Dugout Question

[cpa]

This brings up an interesting point about underage kids in question.

In a 12U rec ball game late last season, a rather young looking female coach came to the home plate meeting. Coach "Suzy" introduced herself and I asked how old she was. She said she was 17 and that she and Coach "Lisa", who was 16 were coaching the team today because they were the assistant coaches and her Dad, the HC, "has to sit out today because he was ejected last night"

I told her that they were gonna have to find an adult to coach today because we (the blues) could not deal w/ minors. Boy, were they po'd and protested, but we got done what needed to be done.

But the issue came up again in the bottom of the first when one of these "girls" went out to coach 1B and I made her put on a helmet -- and again in the top of the third when the other one came out to warm up the catcher w/out a mask.

So, in the 4th inning (between innings) some board member has been summoned from the other end of the park and asks me "why can't these girls coach -- they've been coaching all year". I just told him that we had to have an adult in charge and that "children on the ball field can not elect out of safety rules -- I would not let a batter come up to bat w/out a helmet just because a parent in the stands told me it was OK!"

He seemed to get the message.

Had a similar incident later on that year when I was a guest umpire at a place that allows one coach to sit on a bucket outside the dugout (don't even comment on that -- that's what I was stuck w/ per their park rules when I got there)

Anyway, this 16-year old kid is sitting on this bucket calling pitches in a 12U game -- and the protest was "he's been doing it all year" -- well, it did not happen that day. The next year their rules specified the "bucket coach" and all asst coaches had to be 18!!