigh the crap. Try to keep up the good fight.

[LDUB]

Originally posted by MA Softball Ump

What is an "OOO?"

http://officialforum.com/thread/19574