Retaining Younger Umpires

[PtotheB]

When I was in Alaska, and called basketball, we used the mentor program that Andy referred to and it worked very well. The mentor would start using almost all the game management techniques and slowly turn it over to the rookie but would be right there if they needed to rodeo clown a coach.
Another thing to think about is to assign the rookie as the BU until they have made enough to cover part or all of the plate gear if money is an issue.
The biggest thing that has kept me motivated in softball is evaluations and feedback. Keep those coming and I'll keep coming back. We sure don't do this for the money so I see the common denominator as seeing each game, pitch and situation as a challenge. If the young umpire is motivated for the right reasons then that should help meet their needs for self improvement.