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I come from a much smaller softball community.. I take it you dont know these people?

In my area.. the ASA /NFHS people.. are the same essentially, especially at the top.

My point is.. have you called them and confirmed there is a no way to make the transition, considering your long time ASA back ground etc?

Obviously, regionals are probably out for your first year.. but if they need umpires.. a little smarts wouldnt be bad.

In our area, ASA clinics count towards your NFHS (assoc?) mandatory 16 hours of training.. so 16 hours is nothing really to me.. I did go to two of the NFHS clinics/meeting though.

maybe if you attended one NFHS SB meeting.

Wade,

I'm trying to see if they will let me take the NFHS exam without taking the classes, or something like that. No final word yet.

You must have NFHS certification to do high school ball in Ohio. While I'm finding out that some of the guys running this association are also ASA umpires, and both groups seem to have the same guy working as their assignor, ASA and NFHS are totally separate groups with, again, separate associations and meetings.

At least the ASA meetings do not conflict with NFHS baseball. But there's still some conflict. We have an ASA National Umpire School coming up March 1st- the same day as my associations baseball field and mechanics clinic.

Blowing off the baseball clinic might dock me some points with the local powers-that-be, but they have that darn thing every year and the ASA NUS only rolls through here every five years or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

First my perspective, I only umpire NFHS softball and ASA JO girls FP. I think there are elite umpires in both sports softball and baseball. I also feel like to each their own. BUT I also feel like there softball umpires are looked down upon by baseball umpires. I think it has to do with the male ego thing of a mans sport is more important that a girls sport (remember my softball is only girls FP). I think the guys see themselves living vicarously through their sons so the mans sport is ranked higher. Personally I beleive that is total BS, but there is that sort of feeling in my area.

Go over to the Baseball forum, the testosterone of the Old Gurd who professes complete disdain for softball umps is ever present. You're right on all counts, btw, it's a Boy's Club thing and it is total BS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretMan

Just ran across something interesting that kind of fits in with this thread...

My two areas of certification/registration are NFHS baseball and ASA softball. I thought that I would look into becoming certified for NFHS softball, so I searched for and found the web site run by their local umpire group. On the first page, there was a plea for more umpires! It said that they have a severe shortage and were begging their members to accept more games to their schedules.

So I contact their association president for more info. Come to find out that their mandatory meetings are held on exactly the same the same nights, at the exact same hour, as the mandatory NFHS baseball meetings are held.

This makes it impossible for an umpire to meet the classroon requirements and get certified for both sports in this area

Common BS tactic of baseball umps, then, of course, they can proclaim how softball guys never Xover because they are weenies. Back in GA, we made it a rule that yiou had to be eilgible for either and assigned to either. Pay rates were the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BretMan

Just ran across something interesting that kind of fits in with this thread...

My two areas of certification/registration are NFHS baseball and ASA softball. My region is one of those where the NFHS baseball and softball umpires are in totally different groups, with different associations, meetings, assingors, etc.

I thought that I would look into becoming certified for NFHS softball, so I searched for and found the web site run by their local umpire group. On the first page, there was a plea for more umpires! It said that they have a severe shortage and were begging their members to accept more games to their schedules.

Cool. Sounds like a favorable "supply/demand" situation and a good chance to get my foot in the door!

So I contact their association president for more info. Come to find out that their mandatory meetings are held on exactly the same the same nights, at the exact same hour, as the mandatory NFHS baseball meetings are held.

This makes it impossible for an umpire to meet the classroon requirements and get certified for both sports in this area. My only option in doing NFHS softball would be to attend the meetings for a different association- one is about an hour south of me, the other about an hour north- and then I would only be assigned games in those far-off districts.

Guess I won't be doing any high school softball anytime soon...

I have a better solution! Just become a full time softball umpire. No muss, no fuss. :D