ASA Uniform Questions
 

I am getting ready to get ASA certified and was wondering what the uniform requirements were, shirt wise, adn hat wise. Like with the logo, without the logo, with the flag etc. I have been looking at some stuff online and just want to make sure I get the right stuff. Also any place that you would recomend to buy the stuff? I buy my basketball shirts from the officials choice, and love them. Thanks in advance!

Different tournaments may have different uniforms. Some may require the navy blue pants/shorts with the powder blue shirt, some may want the heather grey pants with the powder blue. If you intend to call tourneys, you may just want to get a pair of both colors.

Also, if you intend to call tournaments, don't get the adjustable hats. You'll need a fitted hat, so you will need to know your size.

One other thing. If you buy the lined ASA jacket from them, and you find that the zipper is on the wrong side, check the label. If it says, "Made in Pakistan," give them a call. Apparently, they had a bad batch come in from Pakistan, and they were not up to specs. I purchased a jacket recently, and mine was from that batch. The pull for the zipper was on the left, not the right. And without a doubt, the "large" was not large at all!

They gave me no problems with exchanging the jacket. Good customer service. Kudos.

I've notice that ASA (at officialgear.com) offers shirts both with and without "ASA" on the left chest. Is either (that is, with or without the logo) acceptable?

I bought shirts without the logo, thinking I could use the same shirts for both federation and ASA games. Do I need to buy another set of shirts?

That would depend on your local association, tournament directors, etc. For ASA nationals, you'll need ASA-logoed stuff. For local games, local rules apply.

Maybe you should have asked before you made a purchase. For ASA games you should wear the ASA shirt.

Yes, you're right. Thanks.

I fully intend to get an ASA logo set...I asked the question trying to see if I can get away w/just the plain shirts for the time being.

Stu, ask your local assignor or association UIC. That is whom you need to satisfy as you first start out. In our area, some associations would accept that for local league play. Some would not.

You may also want to check with fellow umpires in your association. Some associations will permit you to wear the older shirts locally and some of the older or retiring umpires will offer newly registered folks their old shirts.

We still have a few who wear the old Elbeco and the polo shirts.

I'm returning to umpiring after about a 12 year layoff. I always missed sports officiating. A change in careers has allowed me to do more things of my choosing. So I'm *not exactly* a new umpire - But I AM new to working high school games and fastpitch in general.

Let's just say I wish I could still fit into my old Elbeco. :o

While I really liked the button up Elbecos, I was never a fan of the old polos.

The old timers groused when ASA went to the 'new' pullovers - until they wore them for the first time in July!

Locally, since we work a lot of PONY tournaments where we have to wear the gray pants, we decided to make the gray our 'local' uniform. I still say that ASA will go 'all gray' within a few years...

the NYS High School association is slow and conservative - they only went to the pull overs when it was apparent that the Elbecos were becoming extinct! It is sort of understandable - a lot of the members work up in the North country - Watertown, etc, and might only work 10 games a year..but its a drag down here!


personally, I LOVE the combinations of gray/powder, and the gray/dark blue...

I was a big fan of the new pullover UNTIL I wore it in July. The Elbeco is cooler, but not at all forgiving. Meanwhile, the pullover doesn't pull out of one's pants and is quite forgiving when the umpire sweats, but does not allow proper air flow.Not a shot

God, I hope not. And I've still yet to hear a valid reason to change to gray.

[/QUOTE]

God, I hope not. And I've still yet to hear a valid reason to change to gray.[/QUOTE]

It holds up better through out the game on dusty fields. With blue pants, the dust sticks to them in 5 minutes and you look awful.

hey STU. I'm neighbors with you. In the Sacramento area you are expected to have different sets of shirts. the people who don't are definetly looked down upon.

'Cause I have lots of gray pants!

Might not be valid for you, but it is for me! ;)

As of this moment in time, I own 3 different logoed sets of shirts (note: "sets"), 1 set of non-logoed shirts, in four different color combinations. 2 sets of logoed hats and 2 sets of non-logoed hats in two different colors. Locally, all require gray pants, thankfully. (See, Mike, valid for me! :) ). With local fastpitch sanctioning politics, I expect I'll be buying yet another set of shirts for this summer.

It goes with the territory.

Rubbish. But if you believe that, you better get rid of your shoes because if the field is that bad, your shoes are going to look either brown or grey when you come off.

And if you want to get picky, I'd rather get a little easy-to-remove dirt on my pants than deal with the non-forgiving greys in the heat of the summer.

And if you only worked ASA, I would be more likely to accept your "excuse".

However, you don't, so that pretty much kills your "personal" reason. :D

Well, I work a bunch of different sanctioning bodies too. So I have both grays and blues. I prefer the navy blue pants, if for no other reason - they hide the sweat marks better. I also think the blues look better than the various shades of gray.

Reminds me of an old Grateful Dead song...

Anyway, there is no way around this issue. Even the ASA's "buy from us" policy for Nationals doesn't solve the problem because the gray color fades so quickly.

Yeah, I knew you were "speaking ASA" on this one... ;)

Actually, that isn't to what I was referring.

My point would be if you work the organization, you can afford to buy THEIR uniform and not expect someone else for your convenience and savings.

I don't, as I said, it goes with the territory. Guess you aren't seeing the (intended) humor in my response. Bunches of different shirts, different hats, but thank goodness I only have one color of britches!

I wish I only had 2 sets of shirts. Every association here has their own patch and color. I take up the whole coat closet in uniforms alone. Hats are also different for every group. I have a whole box of hats for the different sets. I am just thankful to the guy who showed me that I can use an 8 stitch behind the plate.

HA! :D

I found that out quite by accident a few years ago when I forgot my plate hat and only had a base hat in the car. It worked fine!

Maybe I'll find that guy. I still can't wear an 8-stitch behind the plate.

Serg

I can wear an 8 stitch at the plate but I do not like how it looks, so I go with a 6 stitch instead. I wear a "low profile" mask and the 8 stitch has a tendency to stick out in front. I am able to remove the mask w/o a problem, and if I had a traditional mask I would be all about the 8 stitch.


My mask:
http://www.gerrydavis.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=MSK

Bring your hat and mask tonight and I'll show you how to do it. I've never owned anything smaler than an 8-stitch including the 22 years I did baseball and when I did FP softball.

I started wearing the 8 stitch behind the plate last year, will NEVER go back to the 4....once you literally get the hang of it, you will stay with it also. It is much more comfortable for some reason, and it looks a heckuva lot better with the mask off. I use the Wilson 'dynalite'...

How often does everyone here have to replace a mask? I was just going to but new pads this year, when I noticed my harness was almost unusable, so I figured between the two, I might as well get a new mask! I figure I got five years out of this one..

For next year, its more than that for us.. if you are working G. San Joaquin Metro (Stockton stuff) you will likely be fined if you dont wear shirts with the ASA logo.

So if youre planning on migrating to any of the big tournies out this way, you will need ASA logo. Its the uniform.

We'll see how it goes, if its not implemented this year, it will certainly be next year.

I guess I don't understand why someone would umpire a tournament and not have the uniform that the sanctioning body wants. I work under several different sanctioning bodies and I have the right uniforms for each.

I agree.

Agreed....as a wise, old umpire once said....

:D :D

Hey....

Who said I was wise??? :eek: