No, Steve, you must be thinking of somebody else. Never been to either "M" state, and haven't been a student for lo these many years.

I always "gear up" to do the plate. I put my batter side arm behind my knee. How much is hidden depends on the batter. It protects my hand. Because I work the slot I have been hit on the inside of the batter side thigh. It bruises up when hit. I prefer it to the ball hitting my forarm though. Female umpires, do you wear a pelvic protector?(like the majority of the people on this site give a rip) I do when working higher level ball.

Welcome Rachel!!!! Long time no hear! Glad you came over to this board. Many of us had to get away from McGriff's.
Have a great season!

:cool:

I always wear shinguards, mask, and cup. Chest protector is usually my +POS unless very hot and then I use a Baloon. Shinguards are necessary because even with 10yr olds who basically throw slow pitch around here, I find the number of flying bats around my shins enough to convince me to wear them. As to the cup, last year I finished 2 games by myself because of teen age boy umps who didn't see any reason to wear a cup until after they left the game bendin over and walking real slow. OUCH!
Have fun out there,
Gordon

No pelvic protector for me. I've seen them advertised but never thought to use one.

Don't know about the majority, but I don't want to see any umpire hurt.

I know that the pelvic protector came out on the market right after the Little League fiasco in Florida a couple of years ago. Does the pelvic protector really help? My question is not a smart alec one, but just a question from the uncivilized half the the Earth's population.

I guess it would be personal preference, but I feel no need for a pelvic protector. I mean it's not like we have any, (how to say it) external things to cover down there. Sure, we could get a bruise, but we don't fall on the ground sucking air for 10 minutes if we get hit there. I would rather cover my (as Elaine says) bazongas.

Unhappy young Lady Blue [no pun entended]
 

oatmealqueen wrote:

<b>Quote:
"but we don't fall on the ground sucking air for 10 minutes if we get hit there. I would rather cover my (as Elaine says) bazongas."</b>

That may be true, however, I worked with a young lady that
took at shot in the plevic and was out for a long time. Not a
great feeling I am sure.

glen

Re: Unhappy young Lady Blue [no pun entended]
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by whiskers_ump
oatmealqueen wrote:

<b>Quote:
"but we don't fall on the ground sucking air for 10 minutes if we get hit there. I would rather cover my (as Elaine says) bazongas."</b>

That may be true, however, I worked with a young lady that
took at shot in the plevic and was out for a long time. Not a
great feeling I am sure.

glen [/QUOTE

Yikes!! Hope she recovered ok.

When I first started I thought hey this is only girls and wore minimum equip. not even a cup!Well you guessed it a girl foul tipped one off her hand and bat and hit my home plate.I saw stars and planets!fortunately for me and bad for her she was hurt so everybody went to her while I leaned against the backstop in agony.Needless to say I wear a cup!Later in the year I took afoul tip off my big toe and couldn't walk for a week.So now plate shoes and the moral is I wear the whole deal now no matter how hot it is!

Missed April, May, June, July, August in 2002. Foul tip off the big toe, broken in two places. Didn't realize how many times my dog actually stepped on my feet until then. Didn't wear a shoe til late August. I guess that'll learn me.

I did 2 college games this weekend. After 5 1/2 months of no softball the pitches came in pretty fast that first inning. I called acouple of high ones that made the coach groan and me swear to myself under my breath. Once I slowed down it got better. I did manage a softball sized purple bruise off a foul tip about 2" away from the pelvic protector and another smaller one through my shin pads on the knee cap. If I wouldn't have had padding on the knee I think the knee cap would be gone now.