Age of umps

[Rick Vietti]

In our local softball youth leagues we have regular umpires doing the umpiring. We do not actively recruit youth umpires.

I brought my son who was 15 last year into umpiring this level of ball and he has done great. He has a good grasp of the game and the responsibilities. In fact he worked in the high school association this last spring at age 15 1/2 doing jv games.

What he grasped the most was, that he could make a pretty good wage for very few hours a week. This has enabled him to buy his first vehicle.

Again, I agree that for young umpires to move up or to enjoy umpiring, it takes a lot of mentoring.