Central Atlantic Region - Jan 21-22,2011
 

Click HERE for registration form
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sent the form and check to art today.

see you there.

Jim Craig, Deputy Supervisor of Umpires, has been added as a clinician.

Let's hope the weather cooperates this year.

One of these years, I'll get up there!

Hope you guys have a blast.

Perhaps there will be more ASA fast pitch tournaments in Northern VA in 2011.

Why don't you schedule one? I'm sure HP will be more than happy to sanction it.

Irish,

Do you know something we do not? This is a serious question that you can answer this weekend.

Ron

Ronald,

That was a serious answer to a serious question that is asked all over.

As much as people think it is all about the money, many ASA local organizations stay out of the competition for tournament dollars (other than championship play) and leave that to the softball organizations looking to make money from a tournament. Please note, I said many, not most or all.

Too many people sit back and wait for someone else to do everything for them and then ***** when they think they are getting overcharged for something. This is common in my area and those surrounding us.

The strong softball organizations operate tournaments all the time and cover a fair amount of their operating budget in that manner. Meanwhile, they pay the sanctioning fee, give the work and pay to umpires and everyone is a happy camper.

I would agree that some ASA organizations could be a little more agressive in their competition, but there is more to running a tournament than that of which most people are aware.

Depending on the purpose of a tournament (like a charity), there are some commissioners that will charge next to nothing (if anything at all) and cover the sanctioning themselves if for no other reason than the umpires can work and have their ASA insurance available to them in case of a problem.

I'm thinking that if I organized an ASA tournament in my area and scheduled the umpires to work this tournament, underware worn by the UIC for one of the local umpire associations I belong to might become knotted. :eek:

Do you think we would get an email asking us not to work for you?

Here's how it works around here.

You would schedule the tournament;
Contact the appropriate ASA commissioner for sanctioning;
Contact the local ASA umpire association for umpires.

Assuming there is no other tournament competing for the same umpires, I don't see why there would be a problem.

Scheduling ASA tournaments, contacting the appropriate ASA commissioner for sanctioning is handled by local umpire associations in Northern VA.

There's been very little success in ASA tournaments being held in Northern VA.

What do you think?

Seems to me the point should be to promote ASA tournaments, not bind them. Of course, there are always possible issues. One that my local association ran into in the past is competing tournaments. Too many people still have a "schedule it and they will come" fantasy and do not understand that game officials are a resource, not a commodity. If there are only so many umpires, you can only cover so many games no matter how many are scheduled.

There are about three competing youth ball org. in my area and I've talked to them all at one time or another about getting together and try to coordinate their tournaments so everyone makes out well. You would think I just asked for their first born.

Well, there will be a few people there from you area this weekend, so maybe you can get some insight into what you can do.

Would not go over to well.

Irish,

I will give you a name at the meeting and we can figure it out from there. The local association we belong to broke up a few years ago into different camps --that is what I have been told. The why of it is not known by the minions. I do know that humans were involved and when that happens-- well you get wars, incusions, schims, regicide etc....

Ron

Your proposal is somewhat analgous to asking Ford, Chrysler and GM to divide up colors: Ford will make red cars, Chrysler blue and GM green. How far do you think that would go?

It was hard enough in this state to get the high school and ASA to work together such that the annual All Star game didn't conflict with the ASA State Tournament.

My thoughts exacaaallllaaaaclallleeeeeee!

Not really. I'm not talking about multiple associations. I talking all ASA. That way each of their tournaments would get the complete and full attention and cooperation of the local ASA umpire association. No competition here.

Now that is two different associations.

Oh. When I read " three competing youth ball org," I thought you meant organizers for tournaments with different alphabet soup organizations, given that the same umpires may work multiple sanctions.