OMG Did I hear this correctly?

[mach3]

Tom, no they don't get intercultural training - at least I did not get it from any umpire training. Maybe we will get it before the tournament, but I doubt it.

And I think what Mike points out is one point that does not work internationally. There is a ISF 4MS and 3MS but most umpires use different system during the year. Be it their national or regional (e.g. European) 4MS, 3MS or 2MS. Therefore the system used at the tournament is not the one they practice at home.

I can basically talk from an European perspective but the level of umpirering and especially of umpire training differs a lot from country to country. There is an European umpire license and you need to pass a course for that. But the umpires attending have totally different levels. Since some countries don't have their own umpire training program, for one umpire it might be the first umpire course the attend - while for others get a annual training and feedbacks during the year.
That makes it hard to find a good level for every umpire attending.

And then there is also the language barrier! For some it works ok with English to talk off the field, but under pressure and with the necessity to accurate in the wording when it comes down to rules on the field it is a different story!

I don't have a solution either. But I know, there has been an agreement signed between ASA und ESF (European Softball Federation - the European umbrella organization for the national federations) that should be the basis for support. Maybe that can be used also for umpire exchange and training.

Raoul