How far do you go?
 

I was wondering how much travel other umpires are willing to make for their assignments. Here in New England, things are pretty close together so, even for college, 100 miles one way is a pretty big, and uncommon trip. For rec ball, I get the blank stare when I tell people I drive 45 miles for an evening double header. How far do you have to go for regular assignments where things are a little more spread out?

I live in central NJ. I just got an e-mail asking whether I want to umpire an October college tournament in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Before I decide, I'm checking to see whether they will reimburse first-class air travel, although with the airport situation today, I'm sure I'd end up in handcuffs for something in my equipment bag.

For college games, I routinely travel all over the enormous Garden State. Next year, however, I'm going to take back roads and avoid the turnpike and the parkway. Rumor has it that a certain former governor is trolling the rest stops again.

It would be quicker if you drive the to Lowell.

For high school ball, I'll try to limit trips to 50 miles one way. Last year, I covered a game that was further, but that was filling in for friend who had a sudden problem.
College games are within 130 miles and sometimes I'll get back-to-back dates at a school & they'll put me up in a hotel.
Summer tournaments are within 120 miles - if they're taking care of the hotel and throwing in some gas money. If there's no hotel, then the trips need to be less than 50 miles. If I'm going to tie up a weekend, I need to be able to walk away with $240 after my expenses (before taxes are set aside).
I do have a couple of summer tournaments that are over 250 miles away, but I'm able to use those for a visit to family or a weekend getaway.

For HS our board has contracts with high schools in about a 30-40 mile radius. College is a little different. We have some schools that are as much as 4 hours away. Our assigner tries to schedule a double-header on the way up and another on the way back. That way, with three double-headers it's worth the drive.

Here in Ohio, there are so many games to choose from, I rarely go more than 10m one way for a baseball, basketball, or football game, and ASA Sp diamonds are 5 min away....

Here in the Netherlands, we cover the entire country. So my max. driving distance will be about 200 km (one way). For the evening games (mon - fri) I've set a max. distance on 50 km.
I got to go to work at 06:00h, so rise at 05:00h. When my game ends at 22:00h and I've to drive about 200 km back home it will be after midnight... (and have a very short nightrest)
I love to umpire, but my work ensures me to feed my family!

Is that all??? Actually, here in this part of Texas, I regularly drive 60-80 miles one way for a HS game. As for college, we cover schools that are as much as 6 hours away, but I always opt out of those games, and try to keep myself within a 100 mile range. ("Try" being the operative word in that last statement.)

Well, I live in a major metropolitan area.

Even though the metro area is very spread out, our assignors do their best to keep us close.

For HS ball, we have divided the metro area into six different parts and try to assign umpires either in the area they live and/or work or an adjacent area. For me, most trips from work are between 2-20 miles. We receive a $7.00 mileage fee for any game in the metro area. There are a few schools we cover about 30 miles outside the metro area that pay mileage at a certain amount per mile. I don't remember the exact amount, but it works out to more than the $7.00.

I also umpire in a statewide JC league, most of the schools are in the same metro area that I live, the closest school is about 5 miles from home, the farthest is about 50 miles away. These games are always doubleheaders, so I don't worry about the long trips too much.

For ASA and other tournament ball, there are facilities all over the valley, anywhere from 2 miles to 50 miles away. If I have to go more than about 20 -25 miles, I ask for more than 2 games that day to make it worth the drive.

I have attended the occasional tournaments outside the area, some as close as 100 miles away, some as far as 600 miles away. Sometimes I will take my family or my wife and make a mini-vacation out of it.

It's been years since I travelled more than an hour's drive to umpire a game. Obviously if you are chosen for a national or a provincial championship here in Canada, it will likely require significant travel. Most nights I'm home in time to watch Jay Leno's monologue.

Well, this past Saturday:

11 miles from my house to the first double-header at 8am. $46. (18-Gold)
Then 52 miles to the second double header at 1:30pm. Free. (CC Evals)
Then 52 miles back to the first site for the 3rd doubleheader at 7pm. Another $46. (18-Gold)
Then the 11 miles back to home.

126 miles, 6 games, $92. A softball wh0re. :)

All depends
 

It depends on if they are paying mileage or not. Longest drive I have made is close to 6 hours one way. That one paid mileage:)

Can you speak English???:D

30 miles to Ankeny, IA for U10 double header ($60.00)
10 miles to next site (North Des Moines) U14 double header (60.00)
20 miles back home

60 miles and 120.00

I'm only on my first cup of coffee yet, but I guess I don't get your humor...?:confused:

Free is not in my language . . .

women umpire clothes
 

would like to find pants and shorts for summer for women not men....any help with catalogs maybe :)

never have been asked...but i would about 50 miles or so

That's kind of sad...
 

I'll use your own quote to make a point:

All too often, our greatest obstacle is ourselves.

In Seattle, if we want to move up in our career, we get evaluated. The games we work for an evaluation are free - we don't get paid to do them. The money we would normally earn goes to the evaluator. The theory is that, if we want to work at a higher level, then we should be willing to sacrifice something to get there (i.e.: a game fee or two). Evaluators don't work for free, either. Who wants to go spend a Saturday afternoon evaluating umpires for no pay? My point is that, just like your own quote, if we want to overcome the obsticle of working a higher level, we have to sacrifice something of ourselves to make it worthwhile.

I can see that point. Guess I didn't understand your abbreviation. I just thought you were working regular games for free. I actually pay to go to basketball camps for the same reason. I don't blame you for that. So my apologies for the misunderstanding.

The contract that our association entered into with the metro high schools does not include mileage money. Metro High schools normally pay $60 or a varsity and JV. Usually, schools outside the metro area pay premium umpire fees to get umpires to travel to their school. For instance, last week I was paid $70.00 for a 7 inning Varsity and a 1 hr JV. I traveled about 36 mi round trip from my home outside the metro area. The week before I called a 3-way and because it was Senior night and a 30 min delay for the last game, the coach paid 40.00 per game. It was on the way home from work and I was there a little over 5 hrs. How far will I travel? If it's over 60 miles one way, it had better be premium pay for the premium price I'm paying for regular gas...

For Rec ball I'll go 30-45 miles one way for a game (though I have gone 120 as a favor to someone).

For HS ball I'll go up to 75 miles or so one way.

For College, most of it is within 100 miles, but I do have several dates that are 150-200 miles away.