I thought it was getting better...

[Andy]

Originally Posted by RKBUmp

Andy can add in more later because he is more involved, but in the Metro Phoenix, AZ area, the AIA rates officials on a scale of 1-4, 1 being a certified umpire, and 4 being a rookie. There is also a 5 designation, but that is for a transfer official who has not yet been reviewed by an observer. Once reviewed they are placed somewhere in the 1-4 rating.

AIA starts out the year for softball officials with a mandatory general meeting for all umpires. They basically go over any rules changes from previous years, general information on what they expect from the new season, have a few presentations, some awards and some raffles.

Then there is about a month worth of classes held at various points all around the metro area. Some of the classes are Mondays, others on Tuesdays, and some others on Wednesdays. Each week all locations cover the same topics, so if you cant make it to one of the classes on say Monday, you can catch the same class at another location on Tuesday. These classes are for the 1 and 2 rated umpires. The 3 and 4 umpires all have their classes at the main AIA offices and also do some on field work over a few nights. In addition to these classes, there is also a Saturday of clinics, usually 4, that cover various topics such as pitching infractions and the look back rule.

I dont remember all the requirements, but certified umpires are required to attend 3 of the weekly classes, 2 of the clinics and score 90% or higher on the test.

That's basically it in a nutshell. I am one of the instructors for the 1s and 2s, so these are supposedly the veteran umpires. I used to believe that at this level, these classes should focus more on the art and philosophy of umpiring as opposed to rules review. However, I have found that a number of our "vets" scanned the book 20 or so years ago and just think they need some update on the changes and they're good to go. So this past year we went back to a rules focus and basically went through the book. We shall see what the impact of that decision is.