Scrimmages - how do you handle?

[Roger Greene]

In our local association for high school scrimages we get one game fee split by the umpires. (On some scrimages we may send one veteran umpire and several newbies. The umpires will rotate in and out of the game, and after a play a coach may stop and talk to his players about a mistake, and the veteran umpire may stop after a play to address the officials.) We get promotional points on the state level for officiating scrimages.

In the local youth leagues, we are generally paid the going game rate.

We have time limits on scrimages, and generally allow free substitutes and try to make it a learning experience for players and new umpires.

Some of us do pre-season intersquad games without being paid, just to help get back in the swing of things before we actually start getting games.

Multi umpire scrimages and intersquad games are great instructional tools for umpires, if you have a knowlegable vetern in the crew.

Roger Greene